News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Streetcar Extension Cost Up $66 Million in Fed Funding Application
By Kevin Collison The cost of extending the streetcar from downtown to UMKC has increased to $316 million, up 26.4 percent from the previous $250 million estimate, according to an application for federal funding submitted last week by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority. Much of the increase is related to policy changes in Washington, streetcar…
Volume 1ne Streetwear Opening in Crossroads Next Month
By Kevin Collison Volume 1ne is relocating from Westport to the Crossroads Arts District, tapping into the creative spirit of the neighborhood to inform and expand its lifestyle streetwear clothing line. Founder Justin Ji plans to open his new shop at 1919 Wyandotte next month, and looks forward to contributing to the fledgling retail scene…
Folly Debuts New Look This Weekend
By Kevin Collison Things may be a bit rough around the edges, but when The Folly hosts Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of Byrds fame this Sunday, guests will have their first look at the $2.5 million renovation that’s bringing the 1900 vaudeville palace into the 21st Century. “Detail work needs to be completed, but…
Sharks, Wizard Wands, and Rental Inspections
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. KC Zoo Plans $75 Million Aquarium In the last decade, the Kansas City Zoo has added a polar bear exhibit and a penguin attraction. Now…
KC Rapper Charges First Friday Crowd Up on Battery Tour
By Kim Mueller AY knows his easy laugh and genuine smile will attract overflowing crowds to his rap concert at this week’s First Friday when a regional production company films his performance. “It’s a social music movement for all ages and demographics,” said AY, who adopted the initials of his birth name, Aaron Young, as…
Sympathetic Vibrations | The Beats Behind the Brawn
Labor Day has come and gone, which means the holy season of NFL football is upon us. And while the Chiefs season will kick off with a pair of away games in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, most Chiefs fans are ramping up for the home opener on Sept. 23 against San Francisco. And if you’re lucky…
UMKC Rejects Downtown Options for Conservatory
(Editor’s note: Updated with reaction from the Downtown Council and City Manager Troy Schulte) By Kevin Collison The seven-year quest by civic leaders to bring the UMKC Conservatory to downtown Kansas City ended abruptly Tuesday when university officials issued a statement that rejects any downtown location. Instead, Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal said that UMKC will only…
New 520 Penn Office Project Attracts Younger Workers to Crossroads
By Kevin Collison The Crossroads latest office project, 520 Penn, is attracting employers who believe their workers value the kind of diverse, vibrant environment offered by being downtown. The $15 million renovation of the historic McQueeny-Lock building was completed in July and is now home to 150 employees working at three firms: Centric Projects, Superior…
Ride the Wave: Preparation for the Real World Should Include a Sense of Uncertainty
In some respects, life is like an ocean — vast, unpredictable, and a little scary. That imagery came courtesy of Katie Kimbrell, director of education at the Kansas City Startup Foundation, which works to foster entrepreneurism throughout the city. She actually boiled the idea of the real world down to one word: ambiguity. And as…
Is Kansas City’s Population Growing?
Ben Evans is a Kansas City transplant, and after he recently bought a house in Waldo, he started wondering: Are other people moving to Kansas City? And how do experts and forecasters expect the population to change in the coming years? He posed those questions to curiousKC, and we fired up our spreadsheets to find…