Luke X. Martin
Culture EditorAs culture editor, I oversee KCUR’s coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City.
I was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and raised in Wichita where I fell in love with public radio listening to member station KMUW. I got my start pulling early morning DJ shifts at the student-run radio station KJHK while studying English at the University of Kansas.
I was previously an intern for KCUR's Up To Date, and joined the staff as associate producer in 2016. I have reported on government and politics in the Chicago metro area, and national security and defense in Washington. My work has appeared online at UPI.com, The Daily Caller, Politics Daily and The Pitch.
I have a master’s of journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. If you see me along a running trail or track in Kansas City, please offer me some water or a high five.
My email is luke@kcur.org.
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Tens of thousands of people were caught up in the melee after the Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade on Wednesday. KCUR’s Up To Date spoke with just a handful of them to learn about the terrifying experience, and find out what they took away from it.
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Kansas City Police report that three people are in custody after a shooting west of Union Station near the parking garage, which occurred near the end of Wednesday's Chiefs victory rally. One person is dead and at least 21 were injured, not including those hurt in the rush out of the area.
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The Crown Center children’s theater made headlines in 2022 after a former artistic director who worked there for more than 30 years was accused of sexually assaulting young men. Jeff Church was found dead in his Kansas City, Missouri, home days after the accusations became public.
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The Kansas City region is shining bright once again in the national food competition. The Town Company, The Campground, Affäre, Chewology and Westport Cafe have been named among the best restaurants in the country this year.
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Religious pilgrims have been visiting a monastery north of Kansas City to see the well-preserved remains of an exhumed nun, who is drawing claims of sainthood because of her “incorrupt” body. Plus: Congress made SNAP work requirements stricter, shortly after Kansas made similar changes.
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The Urban Youth Academy helped plant the Kansas City Royals' flag in the Historic 18th and Vine district, but many residents of nearby neighborhoods have only mustered lukewarm acceptance. Will the lack of enthusiasm affect the push for a new downtown ballpark? Plus: Kansas lawmakers want a quicker switch to teaching reading in a way that actually works.
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Kansas City’s tenant union formed a political organizing group last year. The group has been campaigning hard for six candidates as it tries to shift the balance of power in Kansas City with today's election. Plus: Missouri voters could decide whether the state constitution should be harder to change, but it may face a tough reception at the polls.
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After the end of pandemic-era free school meals, kids in Midwest states are eating fewer lunches and meal debt is rising. Plus: After decades of inaction from Kansas leaders over the Ogallala Aquifer drying up, the state's approach to water conservation might finally be shifting.
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Three officers on the Kansas City Police Department’s SWAT team are recovering in the hospital after being shot while serving a search warrant on Tuesday night. A nearly day-long standoff on Blue Ridge Boulevard ended with three people taken into custody.
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The Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl win on Wednesday with a parade that stretched more than a mile through downtown and ended up at a rally in front of Union Station. Here are the best photos from the day.