News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Seeking Opportunity in Unlikely Zones
Flatland is exploring the implementation of Opportunity Zones in the Kansas City area, on both sides of the state line, and tracing their impact.
Downtown Food Drive Launched to Help During Covid Crisis
The Downtown Council Community Improvement District is collecting food donations throughout May to help replenish smaller food pantries serving families and individuals affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The FEED KC program allows donors, either downtown businesses or residents, to text the Ambassadors of the Downtown CID who’ll then come to their location and pick up…
A Good-Hearted Artist Meets His Moment During Pandemic
Kar Woo, founder of Artists Helping the Homeless, has thrown himself into meeting the mounting needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Grip of Pandemic, Kansas Meatpacking Workers Say ‘We’re Right Next To Each Other’
Workers in Kansas meatpacking plants are worried that precautions now being taken aren’t enough to slow the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
Nick’s Picks: Reopening Week Comes With Many Questions
A new month comes with new questions about how to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kansas City Symphony’s ‘Celebration at the Station’ Pivots to Broadcast
“Celebration at the Station,” the Midwest’s largest free Memorial Day weekend concert, will shift from an outdoor concert to a television broadcast this year.
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…