Why Do Cows Moo? Here Are a Few Reasons
We all learned it as kids: Old MacDonald has a farm and on that farm he has a cow that says “moo.” But why? Why do cows moo? Whenever I’m out reporting in the field I can tell many ranchers have a powerful connection with their cattle – they can almost understand them. But researchers today…
From KC to Cannes: It’s a Hustle
Orson Welles’ observation on filmmaking was simple: “It’s about two percent movie making and 98 percent hustling. It’s no way to spend a life.” Kansas City-based indie filmmaker Patrick Rea knows everything about hustling. He began creating short films in 2002 to help him refine his skills as a storyteller and film director. To date, Rea has…
Cook for Courage and Other Weekend Possibilities
You win when chefs compete in a barbecue contest. The third-annual Cook for Courage, a benefit for the Child Protection Center, is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the 12th Street Bridge in the West Bottoms. Chefs Colby Garrelts, John Smith, Dan Swinney, Alex Pope and Laura Norris will all be smoking to see who has…
Blue Springs is Latest Battleground For Education Program
Laura Shepherd loved it when the kids entering Franklin Smith Elementary got a morning hug from the principal. But that was last year. This year, Shepherd hated watching building leaders at the Blue Springs, Missouri, school greet her fourth-grader and other students with handshakes. “I’m like, ‘They are not mini-adults. They are kids,’” she said….
The Weekend Starts Today
If last week’s musical tsunami left you a little woozy, I figure there’s really two ways to roll. Option 1) Call it the hair of the dog. That would put you at the grounds of Liberty Memorial on Saturday for this year’s edition of Rockfest. Who’s playing, you ask? Does it matter, I say. You’re…
5 Breakfast Burritos That Deserve Serious Face Time
Sometimes you need a food pillow — a warm, comforting collection of bites to ease you into the morning. Breakfast burritos can provide that soft landing whenever you are starting your day (and are of particular value if you’ve had a long night). Breakfast burritos are often kitchen sink affairs, flour tortillas like overinflated balloons, filled…
Fred Armisen on… Everything
Before the always-funny Mr. Armisen gave his keynote address to the Middle of the Map crowd at this year’s IDEAS forum, he sat down in The Folly Theater with Flatland. Check out his tips on doing a Prince impersonation, the melding of comedy and music, and all the Finger Lakes of Lawrence Welk. The “Portlandia” co-creator and star also riffed…
Round One: Teamsters
After months of uncertainty about their future, local truckers held a rally Monday morning at Teamsters Local Union 41 in Kansas City celebrating the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision to reject Central States Pension Fund’s application to reduce pensions for more than 400,000 current and retired truck drivers. On Friday, Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney appointed by…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Action For Children CEO Leaving For Job In Nebraska Shannon Cotsoradis, president and CEO of Kansas Action for Children, is stepping down after 19 years at the nonprofit advocacy organization. Cotsoradis is leaving to assume “a leadership role” at the Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, LLC, according to a KAC news release issued Monday morning….
Summer of Shakespeare in KC
In 1623, a couple of guys got together and self-published some work by a dead friend of theirs named William Shakespeare. Four hundred years later, this piece of “vanity publishing” is considered to be the crown jewel of our Western canon. Shakespeare’s First Folio, as it is now known, is one of the…
When Your Business Partner is Mom
French Culinary Institute-trained pastry chef Natasha Goellner is embarking on a new adventure this summer, her new food truck Cirque de Sucre. This “circus of sugar” will feature French macarons, treats, and high-end ice cream in the hope of delighting foodies around the Kansas City area and beyond. And in her corner Goellner has found the perfect business partner…
A Matter of Taste: Why Congress May Back Off New School Lunch Standards
Schools across the U.S. served more than 5 billion meals in the national school lunch program to millions of students last year. Each one of the meals has to meet federal rules for nutrition. Now, those rules are up for debate and Congress could impose changes on the cafeteria. School lunch was transformed by the…
Order Up | Snow & Co.’s Purple Rain
Order up is a new regular series that takes a layered look at drinks and eats across Kansas City. Got a dish you think we should feature? Drop us a note below or on Twitter @FlatlandKC.
Kansas Food Truck Festival and Other Weekend Possibilities
Dive into the food truck scene at the third-annual Kansas Food Truck Festival from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday in Lawrence’s Warehouse Arts District. The Craft Collective will have art for sale, more than 20 food trucks will be in attendance, and there will be a bouncy house alongside live entertainment (everything from Maria…
‘It’ll be devastating.’
More than a quarter of a million Teamsters and their spouses are facing the very real possibility that their pensions may be reduced up to 70 percent by July 1st, as they await a decision by the United States Treasury Department on the matter this weekend. Managed by the Central States Pension Fund, which handles…