Kansas City Today

Only about 2% of aircraft pilots and flight engineers are Black. A group of men, inspired by the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, is trying to change that by highlighting careers in aviation. A KCUR reporter visited Red Tail Academy to learn about why that number is so low.

Across the country, data centers have attracted controversy for everything from overuse of utilities to tax breaks. Now, some Missourians are trying to track down those details through public records requests, appearances at public meetings and other grassroots efforts.

The Algerian men's national team adopted Lawrence as its home base for the World Cup. In return, the Kansas college town embraced the team in a big way — and flooded the streets Monday when Algeria won its first match of the tournament.

Many fans going to the first World Cup match in Kansas City last week were delayed by hours-long traffic jams. Local organizers made some changes to the transit system ahead of Saturday's Ecuador-Curaçao game — but were they enough?

A recently released audit of Missouri's finances shows the state is on the brink of a budget crisis. Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick discusses what his office found and how he wants elected officials to respond.

Hundreds flocked to a Kansas greenhouse to witness the colorful and pungent bloom of a rare, very smelly plant. Plus: An important bridge in Wichita was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which supporters say will aid its future preservation.

Kansas voters will soon decide if they want to elect justices to the state's highest court, instead of the current, merit-based nomination system. Some former justices worry direct elections could interfere with important decision-making.

Soccer first came to Kansas City through youth leagues in the 1970s, and a co-founder of the Brookside Soccer Club tells us how it changed the city. Plus: We'll take you to last night's World Cup match between Argentina and Algeria, the first of six games in Kansas City.

A federal program under fire from the Trump Administration has bought and shipped American grain to the world's hungry for seven decades. Hear why the fight to save Food for Peace raises a fundamental question about the focus of U.S. international food aid.

Leawood pastor Rev. Adam Hamilton thinks he can bridge the divide in Washington and bring costs down for the people of Kansas. He spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about why he decided to run for Sen. Roger Marshall's U.S. Senate seat.

An Olathe police officer violated department policy by calling an ICE hotline during a traffic stop, a call that ultimately led to a man's deportation. Learn the details behind the traffic stop and an update on the man's family.

A year ago, a group of concerned people in Missouri got together to help immigrants detained by ICE, and they've since expanded to seven affiliates in three states. Plus: Even though ICE raids are less visible than this winter, fear among immigrants remains high.

Going to a World Cup game, for many, requires hours of sitting in online queues, months of planning and thousands of dollars. Still, for KCUR health reporter Noah Taborda, the opportunity is too important to pass up. Plus: Amateur soccer players in Kansas City are hoping to host their own local pickup games with players from other countries.

Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas.

The Kansas City Council is bringing back its efforts to ban conversion therapy after it repealed a 2019 ordinance last month. Council member Jonathan Duncan discusses how the new proposal restricting "dangerous therapies" is intended to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

Kansas City's efforts to host the World Cup go back all the way to 1988. Now the tournament is finally here, after four years of preparations reshaped the metro's infrastructure. Is the city ready — and could it ever be?

Fifteen former residents of Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some say they were sexually abused by other residents a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that takes in children from across the country.

Industries and cities used to pollute rivers so heavily that at least one caught fire a dozen times. But like the Spring River in Kansas, some waterways are now bouncing back. Plus: Residents in a small Kansas town are upset about a smelly landfill.

World Cup officials have said 650,000 soccer fans will visit Kansas City over the course of the monthlong tournament. But how will we know how many actually show up? Hear what we're seeing in the weeks before the FIFA World Cup.

Kansas City metro bus riders now have to pay fares after six years of free rides. After decades of underfunded public transit, advocates worry that this will worsen a "death spiral" of fewer riders.

For immigrants looking to stay in the U.S legally, asylum is often their last hope, but judges are denying more claims. Plus: A Missouri man living in the U.S. for 25 years will be deported to Mexico after authorities pulled him over for not having a front license plate.

More than 45,000 habeas corpus cases have flooded federal courts across the country with petitioners alleging their detention was illegal. In Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, these filings have been overwhelmingly successful, according to an analysis by the Marshall Project and the Midwest Newsroom.

Jackson County legislative Chairman Manny Abarca, now a candidate for county executive, was banned from Paseo Academy for what school officials deemed “unsafe” behavior in the building. We'll hear details of the letter to Abarca from Kansas City Public Schools' legal counsel.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway calls crypto currency ATMs “getaway cars for fraud.” She discusses how her office is cracking down on the scams, and how to identify the red flags — plus talks about ongoing lawsuits over redistricting.

Kansas City hosts its FIFA World Cup games starting next month, and one Olathe teacher is making sure her students know what's happening — and who's coming to town. We'll hear how local students are becoming experts on the different countries who will play in Kansas City this summer.

With the costs of groceries rising and food assistance falling, community gardens can help keep healthy produce on a family's table. Hear how food banks and other groups around Kansas are growing their own.

School districts across the Kansas City metro are navigating financial challenges as they cope with fewer students and state funding shortfalls. Plus: Researchers believe that Gen Z may be reaching for a cigarette more often than members of older generations.

After the World Cup, Kansas Citians relying on public transportation will find it even harder to catch a ride to work. Inadequate regional funding is forcing the KCATA to slash routes in September.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the congressional maps lawmakers drew in 2025 to give Republicans a boost in this year's midterm elections will stay in effect. What could this mean for the political future of Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II?

Kansas City is bustling today, but it wasn't always destined to be that way. Hear how Irish immigrants literally carved the city's first streets.

Two nonprofits are building a network of donors and supplying breast milk to Kansas hospitals to support new moms who aren't able to produce their own. Plus: Some farmers are changing the model of community-supported agriculture to appeal to today's consumer preferences.

The Kansas City Council recently removed a 75-year-old rule that required businesses to provide a certain number of parking spots. Some residents and visitors say the change will exacerbate an already frustrating parking situation.

An Olathe native will officiate some of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. We'll learn what it took to land a spot on the referee crew and how he's preparing for the massive event.

After passing a $51 billion budget, Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for the final week of this year's session. Hear what's in and what's out of this year's funding package, and which big issues remain on the agenda in this final week.

During the first weekend in May, Latinos from across Kansas City celebrated 100 years of a beloved Cinco de Mayo fiesta at the Guadalupe Centers. What began as an annual celebration of Mexican immigrants and their cultural roots has grown into a weekend-long block party filled with music, food and the chance for longtime supporters to reconnect.

Tornado warning sirens have been a frequent sound in the Kansas City area so far this year. This month is likely to be much of the same, according to Zachary Leasor, a state climatologist with the University of Missouri.

It's getting more difficult to find an attorney in rural Kansas as people retire, so the state is offering incentives to attract a new generation of lawyers. Still, filling the civic leadership roles left by veteran lawyers will not be easy.

Residents of a rural Johnson County community are confronting a new data center proposal from San Francisco-based Beale Infrastructure, just weeks after they blocked a similar proposal.

Pastor Adam Hamilton, of Leawood, went on a tour of Kansas the last couple of months to explore running for the U.S. Senate. Now, he's officially in — as a Democrat. We'll discuss how Hamilton's entrance has injected energy and controversy into the race to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

When a Kansas City opera held auditions of older dogs for a new production, canine owners around the metro answered the call. Meet the working dogs trying out for a critical role in “Of Mice and Men." Plus: We'll take a tour of the Kansas Statehouse and a new mural depicting 13 women's civil rights advocates.

The World Cup comes to Kansas City this summer, and many fans will want to stay up late watching and partying. Kansas is close to approving longer hours for serving alcohol during the event, after Missouri passed its own law, so bars and restaurants don't lose business across the state line.

The Hickman Mills School District is trying to help fill its budget shortfall by asking voters to approve a $20 million bond and free up more money for operating expenses like teacher pay, staff benefits and more.