News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Nick’s Picks | Trash Service, Political Action, Comedy Star Power … and More
This week, many Kansas Citians will finally be able to unload their New Year’s Eve party trash. Last week, several cities including Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, canceled garbage pickup after one of the heaviest snowstorms in decades. Also, this week, our kids are going to have to do something they haven’t done…
Truth, Religion and the Demise of Local Newspapers
When I started reporting at The Kansas City Star in late 1970, it was a regional newspaper that served not just the metro area but also east to mid-Missouri, west to central Kansas, and beyond. I was part of a staff of hundreds, and the paper’s circulation — all print then, of course — was…
KC Library Exec Focuses On Native Americans in National Role
As the Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, a member of its leadership team made her mark in a national organization with a distinguished history of its own. As the library’s director of policy analysis and operational support, Cindy Hohl is the first KCPL representative to serve as president of…
This Group is Saving the Kansas River from Tons of Trash
Bill Hughes has his eyes on a hot tub. The Valley Falls resident isn’t planning a bathroom remodel, though. He’s part of a volunteer group that helps clean up the Kansas River. The hot tub is lodged in the river bottom and it’s too large to lug away. It pops into view during dry spells, when…
Nick’s Picks | Abortion Ban, Death Penalty, Solar Energy, and More …
New Missouri Abortion Amendment Takes Effect Missouri’s near-total ban on abortion officially comes to an end this week. It follows last month’s voter approval of Amendment 3, which enshrines the right to an abortion in the state Constitution. Its provisions take effect on Thursday. That’s when Planned Parenthood says it will open three temporary abortion…
A Black Friday Romp Through the Metro’s Shoplifting History
Not long ago a woman walked into an Oak Park Mall bath and body store carrying two shopping bags. She lingered for two hours, examining the scented candles. Then the phone of Detective Byron Pierce of the Overland Park Police Department buzzed. The caller was an employee of the store. “Everything okay?” Pierce asked. No….
Nick’s Picks | Holiday Lightings, Hallmark, Hardwood, and More …
It’s going to be a short week for many Kansas Citians as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Here are the upcoming week’s big events… Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt Flips the Switch on the Plaza Lights The Country Club Plaza is preparing for its largest event of the year. It’s the 95th Plaza Lighting…
Clergy Sex Abuse Survivor Reflects on His Reform Work
A 2002 series of Boston Globe articles turned a scandal about Catholic priests who sexually abuse children (and bishops who protect those priests) into a national story. The Globe, however, wasn’t the first newspaper to expose this reprehensible crime. Credit for that goes to the independent, Kansas City-based National Catholic Reporter. NCR was writing about…
Nick’s Picks | Layoffs, World Cup, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and More…
The Big Shutdown Nearly two thousand auto workers at GM’s Fairfax plant are being pink-slipped today. General Motors is temporarily shutting down production at the Kansas City, Kansas, facility to transition to electric vehicles. The move signals the end of the line for the Cadillac XT4 and the Chevy Malibu, two models that are being…
A Better Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City | Part III
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the restoration of the Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City, Missouri. The engagement on the Big Blue Battlefield was pivotal in the larger Battle of Westport, an October 1864 clash that effectively ended organized Confederate military operations in Missouri. As the years receded,…