News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
‘You Have Awakened a Sleeping Lion’: Kansas City Residents Denounce GOP Congressional Map
Kansans for Fair Maps, a coalition of advocacy groups, organized a news conference to elevate the voices of residents in the Kansas City metro area who are upset about the proposed new congressional map.
Nick’s Picks | Classic Game Gets Chiefs Closer to Super Bowl
The Chiefs upcoming AFC Championship Game will be the talk of Kansas City this week.
Mac’s Big Midtown Project Dead After Council Rejects Funding
By Kevin Collison A $100 million proposal that would have added 385 apartments next to the planned streetcar stop at Main and Armour is dead after the City Council rejected funding considered key to including affordable housing. Mac Properties had proposed renovating the US Bank building at Main and Armour and the nearby New Yorker…
Utility Gap
Between increasingly intense heat waves and freezing cold spikes, a warming planet means unexpected weather events will be more common. As demand for utility services rises during these times, so do our monthly bills. We’ll look at why these costs affect some more than others and examines some resources available to help those struggling to…
Final Barney Allis Plaza Rebuild Plan Has $112.4M Price Tag
By Kevin Collison Almost three years after launching its search, the city now has solid design plan and price tag for reviving the crumbling Barney Allis Plaza, but appears to be no closer to figuring out how to pay for it. At a briefing to a Council committee Wednesday, consultants said the Plaza built in…
Barney Allis Plaza Rebuild Plan Has $112.4M Price Tag
Almost three years after launching its search, the city now has solid design plan and price tag for reviving the crumbling Barney Allis Plaza, but appears to be no closer to figuring out how to pay for it.
Many Feel the Chill of Mounting Utility Bills
Kansas Citians struggling to make ends meet face utility debt, especially if they live in poorly weatherized homes. What support is out there?
Work Expected to Resume This Spring on Hilton Boutique Hotel Project
By Kevin Collison Work on renovating the historic Palace Clothing Co. building at 12th and Grand into a boutique hotel is expected resume this spring following a lengthy delay caused by the Covid pandemic. Mark Patel, the developer of the planned 110-room Canopy by Hilton, is accepting bids and finalizing a general contractor for the…
Marijuana, Utility Contracts: Records Show Continued FBI Interest in Independence Deals
The line of questioning in a sworn deposition provides fresh details into an FBI probe that’s transfixed state and local politics ever since news of it surfaced in 2019.
Hunger Pains Hitting Hard in Rural America
Rural counties account for 87% of the counties with the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. About 2.2 million rural households face hunger.