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Up To Date

Seg. 1: New KCK Mayor Says He's Always On The Job. Seg. 2: Finding A Road For Martin Luther King Jr.

Luke X. Martin
/
KCUR 89.3
The Rev. Sam Mann, who supports renaming The Paseo after Martin Luther King Jr., says the city council "could override the Park Board's decision" to deny the modification request.

Segment 1: New mayor and CEO of Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, says he's tapped into family's "longstanding commitment to the community." 

In his first Up To Date interview since taking office, David Alvey admits he's doing a lot of listening as he settles into his new role. Today, he explained how he's approaching several issues facing his city and county, including the continuing call for a new grocery store and YMCA downtown, "shift-trading" by firefighters, and how income generated in western Wyandotte County can benefit developments on the east side.

  • David Alvey, mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas

Segment 2, beginning at 27:14: Community leaders turn to the ballot box in effort to rename The Paseo after slain civil rights leader.

Kansas City, Missouri, is believed to be one of the biggest cities in the country without a thoroughfare named after Martin Luther King Jr. After the city's Parks and Recreation Board rebuffed a renaming proposal for The Paseo, leaders in the black community want to see principle guide policy. To that end, we learned about a new petition initiative to get the issue in front of local voters.

The March & Rally for Peace will begin at 5:30 p.m., Friday, April 6, at Victorious Life Church, 3400 Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri 64109. The rally begins at 7 p.m. at Morning Star Baptist Church, 2411 E. 27th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64127. For more information, visit SCLCGKC.org.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.