Deep Background

Latest Episodes:

Kansas City mayoral candidate Jason Kander drops out. What's next? Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

Star reporters Steve Vockrodt and Bill Turque join Dave Helling of the Star's editorial board to talk about Jason Kander's stunning decision to drop from the Kansas City mayor's race - and what it means for Kansas City politics.

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Shielding LGBTQ people from discrimination; Kansas child welfare system is still troubled Sep 26, 2018

Show notes

Reporter Rick Montgomery stops by to discuss his installment in The Star's Influencers series on LGBTQ people and discrimination protection. And Laura Bauer discusses her recent stories on the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra c-host.

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The Kansas City mayor's race and the endorsement battle in Kansas Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

Deep Background host Dave Helling sits down with reporters Bill Turque and Hunter Woodall to talk about the latest developments in KC's mayor race and the Kansas governor's race.

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This technology could prevent semi truck crashes, but our government won’t require it Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

Safety technology could be the key to preventing hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries annually from rear-end truck crashes. But federal regulators haven’t acted to require these safety systems. Reporter Mike Hendricks discusses his recent investigation into this issue with Deep Background host Leah Becerra.

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Analyzing Kansas governor candidates' first debate Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

Kansas gubernatorial candidates Democrat Laura Kelly, Republican Kris Kobach and independent Greg Orman faced-off for a debate Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Overland Park. Reporter Hunter Woodall joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to discuss the debate.

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Inside the Chiefs' new tailgate policy and The Star's transparency efforts Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

Tailgating at Arrowhead Stadium for Chiefs games will have an ending signal this season. Sports writers Blair Kerkhoff and Sam Mellinger stop by to talk about the new policy. Also, The Star's executive editor Mike Fannin and growth producer Mary Kate Metivier join us to discuss a project the newspaper's been working on over the last year tackling credibility in news-gathering.

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Why Mayor Sly James is taking a 'step back’ from his pre-K tax plan Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

Last Friday, Aug. 17, Mayor Sly James said he was pulling his plan to put a sales tax for early childhood education in Kansas City on the November ballot. Reporter Bill Turque joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to look at what happened.

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A look at the Kansas governor race after Kobach's victory Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will advance to face Democrat Laura Kelly and independent candidate Greg Orman in the general election for Kansas governor in November. Reporters Bryan Lowry and Hunter Woodall drop by to discuss what this means for the November election. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host.

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Recapping Kansas and Missouri's primary election results Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

We're breaking down Kansas and Missouri's primaries with Lindsay Wise, of McClatchy's DC Bureau, and Missouri statehouse reporter Jason Hancock. Also, reporter Steve Vockrodt discusses Johnson County's voting machine issues. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host.

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Gearing up for Aug. 7 primary elections Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

This is the final week before Kansas and Missouri's primary elections on Aug. 7. Reporters Bryan Lowry and Hunter Woodall join co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to talk about the candidates and the issues.

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