Making Murals That Make a Difference
The North Kansas City Police Department sits on Howell Street in a rather plain building, but is anything but ordinary inside, where a huge piece of art prompts people to pause and take it all in. The pause comes in front of a mural that features a black and white American flag, a thin blue…
Hoping for more affordable housing, Kansas City rolls back energy efficiency codes
Reda Ibrahim has devoted his work to building affordable and sustainable housing in Kansas City. After immigrating from Egypt, he started RK Contractors LLC and co-founded the nonprofit Mercy in the City to do just that. In 2024 new residents moved into a three-bedroom house he helped build in northeast Kansas City — one of…
Nick’s Picks | Maps, Lawsuits, Sporting and More …
Missouri Map Throws Candidates Into Limbo It’s going to be a confusing political week in Missouri, as campaign season officially kicks off with a giant question mark. Candidates can start filing for Congress on Tuesday — but thanks to an unresolved court fight, they don’t know the exact boundaries of the districts they hope to…
Plans Afoot to Meet Religious Needs of Worldwide Soccer Fans
If you were to visit this Condé Nast travel site about the World Cup games coming here to the Heartland in June, you might conclude that athletes and their fans have zero interest in religion. The site, after all, never mentions all the planning that people of faith here are doing now to make sure…
Nick’s Picks | Roads, Bathrooms, Costco and More …
New Toll Road Opens Kansas City’s first toll road opens this week. Starting Saturday, you’ll pay up to $3.50 to travel the new express lanes on U.S. Highway 69 from 103rd to 151st streets in Overland Park. There are no toll booths — cameras scan your license plate, and a bill arrives by mail. KTAG…
Up From the Ashes: Warwick Theatre Revival Draws Applause
Two years ago, John Cleary met a fellow Kansas City actor for drinks. Their conversation centered on the fate of the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. A large portion of the ensemble’s home, the Warwick Theatre, was ash, charred timbers and soot-saturated costumes and props — remnants from a recent massive fire. The destruction was so great…
Nick’s Picks | Baseball, Drones, Romance and More …
Royals Reveal Next week, the Kansas City Royals head to Arizona for Spring Training. And that’s the mayor’s self-imposed deadline to lock in a stadium deal. So, is this finally the week owner John Sherman steps to the plate and unveils where the Royals will build their next home? At last week’s council meeting, Mayor…
History of Persecution Binds Black, Jewish Communities
Kansas City icon Alvin Brooks knows more about the Civil Rights Movement here than almost anyone alive. And Brooks, former Kansas City mayor pro tempore, insists that progress for Blacks here would have been much more difficult without the consistent and persistent help of Jewish residents and leaders. “Jews in this community and across the…
Nick’s Picks | Phil, ICE, KCPD and More …
Today is my favorite holiday of the year…Happy Groundhog Day! Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow earlier this morning, predicting six more weeks of winter. But around here it’s going to feel almost tropical. After weeks of teeth-chattering cold and snow, the deep freeze is backing off. No single-digit temps on the horizon — and…
Nick’s Picks | Stadium (Again), Fire, ICE and More …
Big questions loom as the week begins — from stadium drama to detention centers to a familiar cliffhanger: Are we heading for another government shutdown? Signs of a New Royals Stadium Deal? Could last week’s closed-door meeting between the governor, mayor, and county executive signal that a deal is finally ready to be made on…
Tackling the Scourge of Christian Nationalism
In recent decades, Christian Nationalism’s warped ideas have begun to attract the attention of scholars and teachers at universities and seminaries here in the Heartland. They’re trying to understand both its appeal and its dangers and to give students the tools necessary to make their own judgments about whether it’s good old basic Americanism or,…
Vegan Ice Cream Pop-Up Offers Diverse Scoops
After putting in a 24-hour shift at Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Station 5, Zoe Mays chills out by dreaming up flavors for Scream Queens, the gay-owned, vegan ice cream pop-up she started about 18 months ago. The 31-year-old firefighter paramedic lives in Kansas City’s Hyde Park neighborhood, so the drive home is the perfect time…
Nick’s Picks | Flu, Speeches, Protests and More …
Flu Surge Halts Surgeries Kansas City hospitals are cancelling hundreds of elective surgeries this week as they struggle to keep up with a surge of respiratory illnesses brought on by what the CDC is now calling the most brutal flu season in 25 years. The flood of hospitalizations is tied to a new influenza strain,…
Nick’s Picks | A 2026 Top 10 List
The first day back after a big holiday is never easy. Your inbox is overflowing, your brain hasn’t caught up yet, and coffee is doing all the heavy lifting. We’ve got you. To ease you back into reality, here’s a handy (and mildly entertaining) guide to the 10 biggest projects and cultural moments headed your…
‘Bountiful’ Jackson County Community Exemplifies Religious Freedom
The practice of changing one’s religious affiliation goes back more than a century in the family of W. Kevin Romer. He’s now presiding bishop of the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a resident of what the church calls “Bountiful: A New Jerusalem Community” in eastern Jackson County. Romer’s father was one…