UMKC

The FDA recently approved a safe and effective new coronavirus vaccine booster to protect against the latest variants, and it should be available around the Kansas City area soon. Residents can also get the booster at the same time as the latest flu shot, which experts say you should do before Halloween.

Dean Courtney Crappell joins Brooke Knoll for a conversation about the year ahead at the UMKC Conservatory. We'll highlight some of the many upcoming performances happening at the music school and hear several recordings featuring Conservatory students and faculty.

Climate change will continue to raise temperatures in urban areas like Kansas City. But planting more vegetation and using more reflective building materials can help cool things down.

It's gotten even harder to get around downtown Kansas City. After a "track failure" caused by the summer heat, the KC Streetcar has suspended service — and it likely will be down for several weeks. With construction still ongoing for the extension to UMKC, the incident is raising questions about the durability of the streetcar infrastructure.

Most elementary teacher preparation programs across the country and in Missouri do not adequately focus on the science of reading, according to a new review from the National Council on Teacher Quality. In fact, Missouri's programs were among the worst in the nation — with the exception of UMKC.

Of the many performance outlets for students at the UMKC Conservatory, Musica Nova is one that focuses entirely on new music. Composers, UMKC faculty members and Musica Nova directors Yotam Haber and Zhou Long join Classical KC's Brooke Knoll to talk about the group's mission and upcoming concerts. Hear music from Zhou and Haber as well as Chen Yi and Wang Jie.

The University of Missouri System is halting the use of diversity statements in its hiring practices. UM President Mun Choi said in an email Monday that officials will now send a “values commitment” to job applicants instead of DEI statements.

A resource and place of discovery for students and the public, UMKC's Music/Media Library is home to over 130,000 scores, recordings, books and other materials. Classical KC's Brooke Knoll talks with Nara Newcomer and Libby Hanssen about the library's "Shining a Light" project, which highlights underrepresented musical voices. Plus, we will hear music by Joan Tower, Libby Larsen, Viet Cuong, Chen Yi and more.

Clancy Martin’s new book “How Not to Kill Yourself” takes a bold and unflinching look at what he calls the suicidal mind. Combining aspects of memoir and social inquiry, the book underscores one big idea: We need to be talking about suicide.

The chatbot has educators scrambling to make sure students don't use it to cheat. Two UMKC professors think one way to address the issue is to incorporate the new technology into lesson plans rather than ban it.

Protest is part of American history, and only more visible over the last decade thanks to social media. But protests over police violence and racism, including the Black Lives Matter movement, have not necessarily led to widespread improvements. So how effective is modern protesting, and what needs to happen to bring about change?

Construction on a northbound streetcar extension, from River Market to the Berkeley Riverfront, will begin next year. But there's still plenty of work left to do on the route to UMKC, with an expected open date in 2025.