KCUR-FM (Kansas City, MO)

21 hours ago | kcur.org | Savannah Hawley-Bates

Missouri's State Tax Commission is again ordering Jackson County to revise its property tax assessments from recent years, and defiance from the county's top official has spawned a recall effort — and potentially a state investigation. In a Tuesday directive, the commission ordered the county to base its 2025 assessments on corrected 2023 and 2024 assessments. It also reaffirmed the commission’s order to roll back the earlier assessments, which the county has so far refused to follow.

3 days ago | kcur.org | Brian Ellison

The Trump administration canceled more than $12 billion in public health grants last month. Local public health departments are worried about what that will mean for Kansas Citians. The cuts included millions of dollars for Kansas and Missouri, with effects that trickle down to virtually every local community. Here in the Kansas City area, impacts include loss of staff and research projects cut short. So what might it mean for you and your neighbors?

3 days ago | kcur.org | Frank Morris

The last few years have been eventful for farmers — not in a good way. “It’s a pretty tough time,” said Glenn Brunkow, who grows corn and soybeans near Westmorland, Kansas. “This is about as grim of a time as I've seen for crop production. Nothing looks like it's going to make money right now.”That’s mainly because the prices for farm necessities have risen much faster than the price of the soybeans and corn that Brunkow grows.

4 days ago | kcur.org | Brian Ellison

KC Soundcheck is KCUR's spotlight for Kansas City musicians on the rise, as heard on Up To Date. Who should we interview next? Send us a text at 816-601-4777. When musical quartet Sandbox Percussion headed into NPR's headquarters to record their recently-released Tiny Desk Concert, they brought a vibraphone and drum, but also ceramic bowls, metal pipes from the hardware store and wine glasses to play.

5 days ago | kcur.org | Xiao Faria daCunha

This story was first published in KCUR's Adventure newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday. Do you love reading by the window as a storm roars on the outside? Or sipping some tea under the sun outside of a coffee shop, losing yourself in a beautiful story or touching prose? The Kansas City region has some great independent bookstores for the bookworm who is ready for their next chapter.