KCUR 89.3

Nearly 75% of Kansas City, Missouri, residents live in a heat island where temperatures can be at least eight degrees higher on any given day. That presents serious health and energy concerns, but efforts to cool these areas down are gaining steam.

Kansas City Council members are working on details to fund the construction of a new jail. Next spring, voters could be asked whether to renew the public safety sales tax in order to build an estimated 250-bed rehabilitation and detention center.

Mental health professionals say it’s important for teens to limit their time online and develop healthy social media habits. “You don’t just give the keys to the car to a kid and send them on their way. We teach them. We drive first. Then we sit in the passenger seat while they’re driving. We need to do all that with social media and phones as well.”

The Center For Recorded Music, a nonprofit based in the Kansas City area, has its own dedicated listening space for the first time in Leawood. Its founder joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss their plans to use their equipment and collection to educate people about music.

Pradagy and business partner Andrew Beck officially launched Namaste & Brand at the beginning of this year. In Buddhism, namaste (nah-mah-stay) is a Sanskrit word that has several meanings, such as: “The God in me honors the God in you,” or “I recognize your inner light,” “I bow to you.”

Lisa Jeanine Findley of Kimberling City, Missouri, is charged with trying to defraud Elvis Presley’s estate of millions of dollars and steal ownership of the iconic Graceland property in Memphis. (NPR)

A proposition to increase Missouri's minimum wage will be on the state's general election ballot in November. The initiative would also create mandated paid sick leave.

Bluejacket is the third Overland Park pool to close since 2013, leaving the city with four pools to serve nearly 200,000 people. Like many cities, it's shifting from smaller public neighborhood pools to larger aquatic centers — essentially mini water parks. (The Beacon Kansas City)

The district said its buildings have accrued more than $650 million in deferred maintenance. It would prioritize updating roofs, building insulation, electrical systems, air conditioning and plumbing.

Jeff Jacobsen spent decades as a photojournalist and as a photographer for University of Kansas athletics. Since he retired in 2020, he's been working on a project to capture images of sports in all 105 counties in Kansas — and he's almost done.