News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
North Loop Pedestrian Accident ‘Robs’ Downtown of Huge Advocate
By Kevin Collison Downtown Kansas City lost one of its most enthusiastic champions when Jared Miller was struck and killed by a semi-truck late Saturday morning while crossing the North Loop freeway from the River Market. The eastbound trucker didn’t see the pedestrian until it was too late to avoid striking him, according to Kansas…
Craft Beer Fan Adding ‘Oak & Steel’ to Crossroads Garage
Editor’s Note: Oak & Steel is now open for business at 17th and Wyandotte. Owner Kyle Howard hosted a soft opening event last Friday that was partnered with the reintroduction into the local market of beer produced by St. Louis-based 2nd Shift microbrewery. At this point, no formal grand opening has been scheduled. The hours…
The Christianity Spectrum: Local Millennials Share How They Do Church
Chantell Smith was sitting on the couch in her apartment flipping through the channels when she saw the news. A gunman had entered a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and killed nine people. She felt defeated. Her cheeks were wet with tears. “That was the one where I was just like, ‘What is…
Money Issues Hamper Progress In Some School Districts
What’s the best way to ensure that future generations get the best education possible? For many people, the answer is simple: money. More specifically, these proponents argue that additional funding must go toward attracting and retaining quality teachers — arguably the most important component of the education system. The problem, however, is that school funding…
Keystone Innovation District Seeks to Transform East 18th Street Corridor
(Editor’s note: Updated March 11. The Keystone Innovation District initiative has announced its Governing Board: Doug Girod, Chancellor, University of Kansas; Mauli Agrawal, Chancellor, University of Missouri – Kansas City; Kimberly Beatty, Chancellor, Metropolitan Community College; Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, President, William Jewell College; Denise St. Omer, VP of Grantmaking and Inclusion, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation;…
Can KC’s new leadership fix ‘the land that time forgot’?
The kielbasa recipe hasn’t changed much since Peter May, a Polish immigrant, opened a grocery store in Kansas City’s Blue Valley neighborhood in 1929. Customers can count on the same fresh meat, no preservatives, spiced with a mixture passed down through the family. The location is the same, too. Peter May’s House of Kielbasa still…
Pioneering East Crossroads Apartment Project Kicks Off Construction
By Kevin Collison Construction of a $72 million East Crossroads apartment development in the works for 16 months is scheduled to begin today with the first residents expected to begin occupancy by Fall 2020. John McGurk, an official with the Indianapolis developer, Milhaus, said the 341-unit project, which will be called “Artistry KC,” received its…
Kansas City Construction Career Academy Trains Next Generation of Skilled Workers
If you are like many folks, if something breaks in your house, you have to call someone to fix it. It could be a broken pipe, faulty light switch, or wheezing furnace. That means there are good, steady jobs available for people with the “fix-it” attitude and aptitude. Plus, with a lot these tradesmen reaching…
Streetcar Extension Plan Fails to Make FY 2020 Federal Budget Cut
By Kevin Collison The planned extension of the streetcar from downtown to UMKC failed to make the funding cut in the proposed new federal budget, a setback local streetcar officials hope to overcome next year. The Federal Transit Administration’s budget recommendation for FY 2020 did not include the $151.6 million being sought by the Kansas…
Angry Metro Clergy Await Homosexuality Decision from United Methodist Church
Right after a governing body of the United Methodist Church in February approved keeping the denomination’s ban on gay clergy and on any clergy officiating at same-sex weddings, the Rev. Tex Sample was indignant and defiant. He told worshippers at Trinity United Methodist Church in Midtown Kansas City that their historically gay-friendly congregation would follow…