Steve Kraske

Segment 1: "Healthy homes" ballot initiative addresses rental property inspections. 

Kansas City, Missouri, voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on a "healthy homes" initiative this August 7. If the measure is approved, rental properties in town will be subject to health department inspections if community members complain about their condition. Today, we learned why supporters think the measure will hold landlords more accountable, while those against it think the initiative will drive landlords away from Kansas City properties.

Segment 1: Former Kansas Democratic governor on the approaching midterm elections.

In 1979 John Carlin began the first of two terms as Kansas governor. He went on to work as the Eighth Archivist of  the United States by appointment of President Bill Clinton. Today, as a Kansas State University professor and leading figure in local civic engagement, he's still heavily involved in state and the state of politics. We got his take on the race for his former office.

Segment 1: Lone Jack animal feed operation expansion concerns Powell Gardens.

Segment 1: Missouri's 2015 reform bill means fewer defendants bother to appear in court for traffic violations.

In the wake of Ferguson, then-Missouri governor Jay Nixon signed a sweeping court reform bill to cut down on percieved predatory traffic stops that burdened the poor unduly. Today a judge and a criminal defense attorney questioned the bill's efficacy that has fewer Missourians showing up for their court dates and has created greater workloads for court clerks and support staff.

Segment 1: How and when will Kansas City use funds from Central City Economic Development Sales Tax?

Segment 1: How local activists are reducing student homelessness on the Kansas side of the metro.

Over the last several years a coalition of social services groups in Kansas City, Kansas, operating under the banner Impact Wednesday, have been working to cut in half the number of homeless students in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. Today, we heard how the district is collaborating with Impact Wednesday and volunteer teachers to reach zero homelessness among students by 2020. 

Segment 1: New Kansas City Public Schools sub-district map creates controversy. 

Segment 1: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach looks to step up to governor.

As one of two Republican frontrunners in the Kansas gubernatorial election, Kris Kobach brings his reputation for controversy with him. Case in point, last month his campaign made national headlines for using a faux machine gun during a parade appearance in a Shawnee, Kansas. Today, he outlined his plans for higher office, and compared his style of leadership and that of President Donald Trump.

Segment 1: Kansas Supreme Court rules new school funding plan lacks sufficient money but gives legislature another year to eliminate shortfall.

In order to avoid school shutdowns, the Kansas Legislature recently added $522 million to the education budget over the next five years. Still, critics argue this will not be enough and more needs to be added for inflation. Today, we looked at this latest development in the longstanding Gannon case and its implications for the future of public education in the state.

Segment 1: Former four-term state representative and agriculture secretary Josh Svaty wants the state's top job.

Segment 1: The latest in state and Kansas City politics.

Jason Kander announced on Monday his candidacy for mayor of Kansas City, making him the ninth person to enter what's sure to be a closely-watched race. Today, our panel of pundits shared their take on the coming mayoral elections, the Kansas primaries, and the Missouri Senate race that is garnering national attention.

Segment 1: Leaders of the Kansas and Missouri chapters of the ACLU discuss their organizations' goings-on.

With a federal court ruling Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's voter I.D. laws unconstitutional, the ACLU has something to celebrate. In the meantime, they're still fighting restrictive abortion laws in Missouri and for more funding of the state's public defender's office. Today, they updated us on these lawsuits and more.

Segment 1: The mindset of asylum-seekers in Trump's America.

Sticking to his campaign promise of strictly enforcing the law at our southern border, President Trump's immigration policies resulted in thousands of migrant children being seperated from their parents. Though he ended that policy with an executive order last week, families crossing illegally are still being detained with children. Today, we heard a first-hand account of what it's like living in a family detention center.

Segment 1: State Sen. Laura Kelly makes her case in the race for Kansas governor.

In Kansas' crowded field of candidates for governor, there is a lone woman running. Today, we met Laura Kelly, the Senate Minority Whip whose district stretches along Highway 24 from Wamego to Topeka. She discussed her multi-continental childhood, her passion for education and her plans to bring the state back from the financial brink.  

Segment 1: Former Kansas state senator Jim Barnett is throwing his hat back in the political arena.

In 2006, Jim Barnett wanted to be governor of Kansas, but lost the job to Kathleen Sebelius. Now, he's campaigning again for the highest office in the state, this time with a new running mate. Today, we learned how he feels about school finacing, medical marijuana legalization and found out why he picked his wife to be his running mate.

Segment 1: KCUR's interview with Kevin Yoder about the treatment of immigrant detainees at the U.S.-Mexico border.

KCUR's Kyle Palmer spoke with U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) on the seperation of parents and children coming across United States' southern border. 

• U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder

Segment 2, starting at 8:33: A look at Mike Kehoe, the newly appointed lieutenant governor of Missouri. 

Segment 1: A labor lawyer who campaigned for Bernie Sanders and a Leawood-based banking executive hope to unseat U.S Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS). 

In the final episode of our three-part series covering Yoder's Democratic challengers, we talked with Brent Welder and Sylvia Williams. They discussed the difficulties of running in a densely red state on platforms that include planks like universal healthcare. 

Segment 1: Kansas City Police Department shootings raise questions about when it's acceptable for police to use lethal force.

In the course of one afternoon last week, Kansas City police officers shot and killed three people in two separate incidents. The first involved the shooting of a woman in the Northland who was armed with a decorative sword. In the first part of today's program, we heard an eyewitness account of the killing, and discussed when police can and should use deadly force.

Segment 1: A former White House fellow and a small business owner are just two of the Democrats looking to take on Kevin Yoder in November.

When it comes to U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder's job, lots of people want it. In the second of three segments featuring the Democratic challengers vying for the opportunity to take Yoder on in November, we met Sharice Davids and Jay Sidie. We talked to them about their stances on immigration, gun reform and how President Trump's trade policy is impacting Kansas farmers.

Segment 1:  The certified public accountant and former businessman explains why he's fit for the governor's office.

As a fourth-generation Kansan and the current state insurance commissioner, Republican Ken Selzer believes he has the experience to succeed as governor. Today he discussed his approach to taxes, the Second Amendment and the changes he'd make to clean up politics in Topeka.

Segment 1: Proposed 3/8th-cent sales tax could expand early childhood education.

In an effort to provide quality education to more of Kansas City's youth, Mayor Sly James has proposed a new sales tax that would fund pre-K schools. While almost everyone can agree access to pre-K education should be expanded, some residents have reservations about where the money to pay for it comes from and how it's collected.

Segment 1: Some residents say big, new homes on small, old lots are changing the nature of the Kansas suburb.

Home teardowns are not a new problem in Prairie Village, but the issue is receiving a lot of new attention. Today, we asked city leadership how they would strike a balance between property owners' ability to build what they want on their own land, and preserving the look and feel of what's long been known as a modest, affordable community.

Segment 1: Recent development projects will see some of downtown Kansas City's iconic buildings updated.

Segment 1: The former mayor of Wichita discusses the changes he'd make as govenor.

Democrat Carl Brewer served as the first African-American mayor of Wichita from 2007 to 2015. Now he's campaining to be the first African-American governor of Kansas. Today, he joined us for a conversation about the education budget, restructuring taxes and expanding Medicaid.

Segment 1: Democratic rising star Jason Kander on voting rights, Missouri politics and the 2020 presidential race.

While he may have lost his 2016 bid to unseat Missouri's Republican U.S. Senator, Roy Blunt, Democrat Jason Kander certainly hasn't disappeared from the political stage. Today, he tells us why he's turned his sights to expanding voting rights. Plus, Steve Kraske asks him why he's spending so much time in Iowa and New Hampshire lately.

Segment 1: With only three of eight seats occupied, Missouri's Board of Education has gone months without a meeting.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens wasn't short on contentious relationships in Jefferson City. One of them? The state's Board of Education, which lost its commissioner in December and has operated without a quorum since. Today, we learned what the vacancies have meant for the state's public and charter schools, and got some insight about how new Gov. Mike Parson may handle the situation.

Segment 1: From 2001 to 2013, more than 1,300 phone calls to attorneys from prisoners at a Leavenworth detention facility were improperly recorded.

Considered a bedrock of the American justice system, KCUR reporting has uncovered what appears to be repeated attorney-client privilege violations at a privately-run detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Today, we discussed the ongoing investigation into the improperly recorded phone calls, some of which were shared with federal prosecutors, and considered the implications of the alleged breaches.

Segment 1: A longtime school teacher and a former tech executive are just two of the Democrats looking to take on Kevin Yoder in November.

Segment 1: Kansas governor discusses his transition to power, his election campaign, and the challenges facing his state.

Four months ago, then-Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer stepped into the position vacated by then-Gov. Sam Brownback. Today, he sat down for a wide-ranging conversation that covered school funding, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, a newly-enacted adoption statute, and his campaign to win the governorship without aggressively challenging rival Republican Kris Kobach.

Segment 1: Attorney General Josh Hawley on the resignation of Gov. Greitens and preparing for midterm elections.

As Gov. Eric Greitens gets set to resign this afternoon, Missouri's attorney general maintains he did everything within his jurisdiction to investigate the governor’s alleged indiscretions. In an interview recorded on Thursday, Josh Hawley defended his conduct in the Greitens saga, and explained why he thinks Sen. Claire McCaskill has lost touch with Missouri voters.