News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Hospitality Workers Learning to Play Defense During the World Cup
“What college kid doesn’t want access to free pizza?” Jennifer Kabler asked, as she recounted a horrifying evening from two decades ago. She was taking a co-worker home, and he said that his roommate could hook them up with the grub. Even though she felt a little uneasy about the situation, Kabler took the guys to pick…
Nick’s Picks | Sports, Liquor, Bans and More …
New Royals Ballpark Two years after a failed stadium vote, Kansas City leaders are trying to get a new Royals ballpark plan across the finish line this week. The city council’s finance committee takes its first swing Tuesday at the $1.9 billion proposal, with a full council vote expected on Thursday. Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled…
Missouri Seeks Stable Funding for 988 Mental Health Helpline
Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, call, text or chat 988. It was nearly 3 a.m. Lauren Ross awoke to spiking anxiety, the result of stress from the holidays, work and the general state of affairs…
Nick’s Picks | Filings, Openings, Holidays and More …
Political Filing Frenzy Get ready for a major reshuffling of Kansas City’s political decks this week. Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for Missouri candidates to file for office in this year’s midterm elections. And with a new congressional map now in play, it’s triggering a frantic last-minute political scramble. Here’s the breakdown of…
KC Reparations Leaders Uncertain Work Will Lead to Action
Do you know the details of how Kansas City’s past public policies and actions created a community with a long history of segregation that led to the racial disparities of today? Mayor Quinton Lucas says a primary purpose of his Mayor’s Commission on Reparations will be to teach you that history and to help you…
From Concord to Kansas City: Henry David Thoreau’s Influence Ripples Throughout the Region
As a teenager, she sometimes would just walk. Often, it was to escape the chaos and loneliness of being one of 11 children in her family. “We had moved to the suburbs of Chicago, and we didn’t fit in,” Evelyn Vogel-Leutung said on a recent morning, standing on a perch overlooking the Blue River in…
Nick’s Picks | Taxes, Elections, AI and More …
Royals Return Baseball is back…and earlier than ever. Opening Day lands Wednesday, the earliest start in MLB history. The Kansas City Royals will begin the season on the road, with a Friday opener in Atlanta. And what about that much-hyped Royals new stadium reveal in time for “Opening Day?” Yeah, right. Consider it stuck in…
Nick’s Picks | Sports, Immigration, Booze and More …
Big 12 Takes Over Downtown It’s that time of year when workplaces start clearing out early to chase a bouncing orange ball. The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship rolls into town this week… the first sign that March Madness is on the way. K-State takes the court at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday. KU plays Thursday….
Making Murals That Make a Difference
The North Kansas City Police Department sits on Howell Street in a rather plain building, but is anything but ordinary inside, where a huge piece of art prompts people to pause and take it all in. The pause comes in front of a mural that features a black and white American flag, a thin blue…
Hoping for more affordable housing, Kansas City rolls back energy efficiency codes
Reda Ibrahim has devoted his work to building affordable and sustainable housing in Kansas City. After immigrating from Egypt, he started RK Contractors LLC and co-founded the nonprofit Mercy in the City to do just that. In 2024 new residents moved into a three-bedroom house he helped build in northeast Kansas City — one of…