This Group is Saving the Kansas River from Tons of Trash
Bill Hughes has his eyes on a hot tub. The Valley Falls resident isn’t planning a bathroom remodel, though. He’s part of a volunteer group that helps clean up the Kansas River. The hot tub is lodged in the river bottom and it’s too large to lug away. It pops into view during dry spells, when…
Nick’s Picks | Abortion Ban, Death Penalty, Solar Energy, and More …
New Missouri Abortion Amendment Takes Effect Missouri’s near-total ban on abortion officially comes to an end this week. It follows last month’s voter approval of Amendment 3, which enshrines the right to an abortion in the state Constitution. Its provisions take effect on Thursday. That’s when Planned Parenthood says it will open three temporary abortion…
A Black Friday Romp Through the Metro’s Shoplifting History
Not long ago a woman walked into an Oak Park Mall bath and body store carrying two shopping bags. She lingered for two hours, examining the scented candles. Then the phone of Detective Byron Pierce of the Overland Park Police Department buzzed. The caller was an employee of the store. “Everything okay?” Pierce asked. No….
The Bison that Protect One of Missouri’s Last Prairies
Before European settlement, the place that we call Missouri was home to millions of acres of tallgrass prairie, a grassland biome home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, like bison. Today, less than one percent of it remains. Bison once roamed North America with numbers in the millions. After government-sanctioned mass slaughter…
Nick’s Picks | Holiday Lightings, Hallmark, Hardwood, and More …
It’s going to be a short week for many Kansas Citians as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Here are the upcoming week’s big events… Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt Flips the Switch on the Plaza Lights The Country Club Plaza is preparing for its largest event of the year. It’s the 95th Plaza Lighting…
Clergy Sex Abuse Survivor Reflects on His Reform Work
A 2002 series of Boston Globe articles turned a scandal about Catholic priests who sexually abuse children (and bishops who protect those priests) into a national story. The Globe, however, wasn’t the first newspaper to expose this reprehensible crime. Credit for that goes to the independent, Kansas City-based National Catholic Reporter. NCR was writing about…
Nick’s Picks | Layoffs, World Cup, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and More…
The Big Shutdown Nearly two thousand auto workers at GM’s Fairfax plant are being pink-slipped today. General Motors is temporarily shutting down production at the Kansas City, Kansas, facility to transition to electric vehicles. The move signals the end of the line for the Cadillac XT4 and the Chevy Malibu, two models that are being…
A Better Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City | Part III
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the restoration of the Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City, Missouri. The engagement on the Big Blue Battlefield was pivotal in the larger Battle of Westport, an October 1864 clash that effectively ended organized Confederate military operations in Missouri. As the years receded,…
Mum’s The Word on the Solar Farm at Kansas City Airport
Area residents flying to and from home may wonder about the fate of the gleaming solar farm at Kansas City International Airport promised a year ago by Kansas City officials and Evergy. The short answer is that attorneys for the city and the consortium Evergy assembled to build the project are still working on the…
Nick’s Picks: Veterans Day, Missouri Politicians, Billie Eilish and More …
Don’t Forget It Is Veterans Day If you thought this would be a good day to head to the DMV or the post office, you’re in for some serious disappointment…everything’s closed. America marks Veterans Day today. Government buildings and banks are closed. And there’s no mail delivery. The National WWI Museum is hosting special commemorative…
A Better Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City | Part II
Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a three-part series on the restoration of the Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City, Missouri. In the mid-19th century, overland trail teamsters driving wagons west sometimes followed a branch of the Santa Fe Trail out of Independence, using the shortcut to reach fields where the animals used…
Nick’s Picks: Election Day, College Hoops, COVID Battle and More …
Election Day or Election Week? It’s nearly time to say goodbye to all the political ads that have appeared during every commercial break for the past couple of months. Are you going to miss them? What about all the candidate robocalls blowing up your phone? Election Day is finally here on Tuesday. But if you’re…
On the Ballot | Sports Betting in Missouri
Introduction In the wake of Kansas legalizing sports betting, Missouri voters will decide whether or not to allow the same on the other side of the state line. Amendment 2 proposes allowing people 21 years old and older to bet on sports in Missouri. If it passes, the Missouri Gaming Commission would regulate sports betting statewide….
On the Ballot | Ranked-Choice Voting
Introduction On Tuesday voters will decide whether to change Missouri law to prohibit ranked-choice voting and change the language in the Missouri Constitution to say that “only” U.S. Citizens can vote rather than “all”. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank all the candidates in order of preference. The way it works: Transcript Nick Haines [Host,…
On the Ballot | Court Fees to Support Law Enforcement Salaries & Benefits
Introduction Amendment 6, which asks voters to decide whether to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow state courts to charge administrative fees to provide pensions and other compensation to former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, and circuit attorneys, is on Tuesday’s ballot. The amendment is in direct opposition to a unanimous 2021 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that…