News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Taco Bell Cantina Ringing Soon in Westport
Taco Bell’s spiced up “Cantina” concept is coming to Westport, which means you’ll be able to have a beer with your bean burrito and, if turns out to be like the one in Nashville, listen to live music. Work is underway for a 2,500 square-foot Taco Bell Cantina at the southeast corner of Broadway and…
On Top of $1 Billion Fallout from February Cold Snap, Natural Gas Prices Expected to Climb this Winter
After a historic cold snap depleted natural gas reserves in February, prices for heating could be as much as 30% higher this winter, prompting concerns about increasing bills for Kansas and Missouri customers.
St. Louis Gets First Urban Target, Can KC Be Far Behind?
By Kevin Collison The announcement last week Target plans to open one of its smaller urban stores as part of a midtown St. Louis development has prompted renewed speculation about when the chain plans something similar here. Perhaps as early as next year, according to real estate sources, although exactly where in Kansas City’s “River-Crown-Plaza”…
Nick’s Picks | Vaccines for Children, Mask Mandates and Funding Fights
Nick Haines offers a look at the week ahead in Kansas City. The COVID fight continues. The Kansas City Police Department seeks more funding. And the holiday season is ramping up.
Kansas City Pursues Massive Solar Farm at KCI
Kansas City is considering putting a massive 2,000-acre solar farm on city land at Kansas City International Airport, creating one of the largest solar power installations in the nation.
Kaw Makeover Including New Park, Bike Trails, Opening Next October
By Kevin Collison After decades of being a scraggly backwater, the Kaw River in the West Bottoms will be transformed with a new park and bicycle trail a year from now following action by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County. The UG commissioners approved an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers earlier this…
Houseless Solution Update: KC Leaders Reveal Extreme Weather Plan
Kansas City officials have announced a new extreme weather plan designed to address the lingering gaps in aid for unhoused people as winter approaches.
Historic Oglesby Hotel Being Restored as Affordable Housing on Troost
By Kevin Collison The historic Oglesby Hotel near 39th and Troost is being preserved and renovated as an affordable apartment project thanks to its good neighbor, St. James Catholic Church. The 130 year-old, Queen Anne-style mansion will find new life providing 25, one-bedroom apartments renting for $650 per month. Eight units will be eligible for…
How a Meatpacking Plant Changed One Kansas Town 40 Years Ago and Left a Colorado Community Behind
Four decades ago, a town in Kansas and a town in Colorado competed to become home to a giant meatpacking plant that, at the time, was the largest of its kind in the world. Here’s what has happened to them since.
Riverfront Soccer Stadium Planned, Includes ‘Massive’ Bar Overlooking Water
By Kevin Collison A $70 million, privately-funded women’s professional soccer stadium planned for the riverfront should spur more intensive residential development and quicken the pace of streetcar expansion. “I view this more as a gem you build the verticality around,” said Jon Stephens, Port KC president and CEO. “We’re still committed to millions of square feet…