News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Age of Coronavirus: Pandemic Prompts Surge of E-House Calls
The COVID-19 pandemic may, by necessity, accelerate the adoption of telemedicine.
Age of Coronavirus: The Politics of the Pandemic
In a Flatland interview, University of Kansas professor Jack Zhang discusses how the “politics of blame” shapes our political and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Age of Coronavirus: A Wistful Drone of Bagpipes Echoes in Brookside
John Tootle is using his skills as a bagpiper to raise the spirits of housebound families in the age of coronavirus.
East Crossroads Corner Being Rebuilt, Deli and Bar Planned
By Kevin Collison A building that collapsed at the corner of 18th and Locust in the East Crossroads in October 2018 is being replaced with a new structure that is expected to house a bar and delicatessen. It’s being built by Matt Abbott, a developer and entrepreneur with extensive property holdings in the Crossroads. Abbott…
Age of Coronavirus: KC’s Role in Winning the War on Polio
Kansas City played an underappreciated role in conquering polio, a public health scourge with some similarities with the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Age of Coronavirus: KC Area Far Short Of Space For Homeless During Pandemic
The three main counties in the Kansas City area — Wyandotte and Johnson in Kansas, and Jackson in Missouri — would have to boost bed capacity for the homeless by about 60% virtually overnight as the coronavirus begins to peak.
Rightfully Sewn Shifts to Producing Fabric Masks to Help Healthcare Workers
By Kevin Collison Rightfully Sewn, the Crossroads workshop for training seamstresses, has shifted from making fashion wear to producing protective masks for healthcare workers encountering shortfalls during the Covid-19 pandemic. The nonprofit plans to make 20,000 fabric masks based, in part, on a pattern released by the Deaconess Health System of Evansville, Ind. And while…
Nick’s Picks: Connecting Dots During Another Week of Stay-at-Home Orders
Here’s the outlook for the week ahead in Kansas City so you and your family can be better prepared for what’s coming amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Age of Coronavirus: Funerals Take on a Remote Vibe
Families and faith leaders are struggling with how to conduct funerals during the coronavirus outbreak.
Guest Commentary: Turning Toward Greatness, Before We Get to Detroit
(Editor’s note: This presentation that’s been making the rounds of local civic groups recently offers a strong public policy and economic case for continuing to reinvest in our urban core, the so-called River-Crown-Plaza corridor, and nearby neighborhoods.) By Dennis Strait, managing principal, Gould Evans Communities across the country face a fundamental problem: we’ve built cities…