KCUR-FM (Kansas City, MO)

Kansas City's Fan Festival is packed to the brim Saturday for its final day, ahead of the host city's final match during the 2026 World Cup. The Argentina-Switzerland match, a quarterfinal, kicks off at 8 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium. Team Argentina Argentina fans were already filling Fan Fest during the afternoon, which featured the Norway-England quarterfinal match on the big screen.

The top executives of two of Kansas City's major sports franchises said this week that the city has successfully pulled off its hosting duties for the FIFA World Cup. "I think we will be designated as a desired soccer destination in the world going forward," said Cliff Illig, founder and owner of Sporting Kansas City, at a news conference Friday.

This story was first published in KCUR's Adventure newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday. Every time you think you’ve done it all, eaten it all, and seen it all, Kansas City has this wonderful way of reminding you: You’re not even close. From off-the-beaten-path restaurants to long-running festivals to niche museums you never knew existed, the city is full of surprises and hidden gems.

LAWRENCE, Kansas – Lawrence saw the 2026 World Cup as an opportunity to welcome international visitors. The outpouring of enthusiasm for the city’s embrace of Algeria and its fans has put the University of Kansas on a global stage. When the Algerian men’s national soccer team toured Allen Fieldhouse last month, KU Athletics posted an Instagram video captioned “thanks for stopping by, Team Algeria!” The post received 44,600 likes.

For the first time in two decades, Jackson County voters will cast ballots for county executive in an election with no incumbent candidate defending the seat. Democratic political leaders have flocked to the race to present their case to voters in the Aug. 4 primary. The six Democratic candidates include three current and former elected officials, an attorney, a chartered financial analyst and a consultant with a background in economics.

French fries are quintessentially American, and you can order them at almost any restaurant in Kansas City. But to freelance writer Natalie Torres Gallagher, the difference between a good fry and a great fry comes down to one thing. “There's nothing more disappointing than a fry that doesn't have the right seasoning, or enough salt or too much salt,” Gallagher told KCUR’s Up To Date. Her perfect fry? Quarter-by-quarter-inch sticks that are fried and seasoned to golden, salty perfection.

Kansas City’s Planned Parenthood affiliate is prioritizing more accessible abortion after a Jackson County judge struck down several Missouri laws restricting abortion last month. Planned Parenthood Great Plains already offers procedural and medication abortions in midtown Kansas City and Gladstone. Soon, those options will come to Independence. “Patients just need to get services and they need to get care that is time sensitive,” said Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Emily Wales.

Three years after one of the largest inland oil spills, the state of Kansas, federal government and the company that operates the pipeline have agreed to a settlement totalling $70 million. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the state of Kansas reached a settlement agreement with the company South Bow responsible for the Keystone pipeline, which ruptured in 2022 in northern Kansas.

A group of Kansas City parents says Missouri lawmakers’ plan to phase out the state’s income tax could “devastate” public schools. On Aug. 4, voters will consider a plan to amend the state constitution to reduce and eventually eliminate the state individual income tax and replace it with sales and use taxes. The income tax accounts for about 65% of the state’s general revenue.

David Warm is retiring after spending 36 years as executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council. MARC is a bi-state association of local governments that serves nine counties and 119 cities in the Kansas City region. It acts as a platform for government leaders to work together on multiple agendas, serving as a “back office” for individual community coalitions.