Explore every episode of the podcast Kansas City Today

Kansas City's new downtown parking policy during events is catching some drivers by surprise. Plus: Why did a master bootmaker from Italy choose small-town Kansas to continue his craft?

Many of the people in Kansas who are homeless do have an income, but housing is simply too expensive to afford a place to live. Plus: Missouri law doesn't clearly IVF, so what's the risk of the procedure being outlawed?

Missouri has a tropical fruit of its very own: the pawpaw. Although this Midwest native is getting more popular, you're unlikely to find them in a grocery store yet. Plus: While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields.

Kansas City pharmacists walked off the job last September to protest working conditions and brought widespread attention to the troubled retail pharmacy business. The industry is battling economic pressures, changed buying habits and labor shortages.

It’s back to the drawing board for Johnson County and its plans to build a shelter in Lenexa for the county’s growing homeless population. How did the project — a major priority of Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly, and the product of more than a year of planning and organizing — fall apart?

In the mid-1990s, the Kansas City Public Library was threatening to close its branch on the Westside. Librarian Irene Ruiz went door to door campaigning for the building to stay. Today, that branch of the library is named after her.

Over a dozen states that do not share a border with Mexico, including Missouri, have joined a Texas operation to crack down on illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Plus: Two years after he was arrested by the FBI, former Kansas City, Kansas, Police detective Roger Golubski is set to face trial soon.

When Tyson closed a chicken processing facility in southeast Missouri, it also ended contracts with nearby chicken farmers. Now, some of those farmers are suing. Plus: Kansas farms are consolidating, pushing people to leave the region and making rural life even lonelier.

With over 5,000 reported car thefts in Kansas City this year, frustrated residents are demanding elected officials and law enforcement find solutions. Plus: A $10 million federal grant will be used to improve safety on Prospect Avenue, one of the city's most dangerous roads.

A new Missouri legislative panel investigates crime committed by undocumented immigrants, and is holding hearings around the state. But it's gotten pushback from residents because reports about the extent of immigrant crimes are mostly exaggerated or completely false.

Kansas City has lots of women’s sports fans and soon, they’ll have a dedicated space to watch matches together. The Dub, the first dedicated bar for women's sports in the state of Missouri, plans to open this year around the corner from the Kansas City Public Library downtown.

Missouri quietly restricted its policy for transgender residents to change the gender markers on their state IDs. For some people, it was the last straw. Plus: How Children’s Mercy researchers are working to make genetic testing more accessible in rural Kansas.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Amendment 3, the constitutional amendment that could overturn Missouri's abortion ban, will stay on the Nov. 5 ballot. How did such a big decision end up before the state's highest court at the very last minute?

Military members and their families are especially vulnerable to food insecurity, but Kansas City groups are providing a safety net. Plus: Missouri hemp producers are stuck in confusion after the delay of Gov. Mike Parson's ban on hemp-derived edibles.

Does agreeing to take part in a political debate make you a man? How gender politics and notions of masculinity are playing out in this year’s presidential election — and in the Missouri showdown between Lucas Kunce and Josh Hawley for the U.S. Senate.

A new Missouri poll shows growing support for Amendment 3, this fall's ballot measure enshrining a right to an abortion in the state constitution. It even has backing from some Republicans, who still have strong leads in all the races for statewide office.

For more than a century, bird hatcheries and farmers across the country have used the U.S. Postal Service to ship newborn birds. But recent shipment delays have led to many birds dying in transit. Plus: Climate change could bring more water scarcity to the Midwest and Great Plains and, with it, more legal battles over water.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves is casting blame on a lack of consequences for young people who commit property crimes like stealing cars. She says that light punishments from the juvenile court system are emboldening teens and causing the crimes to escalate — like in the recent murder of Shaun Brady.

Kansas City is finishing its campaign of installing LED streetlights that they say promote green sustainability. But activists say it's just a band-aid on the city's bigger climate problem. Plus: Why Kansas musician Freedy Johnston returned to his small hometown to paint a mural.

As the Kansas City Irish Fest begins today, the Irish community is in mourning after the killing of chef and festival organizer Shaun Brady during a possible car burglary. Outgoing Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says she's seeing a trend of rising property crimes that end in tragedy.

An increasingly popular way for political campaigns to connect to voters is through text messaging. And while you may find them annoying — they're probably working. Plus, Kansas Democrats are hoping to flip enough seats in the state Legislature to get rid of the Republican supermajority.

Nearly 50 cases of tuberculosis have been confirmed in Wyandotte County — more than the total number of cases in the state of Kansas last year. Still, experts say overall public risk is low.

Marcellus Williams remains on death row in Missouri after 20 years, despite evidence that he is innocent in the 1998 murder of a St. Louis woman. But a plea deal that would have saved him from the death penalty, in exchange for life in prison, was blocked by the Missouri Supreme Court.

In April 2025, Kansas City voters will weigh in on a proposed $474 million bond issue to improve local schools. Kansas City Public Schools hasn't passed a bond in nearly 60 years. How does the district plan to "level the playing field" for its students?

The Crossroads bar Society has become Kansas City's hub for Latin dancing. For beginners, it's a place to practice your moves. For experienced salseros, it's an "injection of life." Plus: Frog gigging is a dying art that still draws thousands to Missouri marshes.

Much of Kansas City experiences some heat island effect. As global temperatures rise, Kansas City planners and environmental experts are trying harder to make these hot spots cooler. Plus: Missouri hasn't just outlawed abortion — it's also funding anti-abortion organizations that are working in neighboring states.

In November, voters in Missouri will have the opportunity to raise the state's minimum wage for a third time. Hear from organizers who support the ballot measure. Plus, we'll bring you headlines from around the metro.

Teenagers now average nearly five hours per day on social media. But as Kansas and Missouri kids head back to school, experts say it's important to limit their screen time. Plus: We'll hear from a new teacher in Kansas about what she’s hoping from her first year on the job.

Advocates for abortion rights in Missouri say they are feeling cautiously optimistic about the statewide vote coming up in November.

In the late 1800s, a new dance took the country by storm, and Kansas City was home to one of its biggest stars. Meet Doc Brown, “Prince of the Mincing Step," “King of the Order of Mixed Gaits," and “Cakewalk Champion of Missouri and the World.”