News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
West Bottoms Whiskeys Adds New Spirits to Historic Industrial District
By Kevin Collison The West Bottoms’ massive old industrial buildings are an inexpensive haven for hundreds of downtown creatives living their dream and Alex Lindsey plans to add whiskey to the mix soon. He’s working on opening his West Bottoms Whiskeys in what looks like a garage bay at 1321 W. 13th St. A century…
McCaskill Debates Hawley, Justus is Running (Again), and Heading to Oz
KCPT’s Nick Haines, executive director of public affairs and Week in Review host, picks out the big stories of the week ahead and the interesting stories you may have missed. Trump and Pence All In 48 Hours How rare is it for us to get this much national political attention? In the span of 48 hours,…
East Crossroads Rolls Out the Barrel for Big New Brewpub
By Kevin Collison The East Crossroads, already home to several microbreweries, is about to add another that promises to be the biggest in downtown outside the mother of all local brewers, Boulevard. City Barrel Brewing Co. expects to open at 1728 Holmes St. before the end of the year and co-owner James Stutsman says it…
Opening Up About Coming Out
It has been more than two decades since Darrel Brenneke broke the news to his mother that he was gay, but the memory still brings him to tears. He knew his mom would worry that this was a death sentence, since it had not been that long since his brother had died of AIDS. But…
Plexpod Opening Second Downtown Co-Working Space in River Market
Plexpod is opening a co-working space at 512 Delaware in the River Market large enough to accommodate 80 people, bringing office use to a section of the historic street where several bars and restaurants have opened recently. “We need bodies working too,” said Craig Slawson, the Denver developer who owns the building where Plexpod will…
New Hotel Indigo Lifts Lasting Toast to Pioneering Crossroads Artist
By Kevin Collison Jim Leedy, the renowned artist who pioneered the Crossroads Arts District in 1985, knows what he wants when someone decides to name a hotel bar after him. “If I have a bar named after me, I should get free drinks,” Leedy quipped at the festive grand opening last week of the Hotel…
Hy-Vee Arena Opens, Bringing New Bounce to Bottoms
By Kevin Collison The Hy-Vee Arena formally opened last week in the West Bottoms at a ceremony where developer Steve Foutch was saluted for his vision and perseverance in reviving what had become a costly white elephant for the city, the former Kemper Arena. “Six years ago, he approached us with the idea of a…
The Rise and Fall of an Overland Park Icon
Metcalf Avenue is certainly not the Champs-Élysées, but at one time, a French-themed market loomed large — like a medieval castle — above Overland Park’s main drag. This superstore, in fact, was named the French Market, and curiousKC delved into the history of the place at the behest of Quentin Brewer, a Mission, Kansas, resident…
Parlor Food Hall Finds Recipe for Success in East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Parlor, the new East Crossroads food hall, has crushed the expectations of its Atlanta-based developer its first couple of weeks of operation, quickly becoming the hip dining spot for thousands. “It blew our minds,” said Davis Engle of Meriwether Companies. “We exceeded our revenue projections in the first week by double. “We…
Jason Kander, President Trump, Patrick Mahomes and … George Smith?
KCPT’s Nick Haines, executive director of public affairs and Week in Review host, picks out the big stories of the week ahead and the interesting stories you may have missed. Kander Quits Mayor’s Race The man some believed was the frontrunner to be Kansas City’s next mayor has pulled out of the race. Former Missouri…