News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Downtown CVS Reopens After Street-Friendly Remodeling
The CVS store in downtown Kansas City reopened this week after a three-month remodeling project and its new, more street-friendly look is getting great early reviews. Gone are the shrink-wrap advertisements that covered the windows and made it uninviting to passersby. The storefront is now transparent with a new layout inside as well. “I think…
A Pathway is to a Major …
As a newly minted graduate of Truman High School, Shelby Fordham already has her career path set: earn a doctorate in economics, and then help guide the nation’s economy by working at the Federal Reserve. She attributed that clarity to her experience with the Independence School District’s high school academies, which the district implemented in…
City Club Apartments Groundbreaking Delayed Until End of Summer
By Kevin Collison A groundbreaking for the $76.8 million City Club Apartment project at 20th and Main has been pushed back to the end of summer although environmental work at the site is expected to begin soon. Work on the 283-unit apartment project had been expected to begin this month, but a spokesman said the…
Golden Ox Glows Again in West Bottoms
By Kevin Collison The famed Golden Ox, one of Kansas City’s legacy restaurants, has returned to the West Bottoms in all its stockyards-steeped glory, ready for a new generation of steak eaters. “Honestly and candidly, hundreds of people have asked me when the Golden Ox was going to open,” said Bill Haw Sr., the owner…
How Do Schools Prepare Students For The Digital Economy?
Jeremy Bonneson, vice principal of Summit Technology Academy in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, asked curiousKC: “How do schools adapt to the ever-changing and disruptive nature of the workforce landscape for today’s digital economy?” The question was right in our wheelhouse because Kansas City PBS is examining local workforce development efforts through its participation in the national…
Summer Movies and Music Under the Downtown Stars
By Kim Mueller Get your flick fix this summer as free movies begin playing under the stars on Fridays at City Market, Crown Center and beginning tonight at the Central Library. “It’s a great free date night if you’re willing to sweat,” said Sue Patterson, director of marketing and events at City Market where one…
Mayor Applauds Streetcar Extension Plan, ‘Prays’ Washington Favors Funding Request
By Kevin Collison The proposed streetcar extension from downtown to UMKC got strong backing from Mayor Sly James Wednesday, but he’s skeptical about its short-term prospects for obtaining full federal funding. “I’m very bullish on the streetcar and its expansion, and what it can do,” the mayor told an audience attending a panel discussion hosted…
Connected, Collaborative, Personalized: Hear KC’s Ideas for the School of the Future
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation recently hosted the Rethink Ed conference in Kansas City, a gathering that drew more than 300 attendees from throughout the region, including business leaders, educators, and high school students. The central question of the conference was this: “What are the skills, abilities, and mindset high school students need before graduation…
Songbird Cafe Spread its Wings on Grand to Offer Lunch and Dinner
By Kevin Collison After a soft opening last August, the Songbird Cafe at 1529 Grand celebrated its grand opening recently, taking flight with a full lunch and supper menu targeted to health-conscious diners. The cafe is a family affair, the creation of Chris Geil, a former Grandview special education coordinator, his wife Amy, son Wesley…
North Loop Overhaul Plan Hits Federal, WyCo Potholes
By Kevin Collison The city’s ambitious plans to design a new future for the current, awkward bridge and freeway layout on the north side of downtown has hit unexpected blowback from Washington and Wyandotte County. First off, an application for $60 million in federal funding to help pay for replacing the obsolete Buck O’Neil Bridge…