© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Up To Date

Seg. 1: Your Water Bill And City Pollution. Seg. 2: Ethics Of Gun Bans & SNAP Benefits Restrictions.

Claire Verbeck
/
KCUR 89.3
While Andy Shively says Kansas City, Missouri, residents shouldn't expect their water bills to get cheaper, the special assistant city manager hopes a renegotiated consent decree could help level off rate increases.

Segment 1: Why a consent decree between Kansas City and the EPA is impacting how much you pay for sewer services.

For close to a decade, water bills in Kansas City have been steadily rising. But what's behind the rate increase, and how is it related to pollution and the federal government? We spoke with one local administrator to clarify the city's consent decree with the EPA, and its impact on residents' water costs. We also found out what the city is doing now to limit future rate increases.

  • Andy Shively, Kansas City, Missouri, special assistant city manager

Segment 2, beginning at 24:00: The morals of gun control and restrictions on public assistance.

Is it moral that, during Vice President Mike Pence's appearance at an NRA convention this weekend, guns should be banned? Are restrictions on what SNAP recipients can buy with government money ethical, or should beneficiaries be allowed to purchase whatever they want? We asked our Ethics Professors, who were joined today by a young ethicist and local Ethics Bowl team member.

  • Wayne Vaught, UMKC College of Arts and Sciences dean and professor of philosophy, medicine, and bioethics
  • Clancy Martin, UMKC professor of philosophy
  • Isabel Gusman, Shawnee Mission South junior
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.
As 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. Email me at luke@kcur.org.