Steve Kraske
Executive Producer and Host, Up to DateWhen I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
I got a call out of the blue one day from then-news director Frank Morris who asked if he would be interested in hosting a show. I didn't think I had the time, but thought it over and decided to give it a shot. Now, more than 20 years later, I'm glad I did.
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Kansas is just over one week away from the 2026 midterm election. Pastor Adam Hamilton, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas, spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about his focus on “leading from the middle” and his frustration with the Trump administration’s foreign policy. -
A body-horror novel about parasitic vampires, a beautifully designed scientific book about eerie plants and an exploration of family history narrated by the ghosts of ancestors are among Kansas City librarians’ and booksellers’ picks this Halloween season. -
Keri Ingle, who has represented in the Missouri House since 2019, is running against outgoing Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson to represent Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and other cities in eastern Jackson County in the state Senate. Democrats are targeting the seat in hopes of breaking the chamber’s Republican supermajority. -
Kansas City Rabbi Doug Alpert was detained for several hours by Israeli forces this week while helping Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the West Bank. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss what happened. -
People who don’t typically vote in midterm elections were the target audience during the Wednesday night debate between Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton. The outcome of the race could help flip the balance of power in the Senate. -
The Arabia Steamboat Museum, home to the largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world, announced that it would leave its River Market location when its lease expires on Nov. 13. Museum owner David Hawley has been seeking a new home for years, to no success so far. -
State Sen. Cindy Holscher, the Democratic nominee for Kansas governor, says she would work to fully fund special education, place a moratorium on data centers and legalize recreational marijuana if elected. She joined KCUR’s Up To Date two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections to discuss her policy platform. -
Democrat Chris Mann is running this November to unseat incumbent Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Mann said he’s focused on serving the people of Kansas and protecting customers, and argues that Kobach has prioritized his own political aims. Mann lost the same race against Kobach in 2022 by 1.6 points. -
For the first time in five years, the nonprofit Historic KC has released its list of “Most Endangered Places” in Kansas City. The organization hopes it could lead to the restoration of buildings that demonstrate the region's architectural heritage. -
The Open Doors Foundation planned to open a hostel to house World Cup visitors, and use the profits to help convert the location into a low-barrier homeless shelter. A series of zoning citations and complaints from neighbors prevented the project from remaining open through the World Cup.
