Podcast

Kansas City Public Schools will ask voters on April 8 to approve $474 million in higher property taxes to help the district update classrooms, build new schools and address long-standing maintenance needs. In order to pass the bond measure, the district will have to convince 57% of voters to sign off.

Kansas City is expecting 650,000 visitors next summer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup — more than the amount of people who live in the city. A leader of the KC2026 coalition says that preparations are already well underway for transportation and hosting both fans and teams.

Kansas lawmakers last week passed a budget that would put the state roughly $460 million in debt by 2028. Up To Date spoke to Gov. Laura Kelly about the new spending plan, the GOP supermajority in the Legislature and more.

Kim Riley, founder of The Transition Academy, said that Kansas City needs to do more to close the employment gap between people with a disability and people without. She's set her sights on founding a new school to support students in the region.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art recently selected six finalists to design new expansion plans, down from 180 submissions from around the world. Nelson President and CEO Julian Zugazagoitia and Board Chair Evelyn Belger discuss what they hope to see in a makeover of the Kansas City institution.

Platt's firing came three weeks after the city lost a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Platt of retaliation, which cost the city nearly $1 million. Kansas City Council member Melissa Robinson said it was necessary to "restore public trust."

The Kansas City Royals are coming off their best season in almost a decade after winning a playoff series in 2024. In a live broadcast from Kauffman Stadium, KCUR's Up To Date spoke with Royals owner John Sherman, general manager J.J. Picollo and more about the upcoming season and stadium negotiations.

Voters in Independence, Missouri, will consider whether to approve a $197 million general obligation bond on April's ballot. The majority of the money would fund building a new police campus, but money for infrastructure and the city's youth sports complex are also under consideration.

Kansas artists and cultural organizations would be stripped of state grants if the Kansas Legislature adopts a Senate-approved budget, which entirely eliminates funding the Kansas Arts Commission. The impact would be felt even harder in smaller and rural communities.

A creative collaboration between a Lawrence high schooler named Flora and her dad, Flora From Kansas dropped its debut EP, "Homesick," on March 14. Flora says the musical project has made her feel less alone.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is planning a $30 million expansion in the Historic 18th and Vine district that will allow it to add more museum offerings and also include a seven story hotel, a rooftop bar and a restaurant. The Kansas City institution was also featured on the video game "MLB The Show 25."

Republicans in the Kansas Legislature are pushing a resolution that would put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in August 2026, that would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected by the popular vote.