Government

Christal Watson, the mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, joined Up To Date to discuss the Chiefs moving to her county, concerns from her constituents about property taxes and much more.

A resolution in the Missouri General Assembly, if approved, would create a process to eliminate the individual income tax as soon as 2032. It would allow for an expansion of some sales taxes to recoup funding lost as a result of lowering or eliminating this tax. Any resolution passed in the statehouse would have to be approved by voters.

Missouri sends the bulk of its funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — intended to help families get into the workforce so they no longer need government aid — to crisis pregnancy centers, which are frequently faith-based and anti-abortion.

The Sun Fresh Market at Linwood Shopping Center closed in August due to increasing issues with crime and a lack of customers. The lawsuit alleges Kansas City undermined and neglected the store, which caused it to close.

Since Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law a new congressional map that splits Kansas City into three districts, with the goal of ousting Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II from office, a handful of lawsuits and hundreds of thousands of petition signatures have been submitted in opposition. Two of those cases will be heard in court this week.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined KCUR’s Up To Date to talk about his concerns regarding a possible ICE facility in Kansas City, his new role as the president of the Democratic Mayors Association, and Argentina choosing Kansas City as its home base for the 2026 World Cup.

President Trump said the U.S. would "run" Venezuela, following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. But many questions remain about what's next.

President Trump said the United States would "run" Venezuela. But interim President Delcy Rodríguez denounced the U.S. operation and rejected the idea of U.S. control.

Republican former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu will be in Kansas City next Monday for an American Public Square event. He joined Up To Date ahead of his visit to discuss his time in office, working across the aisle and the first year of the second Trump administration.

During the record-setting 43-day government shutdown, Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves said he got a lot of calls from air traffic controllers — who had to work without pay, despite already being overworked and understaffed. But another shutdown could just be a few months away.

Voters around the Kansas City area went to the polls Tuesday to vote on issues critical to their local communities. The metro area saw city council upsets, a win for the four-day school week, and a history-making new mayor, among other results.

Prairie Village will see turnover on the city council after November’s election. Four of the six incumbents whose terms are up are not running again. Chi Nguyen, who represents Ward 3, and Greg Shelton, who represents Ward 5, joined KCUR's Up To Date to reflect on their terms and the recent controversies that have shaped the city.