EPISODE · Feb 16, 2026 · 14 MIN
MONDAY 02/16/26: Independence residents rush to stop a data center
from AD FREE-KC2DAY · host KCUR Studios
Independence, Missouri, officials are considering tax breaks for a massive AI data center, but many residents don’t even want it built in the first place. Plus: After almost a year of conflict, a private prison operator is finally playing nice with the city of Leavenworth to get a permit for an ICE detention facility. A private prison company has moved one step closer to opening a planned 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Kansas, but with restrictions included by local government officials after hearing a raft of concerns from the public. Zane Iriwin of the Kansas News Service shares the details with Brian Ellison. Officials are clearing the way for a massive artificial intelligence data center to be built in Independence. But as KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates reports, local residents are racing the clock to try to stop it.Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker.You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.
What this episode covers
Independence, Missouri, officials are considering tax breaks for a massive AI data center, but many residents don’t even want it built in the first place. Plus: After almost a year of conflict, a private prison operator is finally playing nice with the city of Leavenworth to get a permit for an ICE detention facility. A private prison company has moved one step closer to opening a planned 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Kansas, but with restrictions included by local government officials after hearing a raft of concerns from the public. Zane Iriwin of the Kansas News Service shares the details with Brian Ellison. Officials are clearing the way for a massive artificial intelligence data center to be built in Independence. But as KCUR’s Savannah Hawley-Bates reports, local residents are racing the clock to try to stop it. Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news. Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Emily Younker. You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.
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MONDAY 02/16/26: Independence residents rush to stop a data center
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