© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Seg. 1: Missouri Needs Gas Tax Bump, Lieutenant Governor Says. Seg 2: The Lack Of Teacher Diversity.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, pictured here on the state Senate floor, says Missouri's Hancock Amendment is a large reason it has been more than two decades since the state passed a fuel tax increase. Nevertheless, he supports the Amendment.
Jason Rosenbaum
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, pictured here on the state Senate floor, says Missouri's Hancock Amendment is a large reason it has been more than two decades since the state passed a fuel tax increase. Nevertheless, he supports the Amendment.

Segment 1: Missourians will vote on the first gas-tax increase in 24 years. 

On the ballot this November will be a proposal to raise the gas tax by a dime over the next four years. It's hard to deny this tax has been a long time coming; the last increase was in 1994. Critics of the bill, who are relatively few and far between, say the tax will hurt the poor, but defenders are quick to point out Missouri has the second lowest gas tax in the country. Today, we spoke with one of the proposal's highest-profile boosters about how a failure to pass the increase would affect all Missourians.


Segment 2, beginning at 24:42: The segregation of students has been talked about for decades, but what about the segregation of teachers? 

In August, the Brookings Institute published the finding that teachers in the U.S. are even more segregated than their students. How does that play out in the Kansas City area, and why should people be concerned? Today we discuss the issue of teacher diversity, how it affects students and faculty, and what is being done to fix the problem.

Copyright 2021 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3.

Steve Kraske is an associate teaching professor of journalism at UMKC, a political columnist for The Kansas City Star and has hosted "Up to Date" since 2002. He worked as the full-time political correspondent for The Star from 1994-2013 covering national, state and local campaigns. He also has covered the statehouses in Topeka and Jefferson City.
Emily Reid