News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
In Kansas City, LGBTQ+ Support Systems Are Emerging Slowly
Kansas City has made progress in terms of making itself a more welcoming place for the LGBTQ community. But progress has been painfully slow, and may be at risk.
Mark Twain Tower, Major Preservation Project, Opens to Residents in August
By Kevin Collison The 23-story Mark Twain Tower, one of downtown’s biggest historic preservation projects, is scheduled to begin accepting residents in August following a $60 million renovation that was slowed by the Covid pandemic. The building at 11th and Baltimore has been converted to 222 market-rate apartments by The Bernstein Cos. of Washington D.C….
Hitching a Ride Through History: The Evolution of Kansas City Public Transportation
Kansas City’s long and complex history of public transportation ends with a back-to-the-future plot twist — the return of the streetcar. We take a ride with the numbers.
Big Apartment Plan Proposed for Prominent Site Near Penn Valley Park
By Kevin Collison A $122 million residential project is in the works for the prominent, five-acre site of the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital complex by Penn Valley Park and near the planned streetcar stop at 31st and Main. NorthPoint Development LLC has acquired what has been a troubled property for years and is seeking tax…
Big Apartment Plan Proposed for Prominent Site Near Penn Valley Park
A $122 million residential project is in the works for the prominent, five-acre site of the old Trinity Lutheran Hospital complex by Penn Valley Park and near the planned streetcar stop at 31st and Main streets.
‘Time Bomb’ Lead Pipes Set to be Removed. But First Water Utilities Have to Find Them
Water utilities have never been required to thoroughly inventory lead pipes except in a crisis. Health experts warn problems with these ‘underground poisonous straws’ can arise out of the blue
Panthers Place a Tropical Hideaway Tucked in West Side
By Kevin Collison Imagine you’re in a secret tropical hideaway, sipping a cold beer straight from a tub brimming with ice and suddenly noticing a rusty old VW bus nestled in the vines. Welcome to Panthers Place, a West Side discovery just off Southwest Boulevard that began more than 15 years ago as the personal…
25 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth in Kansas City, and to Keep Supporting Black Communities
Celebrate Juneteenth by attending events, shopping with Black-owned businesses, supporting Black-led organizations, and learning more about our community’s history.
A Buy-Local Seed Germinates Among KC Florists
Area farmers and florists hope Kansas Citians will buy locally grown flowers rather than international flowers.
North Loop Among ‘Freeways without Futures’ in New National Report
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in CityScene KC June 2, 2021) By Kevin Collison The downtown North Loop is among 15 freeways throughout the country that should be removed and their tracks revitalized according to a new report by a national non-profit organization that champions “walkable urbanism.” The “Freeways Without Futures 2021” report by the…