Chapter 3 | Making Ends Meat
The popularity of burnt ends created an unusual problem for pitmasters in Kansas City. Even with a ready supply of briskets, there wasn’t enough of the ends of those briskets to make the menu item known as “burnt ends.” Briskets taper at both edges — it’s the thinner parts that get crusty and crispy and deliciously charred….
In The Face Of An Uncertain Future, Ag Industry Titans Pair Up
Like most farmers, Mark Nelson, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat near Louisburg, Kansas, is getting squeezed. He’s paying three times more for seed than he used to, while his corn sells for less than half what it brought four years ago. “It’s a – that’s a challenge,” Nelson says. “You’re not going to be…
Beekeepers Benefit From The Hive Mind In Community Apiaries
Even though Marca Engman read countless books, watched YouTube videos and took a beekeeping class before installing her first hive in 2012, she knew she’d need help in the field. “The whole idea of beekeeping was overwhelming,” she recalls. “Every year is different and every hive is different.” Rather than working a backyard beehive solo,…
Weston Applefest & Other Weekend Possibilities
How do you like them apples? (#SorryNotSorry for that pun.) The 28th annual Weston Applefest is Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Shop for handmade goods, watch a hay baler in action, or stuff yourself on apple butter, cider, or pie. Admission is $1. There’s beauty in watching…
Siah Armajani: Bridge Builder
This fall, over 30 drawings, sculptures and architectural maquettes by internationally renowned artist and architect Siah Armajani will be on display at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. “Siah Armajani: Bridge Builder” will showcase five decades of work focusing on bridges, highlighting Armajani’s technical expertise as well as his symbolic and political investment in the bridge form….
The Weekend Starts Today
In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” True words. It’s odd, in fact, that the Gregorian calendar marks the new year in mid-winter. Jewish people, on the other hand, have the right idea. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, literally, “head of…
It May Not Cost You More To Drive Home In A Climate-Friendly Car
It has been a common belief that low-emissions vehicles, like hybrids and electric cars, are more expensive than other choices. But a new study finds that when operating and maintenance costs are included in a vehicle’s price, cleaner cars may actually be a better bet. The cars and trucks we drive are responsible for about…
Goat Hill Coffee and Soda Trots Into The Westside
The departure of Little Freshie (811 W 17th street) from the Westside earlier this year left a gap for regulars that stopped in for sodas with house syrups or afternoon coffee. Last week, Goat Hill Coffee and Soda opened in the space to provide refreshments once again. Co-owners Tanner Stevens and Levi Holland are shaping the…
Take 5 For Your Health
Mental Health Centers In Wyandotte, Shawnee Counties Try New Approaches To Schizophrenia Two community mental health centers in Kansas hope a new program will help young people recently diagnosed with schizophrenia avoid its possible complications — a higher risk of unemployment, homelessness and incarceration and lower life expectancy — and achieve goals for school, work and…
KU Cancer Center Makes Bid To Join Elite Club
Four years ago, former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius returned home as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services with a prize the University of Kansas Cancer Center had been seeking for years: certification as a nationally recognized center through the National Cancer Institute (NCI). But amid the hoopla, KU Cancer Center Director Dr. Roy Jensen…
Chapter 2 | Demand, The Myth, The Legend
Arthur Bryant’s has been luring folks, like James Beard Award-winning chef Colby Garrelts, to the counter for years with the siren call of smoke. Garrelts, the co-owner of Rye and Bluestem, has been coming to Bryant’s since he was a child, just like writer Calvin Trillin (who famously shined a light on burnt ends four…
Commentary |Faith in KC’s Southeast High School
The last time I had seen Ke’Montay Smith was last spring at the final graduation of the soon-to-be-closed Southwest High, where she was a student. She was wearing her snappy ROTC uniform and was part of the color guard. But now here she was at Southeast High School’s orientation night in August. This lively, bright…
Goodbye Thomas, Hello Aep Thai Restaurant on West 39th Street
A Kansas City chef driven to discover the secrets of street food in Thailand is about to bring that knowledge home. Chef Jakob Polaco plans to apply his globe-trotting cooking experience to Aep (pronounced “ape”) — a Thai street food-style restaurant slated to open December 1 in the former Thomas restaurant space (1815 W. 39th Street). Before…
A Complete Guide To Early And Absentee Voting
Early voting is set to account for one-third of all votes cast this election. Does your state allow early voting? And how do the campaigns use this data? Find out with our complete guide.
Commentary | Why are We Surprised? The State of Our Media is What We Made It
I watched the debate Monday night along with more than 80 million of my fellow Americans, according to Nielsen. We all knew what we would get from the candidates. Few were disappointed. As also expected, moderator Lester Holt received his share of criticism over how he performed his duties. However, Holt gave us exactly what…