News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Crossroads Apologizes for Heartburn Over New First Friday Food Truck Fee
By Kevin Collison The Crossroads Community Association is apologizing for the heartburn it has caused food truck operators by surprising them with a $200 permit fee to operate within the 18th Street corridor at this week’s First Friday. Food truck operators originally were told the new fee would be $125, but the association changed its…
Reimagining the School of the Future at Maker Faire KC
Organizers call Maker Faire the Greatest Show (And Tell) on Earth, and Kansas City held its eighth annual version of the international event at Union Station in June. The two-day faire drew crowds to celebrate all things creative — from science to art and anything in between. As part of our Take Note education project, and in conjunction with…
City Voters Consider ‘Healthy Homes’ Apartment Inspection Proposal Next Week
(Editor note: City voters approved the Healthy Homes initiative Aug. 7 with 56 percent supporting the measure.) By Kim Mueller At first glance, the “Healthy Homes” initiative on the August 7 city special election ballot appears straightforward: Are voters in favor of creating a residential rental inspection program. But Question One surprised Ann Mackey when…
Kismet on 18th Street, YJ’s Reopening Soon
By Kevin Collison If anybody embraces the concept of Kismet, it’s David Ford and Adam Jones, two of Kansas City’s most free-spirited originals. They have combined to find a new home for YJ’s Snack Bar in the former Sylvia’s Deli space at 1746 Washington, just a few blocks west of the old YJ’s location at…
How’s It Moving? We Check In A Year After Our Infrastructure Project
Last spring, we dug into the state of metro roads, highways, sewers and public transportation in a project called Public Works? The Cost of Our Aging Infrastructure. We’ve continued to follow the topics to see if anything has changed in a year’s time. Our weekly public affairs shows, Ruckus and Week in Review, track progress —…
Sex, pregnancy and foster care
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen pregnancy costs taxpayers more than $9 billion a year in health care and other costs. Ironically enough, those other costs include foster care. The irony lies with the fact that foster kids themselves are often the ones responsible for teen pregnancies. According to a…
Two Kids And A Job: Former Foster Youth Struggles To Fit In Education
Kierra Kinton began living with her grandmother at the age of 3. When Kinton was about 13, her grandmother decided she couldn’t manage the teen any longer, and Kinton began her path through Missouri institutions. Her grandmother sought help through a handful of behavioral health organizations, including Crittenton Children’s Center and Synergy Services, both of…
Sponsored Post: Easy Ways to Cut Down on Expenses
The following article was produced and paid for by Commerce Bank: Do you ever get to the end of the month and wonder where your hard-earned money went? A good portion of it probably goes to rent, utilities and groceries, but what about the rest? There are a number of ways we accidentally “leak” money…
New Streetcar Shelters Planned for North Loop Stop
By Kevin Collison The Streetcar Authority and the city are planning to upgrade the North Loop stop at Seventh and Main, installing full shelters on both sides of the street in response to higher than anticipated demand. The North Loop stop is near several residential buildings and parking lots that have become popular park-and-ride locations on…
Covenant Presbyterian Church Steps It Up In Kansas City’s Urban Core
One day last year Berta Washington wasn’t feeling well. So she went for a blood pressure check at Covenant Health and Wellness Center near 60th Street and Swope Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri. It was 86-over-69. “Me being a black female,” she told me, “that was heart attack time.” She quickly went to her doctor…