News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Ripple Glass Celebrates with Street Art Recycling Containers
Nine years after providing environmentally conscientious residents the opportunity to recycle their glass, Ripple Glass is jazzing up their big collection bins with street art. The first bin of the series features Boulevard Brewing Company, the downtown Kansas City company that gave birth to the unique, private Ripple Glass program, according to a recent release…
The Campground Pitching Tent in Former Genessee Royale Space
By Kevin Collison Less than a week after the Genessee Royale Bistro closed in the West Bottoms, The Campground is leasing the space and plans to open a new restaurant there in early September. Chris Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn, the couple who own The Campground, said the opportunity to open in the former Royale space…
Three Downtown Sites Pitched for UMKC Conservatory, Westport H.S. Also Candidate
By Kevin Collison At least three downtown locations are being pitched for the proposed UMKC Conservatory, including Barney Allis Plaza, according to Downtown Council officials, and the former Westport High School also has emerged as a potential midtown site. “It’s a beautiful facility,” said David Brain, a partner in KC Sustainable Development Partners, the owner…
Union Station Evolves with Imaginative Dinosaur Exhibit
By Kevin Collison It’s a matchup display any dinosaur-crazy kid would enjoy and 125 million years later, part of a major, new exhibition that heralds an imaginative programming approach by Union Station. In this corner, weighing in at 4,000 pounds and stretching 15 feet long, Kosmoceratops, a fancy- shielded omnivore. And the challenger, at 2,200…
Former Mayor Kay Barnes, Downtown Champion, Honored for Legacy
By Kevin Collison Former Mayor Kay Barnes now has the Convention Center Grand Ballroom named after her, but her lasting legacy was on display beyond the windows of the ballroom lobby where the event was held last week. From its vantage point above the South Loop freeway, the Sprint Center, H&R Block office tower and…
Emerging From Abuse With Hopes of Working for a Better Foster System
Jordan Webster was born with some abdominal organs on the outside of her body, and at age 3 had a liver and small-bowel transplant. Problems in her home led to several hospitalizations during a childhood that also included severe abuse at the hands of family members. The state took her out of her home, and…
From the Frying Pan of Foster Care to the Fire of Adulthood
Finally becoming old enough to drink legally is often accompanied by a night out on the town, but the experience can be quite different for foster kids in Missouri. “We’ve heard stories of kids who were dropped off at City Union Mission by their social worker because it’s the kid’s 21st birthday,” said Nathan Ross,…
Sequence Climb Bringing ‘Bouldering’ to Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Graham Hess has seen how light rail galvanized Salt Lake City’s downtown, and when Kansas City started its streetcar, he knew downtown was the place to pursue his business dream. He and his wife, Dara, are planning to open Sequence Climb, a “bouldering gym” and cutting-edge fitness center in a West Crossroads…
CID Renewed, ‘Bumble Bees’ Remain Downtown’s Ambassadors Through 2034
By Kevin Collison Those downtown “bumble bees” you see daily cleaning, tending landscaping and helping you feel safe will be buzzing for another 15 years thanks to the recent renewal of the Downtown Council Community Improvement District. The 60 men and women wearing the distinctive black and yellow CID uniforms, referred to as Ambassadors, may…
Union Apartments Celebrates Riverfront Opening, New Projects Planned
By Kevin Collison The Union Berkley Riverfront apartments, the first new project on the downtown riverfront since a push to clean up and redevelop the area began in the 1970s, had its grand opening recently. Mayor Sly James, members of Port KC, formerly the port authority, and dozens of others saluted the culmination of decades…