News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Kansas Education Board Rejects Governor’s Order to Delay K-12 School Reopening
The Kansas State Board of Education has rejected Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order that would have delayed the start of K-12 schools by three weeks.
Crossroads Refuses to Suffer ‘Clever Fools’ Gladly
By Kevin Collison A leafleting campaign by a Mission company that brags about its “unique style of guerrilla marketing” has papered the Crossroads Arts District to the point City Hall is being asked to prepare vandalism charges. “What a burden to lay this upon the urban community when we’re already dealing with so many relevant…
Birthing Battle | Labor Pains
Infant and maternity mortality rates in the Kansas City area keep climbing. This hit close to home for Izula Jade
Tough Choices: Removing Parents From Nursing Homes During Pandemic
As COVID-19 rages in nursing homes across the country, families are making tough decisions about whether to leave loved ones in, take them out, delay the process or avoid them altogether.
Democrats Want To Face Kobach In Senate Race, But A GOP Group Is Spending Millions To Stop Him
Super PACS are spending millions of dollars on ads for and against Republican U.S. Senate candidates Kris Kobach and Roger Marshall ahead of August primary in Kansas.
Grand Place Envisions Role as Major Art Hub for Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Grand Place, the $98 million redevelopment of the historic Kansas City Star building, has gotten creative addressing cost overruns by embracing the arts as a big part of the project’s identity. In a successful bid last week to obtain $2.4 million in sales tax breaks, the developer pledged to commission public art…
Nick’s Picks | Black Lives Strike, Kansas School Opening, KCI Contract Conflict
Kansas City has a busy news week ahead with a “Strike for Black Lives,” ongoing debate over Kansas school openings, and an emerging conflict over a contract at Kansas City International Airport.
Proposal Would Repurpose Shipping Containers for Affordable Micro Apartments
(Editor’s note: The City Council approved the plan at its July 23 meeting) By Kevin Collison Kansas City developer Paul Nagaoka has traveled the world pursuing his vision of building affordable apartment projects with big steel shipping containers to create cozy residences. “This is my greatest passion, this is the whole focus of what I see…
‘It’s Too Overwhelming’
What’s next for international students? For some it’s graduation. Others it’s finding a way back to their home countries. But one thing’s clear: this semester has been difficult to navigate.
Proposed $310M Development Would Add Housing, Hotel, Office Tower to Crossroads
(Updated Aug. 20, 2021: The Planned Industrial Expansion Authority approved a cooperative agreement with the city Thursday to accept four parcels totaling about a half-acre of city surplus property at the location along the Main Street viaduct where the proposed Podium office and hotel project would be built. While the city transfer agreement does not…