Will Missouri kick Kansas City out of Jackson County?

By Nomin Ujiyediin,

Byron J. Love

Published January 26, 2026 at 4:00 AM CST

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A new proposal in Missouri's legislature could make Jackson County the first county in the state to be split in 150 years. It's spurred by a Republican lawmaker from eastern Jackson County, but elected leaders are skeptical that it will gain traction.

Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with The Beacon's local government reporter Josh Merchant about what's behind this "Jackxit" proposal.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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Kansas City Today

Nomin Ujiyediin

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.

See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin

Byron J. Love

As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.

See stories by Byron J. Love

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