The Country Club Plaza with the fountain at Mill Creek Park in the foreground.
The Country Club Plaza is marking its 100th anniversary in business this year amid renewed questions about its future. (Courtesy | Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library)

Flatland’s Top 50 Stories From 2023: 5-1

January 1, 2024  |    |  1 min read

Flatland is taking a journey through our recent past during the holiday season, presenting 50 of our most popular, impactful or interesting stories of 2023 in chronological order between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1.

This is the 10th and final installment, featuring stories that first appeared between Oct. 20 and Dec. 21.

From Oct. 20

Art House | ‘No Place Like Home’ Grapples With Hate Our relationship with home is complicated. Just ask Kevin Willmott and C.J. Janovy, filmmakers behind “No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas.”

From Nov. 7

Grieving Parents Turning Tragedy of Suicide into Hope  Parents of children who have died by suicide have banded together to help dramatically reduce such tragedies in the Blue Valley School District.

From Nov. 9

Nichols’ Folly: A Century of the Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza, as it marks its centennial, is at a crossroads. J.C. Nichols’ iconic district is seen both as private property and public trust.

From Nov. 16

Streetcar, More Housing May Help the Country Club Plaza The KC Streetcar extension and development of more high-rise housing are widely seen as keys for supporting the Country Club Plaza.

From Dec. 21

Help With Navigating a Complex Media Landscape As the U.S. enters another election year awash with information, how can folks improve their media literacy to help decide what is true and who to follow?

Keep following Flatland in 2024.

Tags: ,

Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.

Support Local Journalism

Teaching Christian Theology in the World of Online Learning

October 28, 2026

Christian educators in the Kansas City area are grappling with the fundamental questions raised by Zoom classes while welcoming students that could not attend otherwise.

Related Stories

U.S. Vice President JD Vance will host a rally today in Topeka in support of Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. (Wikimedia)

Nick’s Picks | Vance, Buddy, Houdini and More …

By Nick Haines | October 26, 2026

The U.S. vice president visits Topeka, a unicorn costume is a Halloween favorite, and a famous musician gets recognized in Kansas City.

Read More >

Nick’s Picks | Rally, Debate, Data Center and More …

By Nick Haines | October 19, 2026

Election season is in full swing, with the U.S. Senate race in Kansas taking center stage, including President Donald Trump holding a rally in Wichita.

Read More >
Marissa Gencarelli, of Yoli Tortilleria, grilled steak and Masa Shio Koji wings for an Anti-ICE Supper Club event to raise awareness and benefit Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR), a regional nonprofit that advocates for immigrant and refugee communities in Kansas and Missouri. The event took place at Yoli Cocina, in Kansas City, Mo. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. In the background is Laura Basauri, the executive chef for Taco Naco.

Kansas City Cooks as Site for National Anti-ICE Dinner Series

By Ilana Arougheti | October 15, 2026

Celebrated chefs from throughout the metro collaborated for three nights on dinners that raised money for a local immigrant-rights nonprofit.

Read More >