UMKC

El artista español Luis Quintanilla huyó de la Guerra Civil Española para escapar de la persecución, pero la mayor parte de su obra fue destruida. Hoy en día, uno de los dos únicos murales que quedan, se encuentra en un rincón de la Universidad de Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Recién restaurada, la extraña y fascinante obra maestra de Quintanilla es un testimonio de los inmigrantes y del peligro del autoritarismo.

Artist Luis Quintanilla fled the Spanish Civil War to escape persecution, but most of his work was destroyed. Today, one of his two remaining murals sits in an otherwise ordinary corner of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Newly restored, Quintanilla’s bizarre and enthralling masterpiece stands as a testament to immigrants and the danger of authoritarianism.

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are found in substances from cosmetics to nonstick pans — and end up in our bloodstreams, unable to break down. UMKC engineering professor Dr. Megan Hart studies how to get rid of these substances, and shares the everyday changes she has made for her health.

At Ding Dong Dogs just west of UMKC, you can get The Roo-Up Dog, a jumbo dog topped with pulled pork, pickled red onion, sport peppers and barbecue mustard. Or bite into The Big Salvy, the same jumbo wiener smothered with caramelized onion, giardiniera, tots and mustard.

Housed at both KU and UMKC, the university centers protect and support individuals with developmental disabilities. Now, they're at risk of closing under President Trump's proposed budget.

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit often go home sooner when they have access to music therapy. UMKC is one of only a few institutions nationwide that offers training to students in music therapy for premature babies.

Black people are reported missing in higher numbers than white people relative to their population, according to recent data. Some families believe the newly reinstated Missing Persons Unit of the Kansas City Police Department isn’t doing enough to address that. Plus: How the University of Missouri is handling reports of immigration enforcement authorities picking up college students.

The public university has been recognized as a leading research university. The certification makes UMKC more competitive for both students and research funding.

Universities and hospitals would need to cut their budgets under proposed changes to how medical research grants are funded by the National Institutes of Health. A federal judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the cuts in response to a lawsuit joined by 22 states, not including Missouri.

An exemption for certain employers means public college students don’t always benefit from Missouri’s new minimum wage at their on-campus jobs. Federal law also allows colleges and universities to pay students less than $7.25 an hour under certain conditions.

Mauli Agrawal is the chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He joined KCUR's Up To Date for the series "5 Questions" to discuss music, books and the state of Kansas City.

The exhibit includes 135 handmade antique dolls — some that were made by enslaved people — and about 60 period photographs showing dolls, children and adults posing for the camera. But not everyone involved in the Kansas City showing is completely comfortable with it.