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Seg. 1: Healthcare Champion Retires | Seg. 2: Black Cycling Champion

Segment 1: CEO of the Health Forward Foundation stepping down but says "I won't be disappearing, I will continue to be a troublemaker in some way."

Dr. Bridget McCandless has been a leading health care advocate for the underserved and uninsured in the community for years. Among her proudest accomplishments is the foundation's efforts on Tobacco 21 that raised the legal purchase age of cigarettes from 18 to 21. On the other hand, McCandless said it was a "grave disappointment" that Missouri and Kansas failed to expand Medicaid leaving some 300,000 citizens behind. "We squandered the most important thing we have in our states, which is our people. That's unconscionable." 


Segment 2, beginning at 24:50: Known around the world, Major Taylor broke the color barrier for black athletes at the turn of the 20th century.

In a time when there was only a few hundred cars, but millions of bicycles, Marshall "Major" Taylor was a commanding presence in the sport of competive cycling and the first black American to win U.S. and world championships. Author Michael Kranish recalled Taylor's career and explained why he is not better remembered today.

Michael Kranish presents "Major Taylor: America's First Black Sports Hero" at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 2 at the Plaza branch of the Kansas City Public Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, 64112. RSVP requested.

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.
Elizabeth Ruiz