News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Nick’s Picks | Buck O’Neil Finally Enters the Hall of Fame
Nick Haines picks Buck O’Neil, COVID, the heat wave and the new Panasonic battery plant as the leading news stories in Kansas City this week.
Protected Bike Lane First Step to Fulfill ‘Making Grand Grand’ Vision
By Kevin Collison The City Council has approved funding to plan a protected bike lane on Grand Boulevard between the South Loop and Crown Center, the first step toward implementing the “Making Grand Grand” vision hatched over a decade ago. The money for the Grand Boulevard bike lane through the Crossroads District is part of…
East Crossroads Brewers & Friends Band Together to Promote District
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in CityScene Dec. 3, 2021) By Kevin Collison Six years after Border Brewing, its first microbrewery, opened, the East Crossroads and its band of merry brewers, distillers and vintners are touting their area as a big regional draw and working together to promote it. “We’ve become a tourist destination,”…
Soaring Gas Prices Put a Charge into Electric Vehicle Sales
Persistently high gas prices are fueling the growing popularity of electric vehicles.
Kansas Reportedly Landing $4 Billion Panasonic Factory That Will Make Batteries for Tesla
A Japanese news agency is reporting that Panasonic chose to make batteries for Tesla in Kansas because of the state’s tax rates and taxpayer incentives.
Loft Project Proposed for Historic Carnival Building on Broadway
By Kevin Collison A developer with substantial experience doing projects in Midtown and along Troost Avenue is turning his sight downtown and wants to renovate the historic Carnival building at 802 Broadway into 48 loft apartments. Exact Partners is part of a development group that is proposing to renovate the ornate, eight-story office building completed…
KC’s Connection to the Heavens: Webb Telescope Images Trigger Elation
As pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) popped up Tuesday in front of astronomers and space lovers in mid-America, their ecstasy bubbled over – prompted by new knowledge captured in the hauntingly beautiful images.
Proposed Greenline Trail Price Tag $80M, Plan to Seek Federal Funding
By Kevin Collison The proposed Greenline recreational trail loop around downtown now has an estimated $80 million price tag, according to backers who plan to eventually seek federal funding for the project. The Greenline was initially pitched almost three years ago by developer Vince Bryant, who’s firm 3D Development has renovated several buildings in the…
Kansas Churches Leading Charge for Constitutional Amendment on State’s Abortion Rights
Religious institutions normally avoid advocating during election cycles to protect their charitable status under federal law. But the Kansas constitutional amendment on abortion provides a rare opportunity for them to get actively involved.
Conversion of Historic Ozark Building to Hotel Begins at Ninth and Grand
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in CityScene Oct. 18, 2021) By Kevin Collison Preliminary demolition work has begun on converting the historic Ozark building at Ninth and Grand into a 249-room AC Hotels by Marriott with completion anticipated in about two years. “In terms of historic buildings, I think it’s in exceptional condition,” said…