News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Police Seeking More Eyes for WatchKC Crime Program
By Kim Mueller Kansas City police are asking downtown businesses and residences with surveillance systems to participate in a voluntary, crime-fighting initiative called WatchKC. “If your camera works, we want to get a hold of you, “ said KCPD Sgt. Jacob Becchina who developed WatchKC, a KCPD program that registers surveillance cameras in the city….
Hotel Indigo
2020 Grand Blvd. | 81-room hotel | Cost: $13 million | Opened September 2018
Drury Hotel
1211 McGee St. | 10-story, 242-room hotel | Cost: $50 million | Open early 2021
Drury Wants to Raze Historic Board of Ed Building, Replace with $50M Hotel
(Editor’s note: Updated with image of a proposed 21-story Drury Hotel in downtown Nashville) By Kevin Collison Drury Hotels wants to demolish the vacant Board of Education building at 1211 McGee and replace it with a 242-room hotel and parking garage. The St. Louis-based hotel chain has submitted a proposal to the Kansas City Tax…
Turn O’ the Century Kansas City Amusement
Nowadays, if you want entertainment, you don’t even have to leave your couch — seasons of “Friends” are just a Netflix log-in away. The more adventurous types can head to First Fridays or take a ride on the Mamba roller coaster at Worlds of Fun. But what about a hundred years ago? What the shuttlecock…
Rural and Hungry
The rush hits at noon. That’s when kids start pouring into the gym at Susquehanna Baptist Church. On a scorching Wednesday last month, they lined up to choose their lunches: pizza, subs or PB&J. Most picked pizza. The Independence, Missouri, church is one of more than 350 summer food sites around Kansas City that…
Advocates for South Loop Deck to Seek MoDOT Support
By Kevin Collison The South Loop decking proposal continues to evolve as a working committee prepares to discuss the ambitious concept with state transportation officials and a decision already made to drop one block from the plan. The proposal, first reported in CityScene KC last March, calls for reconnecting downtown with the Crossroads by decking…
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…