Seg. 1: KCK Shooting | Seg. 2: Lyz Lenz

By Gina Kaufmann,

Published October 7, 2019 at 5:19 PM CDT

Segment 1: A mass shooting on Central Avenue leaves a community grief-stricken.

Our reporter describes the weekend's shocking news from Wyandotte County, and a community leader asks Kansas Citians to understand what happened as an isolated incident that struck a growing, hard-working, tight-knit neighborhood.

Elle Moxley, KCUR
Edgar Galicia, Central Avenue Betterment Association

Segment 2: The author of a new book sheds light on political divisions in Midwestern faith communities.

In God Land, journalist Lyz Lenz tells the story a marriage that crumbles due to irreconcilable differences, many of them political, after the 2016 presidential election. The differences that pulled her marriage apart mirror rifts that exist in churches she visits throughout the region.

Lyz Lenz, God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America

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Gina Kaufmann

People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.

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Noah Taborda

As KCUR's health reporter, I cover the Kansas City metro in a way that reflects our expanding understanding of what health means and the ways it touches different communities and different areas in distinct ways. I will provide a platform to amplify ideas and issues often underrepresented in the media and marginalized people and communities in an authentic and honest way that goes beyond the surface of the issues. I will endeavor to find and include in my work local experts and organizations that have their ears to the ground and a beat on the health needs of the community. Reach me at noahtaborda@kcur.org.

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