Laura Ziegler

Special Correspondent

Laura Ziegler began her career at KCUR as a reporter more than 20 years ago. She became the news director in the mid 1980's and  in 1988,  went to National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. as a producer for Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon.

In 1993, she came back to Kansas City as the Midwest correspondent for National Public Radio. Among the stories she covered - the floods of 1993, the ongoing farm crisis and rural affairs, and presidential campaigns.

After the birth of her 3rd child, Laura returned to KCUR as producer of Under the Clock, a weekly talk show broadcast live from Union Station. It was hosted by former Kansas City mayor Emanuel Cleaver. When he was elected 5th district Congressman in 2002, Laura returned to KCUR as a part-time reporter and producer.

Laura has won numerous awards for her work, including three regional Edward R. Murrow awards.

In 1992, Laura was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship in Journalism with the East West Center at the University of Hawaii which took her to China, Japan, Burma, Bangladesh and Thailand.  In 1990, she was part of a reporting trip to the then -Soviet Union with the American Center for International Leadership.

Laura graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from Vassar College.

She, her husband, and their three children - Julia, Ellie, and Benjamin, live with Laura's father in the house in which she was born.

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Government
1:17 pm
Wed January 9, 2013

KCK Mayor Will Not Seek Reelection

Joe Reardon's Facebook photo.

The Mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Joe Reardon, announced today he would not seek reelection for a third term this spring. In a letter from his office, Reardon said he made the decision based on personal reasons.

“I have a family at home that I love very much. It is important to me that I spend more time with them. My two sons are growing up much too quickly,” he said in his letter, which is posted in full on his Facebook page.

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Business & Tech
9:14 am
Mon January 7, 2013

Low Gas Prices Thanks To Extra Crude

Credit bigstock.com

Drivers in and around Kansas City will continue to see some of the lowest gas prices in the country this year.  That’s due to a surplus of crude oil in the area.

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Queen of Funk
10:56 pm
Thu January 3, 2013

Marva Whitney Remembered In Kansas City

Used by permission of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries, Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections.

An extended story about Marva Whitney's life, including archival interviews and music, ending with a gospel song she recorded in 2006.

Iconic funk and soul singer Marva Whitney will be buried Saturday in Kansas City. She died two weeks ago at the age of 68, just six years after the passing of James Brown, who catapulted her to national stardom.

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Tracking NBAF
11:49 am
Thu January 3, 2013

Feds Officially Gain Control Of Land For Top Security Lab

Credit Laura Ziegler / KCUR

The Department of Homeland Security officially took ownership of 46 acres in Manhattan, Kansas this week for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

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Government
2:42 pm
Mon December 31, 2012

Service Economy Could Bear Brunt Of 'Fiscal Cliff' Impact

Credit ZTW1 / flickr
Kansas City.

The Kansas City region has been recovering from the recession at a slightly faster clip than many other places across the country.

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Tracking NBAF
11:38 am
Mon December 31, 2012

NBAF Officially Gets Land: A Green Light For Troubled Project?

Credit Laura Ziegler / KCUR
The site for the proposed federal National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

We return now to a story we’ve been covering on an ongoing basis: The debate over the billion-dollar  animal disease lab under construction – maybe – in Manhattan, Kansas.

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Music
3:43 pm
Thu December 27, 2012

Marva Whitney, 'Soul Sister No. 1,' Dies At Age 68

Funeral services for Marva Whitney are pending, according to a Facebook page dedicated to the followers of the Kansas City woman known as Soul Sister No. 1.

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Cops & Crime
4:11 pm
Fri December 14, 2012

After Conn. Shooting, Some Police Step Up Presence Near Schools

Credit bigstock.com

Though the tragic shooting Friday at a Connecticut elementary school occurred far from the Kansas City area, Overland Park police still stepped up its presence nearby local schools.

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Sports
3:30 pm
Sat December 1, 2012

Chiefs Linebacker Kills Girlfriend, Self

Credit Laura Ziegler / KCUR
Chiefs officials outside the training facility where Linebacker Jovan Belcher committed suicide this morning.

Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend multiple times around 8 a.m. Saturday, drove to the team's training facility, thanked coaches for supporting him, walked away and shot himself in the head, police said.

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Business & Tech
9:44 am
Mon November 26, 2012

Shoppers Encouraged To Buy Local

Credit Google+
Stuff

Holiday shoppers are being encouraged once again this year to support small, local businesses. Small Business Saturday is important for a number of reasons.

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Business & Tech
9:14 pm
Thu November 15, 2012

Hostess Bakery To Workers: 'Go Back To Work, Or Company Dies'

Hostess company officials told striking workers they had until 5 p.m. Thursday to go back to work, or management would be forced to liquidate the company.

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Government
11:42 am
Thu November 8, 2012

Conservatives' Win In Kansas Shows Support For Brownback Agenda

Kansas statehouse races got big league attention and money this year as Governor Sam Brownback's agenda begins to unfold.

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Election 2012
2:26 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Moderate Kansas Republicans Suffer Identity Crisis

Some might say the big news in Johnson County elections happened during the primaries, when conservative Republicans beat moderates in four out of five races for state Senate.

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People
10:40 am
Sun October 28, 2012

Lessons Learned Serving Orphans Abroad Being Applied In Urban Core

A father holding his biological and foster children. The Adopt KC program works with local churches to see how it can support congregants interested in housing foster kids.

Some years ago Mike Fox, traveling in Thailand, learned about the plight of Karen refugees fleeing political repression in Burma.

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Voting
10:07 am
Fri September 28, 2012

Campus Organizers Worry About Political Apathy

Student activists at Kansas City Community College worry young people are not as  interested in the upcoming elections as they should be.

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