Up To Date

As the ceasefire between Iran and Israel went into effect, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, a Republican from Missouri, told KCUR that he backs President Trump's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. Alford's district includes Whiteman Air Force Base, where the bombers were launched.

Tricia Rojo Bushnell spent the past 12 years bringing innocent incarcerated individuals home at the Midwest Innocence Project. Now, she's leaving to be the executive director at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice.

Tricia Rojo Bushnell spent the past 12 years bringing innocent incarcerated individuals home at the Midwest Innocence Project. Now, she's leaving to be the executive director at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice.

Roxanne Jones is a nurse with Global Care Force, an organization based in Lenexa that provides medical aid around the world. She returned Saturday to the United States from Jordan, a country located in between Israel and Iran, and witnessed missiles fly between the two nations.

Chicken can sometimes get a bad rap but, fried, pan-seared, or smoked, it's a versatile meat that sops up flavor like a sponge. Here's where to find the tastiest broilers, fryers, and roasters in the metro, including crispy Korean fried chicken and succulent wings.

Cotton-top tamarins are a critically endangered species. Wyoming toads were once listed as extinct. Recent births of both animals at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium are a show of some progress in their wildlife conservation efforts.

KCUR hosted a town hall in Belton, Missouri, with Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Alford of the 4th Congressional District. He answered questions from constituents about what's happening in Washington — including the Trump administration's immigration policies and tariffs, recent protests, and violence against lawmakers.

Mayor Quinton Lucas convened a Commission on Reparations back in May 2023, with the goal of producing recommendations on how the city could repair harms from racism. Two years later, much of that work has yet to begin.

The killing of a Democratic state representative in Minnesota this past weekend has Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes concerned about her and her family's safety. The name of Missouri U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II was also included on the suspect's "hit list."

Kansas City is exactly one year away from the first FIFA World Cup match at Arrowhead Stadium. KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer joined KCUR's Up To Date for an update on how the nonprofit is working through security and helping businesses prepare.

Kansas City native Juana Summers, a co-host of NPR's "All Things Considered," returned to her hometown to join KCUR at its 2025 Radioactive Gala. She joined Up To Date to talk about getting her start here in journalism, and the importance of public media.

Emily Brown founded Attane Health four years ago to ensure people with chronic health problems have access to the right foods to improve their health. Now, her work has won her the Spark Prize, an unrestricted award from the Missouri Foundation for Health to keep the innovation going.

A KCATA committee has approved a new transit-oriented apartment community in Kansas City, Kansas, at the intersection of State Avenue and Turner Diagonal Freeway. The authority's Board of Commissioners will review the project later this summer.

If the U.S. Senate signs off on the rescission package passed by the U.S. House on Thursday, the loss of federal funding would be an immediate hit to hundreds of public broadcasters like KCUR. "We're going to rely on this community to figure out ways so that we are not having to diminish the service we provide," says General Manager Sarah Morris.

Small business owners want Kansas Citians to know they don't want to raise prices, but President Donald Trump's turbulent tariff policy has put them in a tough spot. Businesses say the situation is "unsettling."

The drones head out before human first responders to scope out the scene. Lenexa Police say it's cut response times by two minutes in emergency situations, and the city just approved funding to buy more.

In response to the policies of the Trump administration, "No Kings" protesters will take to the streets around the country this Saturday. KCUR's Up To Date spoke with one of the organizers of a protest in Kansas City.

From small-town Missouri to sold-out shows across the country, honestav is amassing a loyal fan base of listeners who see their own struggles reflected in his raw, unfiltered songs about addiction, mental health and getting better.

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.

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.

Indie rock band Hembree got its start in Kansas City, and will always call the town home — even after moving to Los Angeles and releasing their latest album "Better Days." The group returns to town this Saturday, June 14 to play Boulevardia.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss his latest book, "Mark Twain," which paints a nuanced portrait of a complicated American author from the Heartland.

The Missouri General Assembly appears poised to approve incentives to help the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals build or renovate their stadiums. But questions still remain over whether the teams will take the offer, or move to Kansas instead.

This Saturday, 10 contestants will take the stage at Old Shawnee Days and compete for a spot in the final round of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. The qualifier has already drawn more eyes to this year's festival, and organizers are expecting to see a jump in attendance.

Staff at SEA LIFE Aquarium in Kansas City are working with federal and state agencies to restock the American paddlefish, the last remaining species of its kind in the world, in the Missouri River watershed.

Recent reports of immigrants being picked up by ICE after appearing at Kansas City immigration court have caused a surge in attendance of concerned advocates and attorneys. These advocates say the arrests are an intimidation tactic, as the Trump administration tries to speed up deportations.

As Kansas City's Pride Month celebrations mark their 50th anniversary this year, festival organizers say anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from the Trump administration has caused a severe loss of sponsorships. Even with a reduced budget, PrideFest plans to bring new resources to help fill a growing gap for the LGBTQ+ community.

After years of rejection, Overland Park native Shelby Floyd felt her dreams come true as she won the HBO Max reality competition show "Second Chance Stage." The singer-songwriter taps into the highs and lows of her journey in her first single "Sad Girl Spring."

Some Kansas Citians on social media have criticized the way that the KCPD and Mayor Quinton Lucas responded to a march of masked white nationalists last weekend. In a wide-ranging conversation, Lucas defended his comments, as well as discussed the Royals' search for a new stadium, his recent trip to Qatar and fixing public transit.

In December, then-Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the life sentence of Patty Prewitt, who had already spent 38 years behind bars for a crime she maintains she did not commit. Now, she's out with a new book, "Trying to Catch Lightning in a Jar: Letters from Prison."

Avid public radio listeners know Tom Papa as a regular panelist and guest host on NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" and for his role on the program "Live From Here." He'll be in Kansas City for a stand-up comedy set this Saturday.

Missouri lawmakers have banned the sale or transport of six native plant species, including Callery pear trees. The ban will go into effect Jan. 1, 2029 — to give sellers time to replace their inventories.

A local civics bee competition in Harrisonville, Missouri, challenged students' knowledge and ability to make a difference in society. Now students from Harrisonville and Raymore-Peculiar schools will compete in the state competition.

For years, tech companies have secretly used pirated e-book libraries to train their generative artificial intelligence models. "It horrifies me," says Kansas author Bryn Greenwood, whose books were among those stolen.

President Trump's tax-cut bill, which was narrowly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, could dramatically cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kansas City advocates say this would harm the nearly 850,000 residents between Missouri and Kansas that depend on food benefits.

Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson, who represents Lee's Summit, says next year's vote on whether to ban abortion again might not be the end of efforts around how the state regulates the procedure.

Sarah Milgrim, who was from Prairie Village, was shot and killed along with her partner Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night. Both worked for the Israeli embassy, and the couple was about to leave for a trip to Israel.

St. Joseph, Missouri, native Noah Cameron is living out his childhood dream by pitching for the Kansas City Royals. In his first two major league starts, he has already become "the person that everybody is watching." Hear his conversation with KCUR's Up To Date.

Spanning local legends to contemporary up-and-comers, "Jazz KC Portraits" captures the musicians and stories of Kansas City's jazz scene. On display at the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum in Independence, the exhibit also reveals the connection of President Truman to the city's early jazz era.

The UMKC Conservatory announced a planned expansion for its facilities that will aim to increase "performance, classroom and collaboration opportunities for students and the Kansas City community." The first phase is estimated to cost $35 million.

The Missouri General Assembly's 2025 legislative session ended last week, but with some last-minute drama. While it was a more productive term than in recent years, some legislative priorities — including funding packages for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals stadiums — didn't make it to the finish line.

The UMKC Conservatory announced a planned expansion for its facilities that will aim to increase "performance, classroom and collaboration opportunities for students and the Kansas City community." The first phase is estimated to cost $35 million.