© 2026 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Renaming J.C. Nichols Fountain | Returning To School Safely

Segment 1, beginning at 4:15: Chris Goode says renaming the fountain is a step in the right direction.

A proposal from a commissioner on the Parks and Recreation Board of Kansas City calls for the renaming of the J.C. Nichols Fountain in the Country Club Plaza. The letter quickly received support from Mayor Quinton Lucas and others. “The time has come for us to move forward together," Goode said.

Segment 2, beginning at 36:55: While the pandemic continues, educators consider the options for bringing students back to school.

With input from the community and the parents of students, area educators are looking for safe ways to carry out the upcoming school year. Maintaining social distance and other CDC guidelines will complicate the traditional classroom setting.

New name recommendations for the J.C. Nichols Fountain can be submitted to the Board of Parks and Recreation, at KCParksEngage@kcmo.org.

Up To Date is looking to remember the contributions of area residents who have died of COVID-19. If you’d like to recommend someone to us, please email us at uptodate@kcur.org.

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.
Danette (Danie) Alexander first came to KCUR in 2007 as an intern for Up to Date after completing her B.A. in Communications at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. After her KCUR internship was completed, Danie continued to spend her mornings assisting senior producer Stephen Steigman as a volunteer with the show. Her radio experience also includes stints with public radio's New Letters on the Air as a broadcast engineer and on local public radio as host of a weekly overnight call-in show.
Elizabeth Ruiz
Chris Young