News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
KC Filmmaker Offers Fresh Take on the Fresh Prince
Kansas City filmmaker Morgan Cooper discusses his inspiration for the dramatic reboot of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and his artistic motivations.
Port KC Pursuing Beer Garden and More for Berkley Riverfront Park
By Kevin Collison Port KC is contemplating a beer garden and cafe at Berkley Riverfront Park to help satisfy thousands of volleyball players and create a fixed venue for other events. With hundreds of new apartments opening or in the works on the riverfront and six sand volleyball courts that attract 2,000 players weekly, Port…
Three Light Dims a Notch
By Kevin Collison The Three Light luxury apartment tower has been downsized slightly from its original scope from 321 apartments to 288, and from 32 stories tall to 26, according to new bid documents. The fresh information on the Bidclerk trade publication website indicates the luxury apartment tower, which had been expected to break ground earlier…
Federal Funding Spurs Main Street Extension of KC Streetcar
The Federal Transit Administration has allocated $50.78 million for the Main Street extension of the KC Streetcar, the first installment toward building the route from downtown to UMKC.
Eviction Risks Surging With COVID-19, Rising Rents
The risk of eviction for many Kansas Citians is rising as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, joblessness surges and rents keep rising.
‘Great Day for KC,’ Feds Green-Light Main Street Extension of Streetcar
(Editor’s note: Updated Sept. 3 with new renderings of planned Country Club Plaza streetcar stop and a schedule for the Main Street extension presented today by Tom Gerend, KC Streetcar executive director, to the Downtown Council board. The current schedule calls for actual streetcar line construction to begin two years from now. Testing of the…
You Might Be Surprised Which Generation Is Coping Best With the Pandemic
New research suggests that despite the increased vulnerability in becoming seriously ill if they contract COVID-19, older people are managing the pandemic best on the mental and emotional front.
Stray Cats Strut the Streets
The ongoing pandemic and resulting economic shock has contributed to a surge of feral cats and other stray animals in the Kansas City area.
Rebranded Buffalo State Pizza Opens Temporary Patio on Wyandotte
By Kevin Collison Phillippe Lechevin, like other downtown restaurant owners, is improvising to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. The owner of Buffalo State Pizza at 1815 Wyandotte, formerly Papa Keno’s, recently received city permission to open a temporary, 20-person patio in the parking lane of Wyandotte in front and his introduced live music on Friday nights…
Kansas City’s Disability Community Confronts Pandemic
Here’s what three people had to say about living through a public health crisis with a disability.