Central Standard

Out in Sugar Creek, Missouri, on top of a snowy hill, there are three houses with a long history. Every year around this time, that history comes to life, with the help of Stan and Barbara Salva. Stan was born and raised in Sugar Creek, and he spent a long stint as the town's mayor. Barbara has lived there since they married 50 years ago, but she's absorbed the history of the place "like a sponge." Nearly 100 years ago, four sisters lived in four houses on top of that same hill. They were

Why is comfort food so … well … comforting? “Carbohydrates,” said KCUR Food Critic Charles Ferruzza. “I think comfort food is heavy, filling, fattening food that you know you probably shouldn’t be eating,” he told host Gina Kaufmann on Central Standard . “But if you’re sick or depressed or cold, it really hits the spot.” For Food Critic Carmen Gramajo, though, it’s also the memories associated with those dishes. “In my case, coming from Guatemala, I am searching for that special dish that is

It's an especially good time of year for comfort food. It's cold out, and it's the holidays, when traditional, hearty, no-frills dishes show up on our tables. KCUR's Food Critics search out the best comforting dishes (outside of grandma's house) in and around KC. Plus, one reporter's memories of Winstead's (and why you get one tater tot in your order of fries there), and a visit to Sugar Creek, where a former mayor and his wife throw an annual holiday party — a tradition that came with their

An interview with KC CARE Clinic's Sally Neville, who spent more than 20 years caring for HIV/AIDS patients; when she retired this month, the program she ran was one of the most successful in the country. In the past, scientists made a lot of assumptions about ferns and how they reproduce — these assumptions turned out to be false. A chat with the KU professor who is correcting the scientific record about ferns. Plus, an encore presentation of the story of a family's Christmas tape from 1968.

Is the family farm changing? As the farming industry's wealth is consolidated into the hands of just a few multinational companies, three family farmers discuss the challenges they face and how they're adapting. Guests: Frank Gieringer, Gieringer's Family Orchard & Berry Farm Ashley McCarty, farmer near Kirksville, Missouri Adam Baldwin, farmer in McPherson, Kansas Jeremy Bernfeld, Editor of KCUR's Harvest Public Media

The Nutcracker is a local, and international, holiday tradition. How has the long-running performance transformed over the years here in Kansas City? We reflect on the old and consider the new, with local dancers, choreographers and directors. Guests: Devon Carney , artistic director and choreographer, Kansas City Ballet Kim Cowen , former dancer, director of KC Youth Ballet Hanan Misko , director of 'The Nutcracker: A Kansas Ballet Brad Cox , composer and co-founder, Owen/Cox Dance Group

"Growing up, I thought I lived in like a black city," says Nathan Louis Jackson, who spent his childhood and early adulthood in the Quindaro neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas. "I didn't understand the makeup of this city. And not just that, it wasn't just a racial makeup, it was also economic. All that, I didn't get. I was in a little bubble." The writer-in-residence at the Kansas City Repertory Theater has had a shift in perception since returning to town after stints in New York and Los

Renting a home or apartment in Kansas City isn't as cheap and easy as it once was. So what happened? Who's being displaced and how will they cope? Guests: Christina Boveri , Boveri Realty Michael Frisch , professor, director, Architecture, Urban Planning + Design, UMKC Grace L'Esperance , college student seeking a roommate

Meet the KCK native who is the resident playwright at the KC Rep and one of the writers for " Marvel's Luke Cage " on Netflix. Guest: Nathan Louis Jackson, Playwright-in-Residence, Kansas City Repertory Theatre

The Audiofiles look at some of the best new podcasts of 2016, from the serious ( mental illness , embedded journalists ) to the lighthearted (a discussion of the Baby-Sitters Club books). Guests: Briana O'Higgins, KCUR's Digital Director Lauren Ober, host, WAMU & NPR's The Big Listen Andrea Silenzi, host, Why Oh Why

A look at how bridges made Kansas City, from the Hannibal Bridge (the first one in town, built in 1869), to the most recent one that just opened on Grand Boulevard. Plus: America was once home to some of the most diverse collection of edible plants. Today, that diversity is a fraction of what it was. The story of a woman who is on a mission to change this. Guests: Jim Woodfill, artist , worked on the Grand Boulevard Bridge Sherri McIntyre, Director of Public Works for KCMO Dayna McDaniel,

How an Argentinean Catholic boy grew up to be a gay Jewish rabbi, and what brought him to the Midwest. Rabbi Javier Cattapan shares his journey and responds to the recent vandalism at the Kansas City public library , which included a red swastika and racist slur. Also, in an encore broadcast, KU professor David Roediger, a leading scholar of "white studies," joins us to critically explore what it means to be white. Guests: Rabbi Javier Cattapan , senior rabbi, Congregation Beth Torah in Overland

Story of a Song is a monthly segment on KCUR's Central Standard , in which local musicians tell the story behind a song they have written or are performing. The band: Jorge Arana Trio The songs: "Mammoth," "Speak Beast" The story: "It started with a very simple riff," says Jorge Arana, of his latest album "Mammoth." It reminded him of something out of an old Western . At practice, the band played the riff, over and over again, letting it build in intensity, but keeping those same, simple notes.

When you think sexual revolution, you're probably thinking of the 1960s or 1970s, right? Well, it began much earlier than that. KU sociologist Brian Donovan's new book explores the implications of sex crime trials in the 1900s. We also meet Canadian artist and Kenyan refugee Dawit L. Petros, whose photographs are currently on display at the H&R Block Artspace . And, in the latest Story of a Song, musician Jorge Arana brings monsters to life with "Mammoth." Guests: Dawit L. Petros ​,

Some people have strict rules when it comes to cookies. "Can we agree ... any cookie that does not have butter as an ingredient should never be made?" Charles Ferruzza asked host Gina Kaufmann on KCUR's Central Standard . Ferruzza, with our other Food Critics, searched out the best cookies in and around Kansas City — with and without butter. Here are their recommendations: Mary Bloch, Around the Block : Heirloom Bakery & Hearth — pepita, sea salt and double chocolate chunk. It’s a chocolate