News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Downtown Microbrew Scene Stays Healthy Despite Covid Clampdown
By Kevin Collison The downtown microbrewery scene is growling, crowling and canning its way through the current covid-19 restrictions and appears ready to emerge intact once the public health crisis is behind us. “Kansas City has such a strong commitment to local,” said Greg Bland, owner of Stockyards Brewery. “People are doing great giving us…
Crumbling Barney Allis Plaza Now ‘Hotspot’ for Downtown Problems
By Kevin Collison Less than a month after a consultant urged its immediate closure, the problems at Barney Allis Plaza and its garage continue to worsen as city officials find themselves at loggerheads over its future. At a City Council Finance Committee meeting Wednesday, members were told the former downtown civic centerpiece has gone dark…
States Ponder Rules of Engagement as They Reopen Amid Pandemic
Kansas, Missouri and surrounding states are taking various routes to reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
KC Barbell Beefs Up Size at New Location Near Crown Center
By Kevin Collison As soon as the city gives the all clear from Covid-19 health restrictions, Jay Ashman and his partners are ready to teach people how to pump iron at their new digs at 2734 McGee Trafficway just south of Crown Center. The new home of Kansas City Barbell is twice the size of…
Pandemic Spurs Concern About Suicide Among KC-Area Youths
Beds are going unfilled at Kansas City-area child psychiatric facilities, raising questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic is playing out for teens.
Port KC Approves $60M Riverfront Apartment Plan, Summer Work Start
(Aug. 12 Editor’s note: Construction began July 21) By Kevin Collison NorthPoint Development plans to break ground on a 353-unit apartment complex near Berkley Riverfront Park this summer after the Port KC board unanimously approved incentives for the project Monday. The $60 million project, which was first announced in October, will substantially increase the growing…
Big Apartment Project Coming to Missouri Riverfront
NorthPoint Development plans to break ground on a 353-unit apartment complex near Berkley Riverfront Park this summer after the Port KC board unanimously approved incentives for the project Monday.
‘I’m Counting on It’: Many College Students Left Out of Stimulus Checks
In a rush to get the big economic relief package out, some people fell through the cracks. Some college students aren’t eligible and won’t get the $1,200 check. Flatland talked to two of these students.
Don Bosco Center Reopening in June Following $3.7M Renovation
By Kevin Collison The Don Bosco Center, a social and cultural anchor for the Columbus Park neighborhood of greater downtown since 1940, is nearing completion of a $3.7 million renovation. The 13,00 square-foot facility at 526 Campbell has evolved with its neighborhood, once the home of Kansas City’s Italian-American community. It, along with the other…
Nick’s Picks: Reopening the Economy, Getting Tested, Pandemic Primary
Kansas and Missouri are taking steps to reopen the economy as questions about how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic linger.