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National Audubon Society/National Audubon SocietyPeople from all across the country are coming to Kansas to see a bird. The lesser prairie chicken used to roam the Great Plains by the millions, but now... the population has dwindled to around 25,000. Commentator Rex Buchanan recently took some out-of-state folks to see the rare bird in its native habitat. -
Ever been to a museum in a foreign country and discovered an item on display from your own neck of the woods? Depending on the object and the exhibit, it can be hard to know how to feel about seeing that item. Commentator Rex Buchanan talks about a trip to a museum in Great Britain where he discovered an object on display from his own home state.
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Saturday is Kansas Day, when the state celebrates its 161st birthday. That has Commentator Rex Buchanan thinking about some of the state's interesting and noteworthy people, including an athlete from a small town in southeast Kansas. -
The state water plan has been woefully underfunded, year after year. Will Kansas get serious about its water problem before it's too late? -
Kansas has 105 counties. Over the past decade, 80 of them have lost population. Some of the state's largest counties, like Johnson and Sedgwick, have grown larger. Commentator Rex Buchanan has more on the latest census numbers and what the trends mean for Kansas. -
As dozens of Kansas City area restaurants take part in Black Restaurant Week, Commentator Rex Buchanan puts down his fork just long enough to talk about Black-owned barbeque joints and a new book that tells their story. -
Kansas environmentalist Wes Jackson, who ran The Land Institute, is out with a new book titled, Hogs Are Up. Commentator Rex Buchanan, one of Jackson's former students and a longtime friend, offers this review. -
Efforts are underway in Kansas City to restore the house of legendary Negro League and Major League Baseball pitcher Satchel Paige. City officials hope to find a contractor to redevelop the home and have issued a request for proposals. Commentator Rex Buchanan recently paid a visit to final resting place of Satchel Paige and, to the resting place of another Kansas City icon, Charlie "Bird" Parker. -
Early on during the pandemic, people were told to hunker down indoors and limit any unnecessary travel. But, as restrictions eased, people sought more opportunities to get outside, including Commentator Rex Buchanan. His way of curing "cabin fever" was taking a solo bike ride down a remote and beautiful trail in eastern Kansas. Travel along as we head down the Flint Hills Nature Trail. -
On average, more than 2 million acres of rangeland are burned each year in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma. But there's a lot more to the Flint Hills than just torching and scorching the earth. Commentator Rex Buchanan has this review of Jim Hoy's new book, My Flint Hills, published by University Press of Kansas. -
By late February, many Kansans have grown tired of winter, the bitter cold and all that comes with it. Of course, not everyone agrees with that sentiment. KPR News Director J. Schafer is one of them. -
Higher education officials will soon decide the fate of University Press of Kansas. Public universities in the state have been hit hard by the pandemic, forcing them to make numerous budget cuts, which could include the academic publisher. Others are hoping to save University Press of Kansas, including Guest Commentator Tai Edwards.
