Hosted by D. Rashaan Gilmore, each episode offers engaging multimedia reporting and a solutions-focused roundtable discussion featuring diverse panelists, bringing context and meaning to audiences’ lived experiences. Learn more about Flatland In Focus.
Harvesting Change | Localizing Our Food System
As part of the Flatland series “Harvesting Change,” Flatland in Focus looks at the people and policies that influence the transition away from industrial agriculture to a more localized food system that protects and regenerates the environment.
Seeking Environmental Justice in Kansas City
In cities across the U.S., heavily polluted industrial zones are often established adjacent to communities of color and low-income residents. “Flatland in Focus” speaks with residents living in Kansas City-area neighborhoods that suffer from a history of pollution.
Healing Hate: Building Resilience Through Community
In collaboration with the Kansas City PBS special ‘Healing Hate‘, Flatland in Focus speaks with survivors of the 2014 shooting at the Overland Park Jewish Community Center to see how one act of hate has impacted their lives. Our roundtable…
Stadium Subsidies and Community Impact
The Truman Sports Complex, home to KC’s Royals and Chiefs, opened to the public 50 years ago. Now the teams have a new vision for their future and voters must decide whether to support that vision with tax dollars. “Flatland…
Housing Along the KC Streetcar Line
The KC Streetcar expansion from Union Station to the Country Club Plaza will be running through midtown as early as 2025. But as ridership increases along this route, so may the cost of living for many the area, including affordable…
Media Literacy
As media consumption continues to climb, media literacy and the ability to discern fact from fiction or opinion is more important than ever. How do we interact with the news? How do we evaluate what we share? And ultimately, how…
The Future of the Country Club Plaza
The Kansas City PBS documentary “Nichols’ Folly: A Century of the Country Club Plaza” explores the complicated history behind the nation’s first planned suburban shopping center. This month, “Flatland in Focus” examines the future of the Country Club Plaza and what…
East Side Development Sales Tax
In 2017, voters approved a 1/8 cent sales tax with the goal of spurring economic development in disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city. So far, the Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax has awarded over $53 million and funded 39…
Family Caregivers of Aging Adults
D. Rashaan Gilmore hosts a thoughtful conversation about aging in place and the supports available for the increasing number of families who find themselves becoming caregivers as their loved ones age. This season premiere of Flatland in Focus is part…
Reparations in KC
Kansas City is beginning a discussion about how it might make amends through reparations for inequities toward Black residents through reparations. Flatland In Focus will report on the deeply intentional work that’s already being done within the Black community, documenting…
Gender-Affirming Care in Kansas City
Transgender rights continue to dominate headlines as legislatures across the country push restrictive laws. Those most directly affected by these measures must look at how they will access gender-affirming care, who will legally provide it and where they can find…
Youth With Disabilities and the Resource Gap
While funded programs in Missouri exist to guide youth with disabilities entering young adulthood, families still struggle to find what they need because of barriers such as time, income and paperwork. Kansas City parents say programs are hard to find…
One Percent For Art in KC
The new Kansas City International Airport terminal houses the largest collection of public art in the history of the city’s One Percent for Art program.
Passing the Baton
This episode of Flatland in Focus features guests from the Kansas City PBS program Passing the Baton, a series of conversations between prominent civil rights leaders in Kansas City and the next generation of trailblazing local leaders. Passing the Baton…
Immigrant Labor
Many jobs in our area are performed by folks who have immigrated to the US, but the complexities of our immigration system can make this labor easy to exploit. This month, the Flatland team looks at industries that survive on…
2022 Year in Review
This special episode of Flatland invites our reporting team to the table to provide updates to some of the stories our series has covered over the last year including recreational marijuana, homelessness, healthcare workers and reproductive rights.
Equity and HIV Treatment
In collaboration with filmmaker Sandy Woodson’s documentary AIDS in KC, Flatland takes a look at the healthcare inequities that continue to impact those living with HIV in our community.
Flatland on KCPBS | Activism in KC
The current tumultuous nature of US politics has left many wondering – how is democracy working nowadays? The Flatland team takes this question to those growing up in a time of polarizing politics and pressing existential issues to find out…
Missouri Ballot Initiative
What’s the best way to participate in our democracy? The Flatland team explores one of the unique ways Missouri citizens are able to make direct changes to the state constitution known as the ballot initiative. We take a look at…
Marijuana Beneficiaries
The legalization of medical marijuana in Missouri has resulted in $30 million in sales in June 2022 alone. As an upcoming ballot measure seeks to legalize recreational use, Flatland looks at who currently benefits most from this emerging industry and…
Reproductive Rights
With the Supreme Court having overturned Roe V. Wade, all eyes turn to the constitutional amendment on the ballot in Kansas. The Flatland team takes a look at the consequences the decision would have for reproductive rights in our region.
Pride and Inclusive Spaces for LGBTQIA
This month Flatland takes some time to celebrate our inclusive spaces in Kansas City, how far our community has come in the fight for LGBTQIA rights and what is still needed to make our region a place for everyone.
Gun Ownership
Gun violence in our Metro seems to be an issue we can’t ignore. With four out of 10 Americans living at home with a gun, the Flatland team talks to gun owners and community leaders about how to keep our…
Grain Belt Express
The midwest has the highest potential for wind energy generation in the US. The Grain Belt Express would transmit wind power from western Kansas through Missouri and Indiana, making renewable energy available for more consumers. However, arguments against the project…
Hospital Infrastructure
This month on Flatland we’re hearing from healthcare professionals about the toll recurring Covid-19 surges are taking on our healthcare system. While our most recent surge of Omicron was often described as mild, the number of hospitalizations still packed beds…
Police Staffing
Police staffing is not an exact science, and it is increasingly complex. But there are studies by the U.S. Department of Justice and policing organizations addressing what variables should be considered and what hasn’t proven to be the most efficient…
Utility Gap
Between increasingly intense heat waves and freezing cold spikes, a warming planet means unexpected weather events will be more common. As demand for utility services rises during these times, so do our monthly bills. We’ll look at why these costs…
Food Insecurity in Kansas City
Despite a permanent increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and an abundance of food waste across the country, food insecurity persists in Kansas City. A growing network of organizations seeks to get free, healthy food into the hands…
Race and Education
School board races across the U.S. found themselves revolving around controversy over Critical Race Theory, a legal framework that studies the history of racism in American institutions. But across most K-12 curricula, the teaching does not exist.
Houseless In Kansas City
Over the last year and a half, efforts to end homelessness have accelerated in Kansas City. Emergency shelter interventions saved the lives of many but resulted in relatively few long term solutions. Service providers and city officials turn their efforts…
The Future of Work
A year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic has left a vastly different workforce where entry level positions are hard to fill and workers are demanding a higher standard.
Flatland + KC Media Collective
Flatland and Kansas City PBS are proud to take part in a collaborative initiative involving a group of local, nonprofit media organizations designed to support and enhance local journalism. Learn more about the KC Media Collective.
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