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Up To Date 2014 Heart Of America Entry

Living with Alzheimer's (March 28, 2013)

Former Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease just six months after leaving a six-term career in the U.S. House. His wife, Stephene Moore, is the Region 7 director of the federal Health and Human Services Department. She and Dennis joined us to talk about his experiences with the disease. Our other guest was Michelle Niedens, director of programs and public policy for the Alzheimer's Association’s Heart of America chapter.
 

Finding a Housing Refuge (Sept. 12, 2013)

If you saw a school bus stop to pick up children at a motel, what would you think? One Kansas City man who saw just that decided to help. We talked with John Wiley, the founder of River of Refuge, a group that aims to aid families who have gotten stuck in weekly motels without the means to transition to an apartment or other stable living situation. Local mom Shanta Wallace, who has used River of Refuge's services to help her family, and Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, also joined us.

RiverofRefuge.mp3
Steve Kraske talks with Shanta Wallace and Rev. John Wiley about being stuck living in motels.

Autism: A Tale of Two Families (Aug. 1, 2013)

Would you go bankrupt to provide therapy for your child if it meant the he or she could have a vastly improved quality of life? That's one of the questions that parents of children with autism face. Some parents are doing it. Meantime others are fighting for autism insurance coverage in Kansas which Missouri finally passed after a long fight. Jenny Whitty, a parent from Missouri and the mother of two boys with autism, and Jeff Nessel from Kansas whose son also has autism, discussed the choices they made regarding therapies they see as crucial for their children's development.      

Autism.mp3
Steve Kraske speaks with parents Jenny Whitty and Jeff Nessel about paying for therapy for their autistic children.

When 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.
Stephen Steigman is director of Classical KC. You can email him at Stephen.Steigman@classicalkc.org.
As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.
Cody Newill is part of KCUR's audience development team. Follow him on Twitter @CodyNewill or email him at cody@kcur.org.
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