News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Ceremony Salutes Start of 24-Story Convention Hotel Project
By Kevin Collison Kansas City’s long quest to build a downtown convention hotel culminated Thursday on a sparkling morning at a formal groundbreaking by the construction site at 17th and Baltimore. More than 200 people celebrated the construction start of the 800-room Loews Kansas City Convention Center Hotel, a $322.7 million project that’s expected to…
County Line Ice House Smokin’ Downtown for Big 12 Tournament
By Kevin Collison The much-anticipated County Line Ice House, a tasty collaboration between Joe’s Kansas City and Back Napkin, is scheduled to open tonight in the Power & Light District, just in time for next week’s Big 12 Basketball Tournament. Jeff Stehney, founder of the nationally-renowned Joe’s, said the new 9,500 square-foot restaurant that’s taking…
City Barrel Brewing Plans Fall Opening
By Kevin Collison The Crossroads will be the home of another microbrewery this fall when City Barrel Brewing Co. opens in a historic building at 1916 Grand Blvd. The microbrewery, which will specialize in “hoppy, wild and sour beers,” according to its Facebook page, is being started by two craft beer industry veterans, James Stutsman…
Six-Story River Market Apartment Project Wins City Council Approval
By Kevin Collison Plans for a six-story apartment project near Third and Grand in the River Market have been approved by the city, but no construction timetable has been decided, according to the developer. The City Council approved the 93-unit Ashland at River Market project planned by KC Commercial Realty Group last week. The development…
Pawn & Pint Finally Adds Beers to Bites and Boards
By Kevin Collison It took a move from the Crossroads, but downtown board game enthusiasts now have a relaxing space where they can have a drink and good food while escaping their screens and interacting with a live person. Pawn & Pint relocated from Southwest Boulevard last October to a former nightclub space at 613…
Streetcar Steps Up the Pace
The Kansas City Streetcar Authority has more than doubled the availability of 10-minute wait times by better synchronizing its operations with downtown traffic signals. Tom Gerend, streetcar executive director, said service changes will increase the amount of time 10-minute headways are used from 25 service hours to 61 hours with the new schedule, a 144…
An Exchange of a Lifetime
By Debbie Coleman-Topi Amid the riots unleashed following the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a spark of hope quietly ignited in the center of the country. That flicker was right here, in Kansas City, where Catholic leaders launched an experiment that confronted race head-on by bringing black and white students literally face to…
Crossroads Academy Finds Downtown Home for 600-Student Prep School
By Kevin Collison The Crossroads Academy has found a permanent home for its long-awaited downtown high school, the historic Thayer Building at 816 Broadway. Acquiring the building marks the culmination of a educational journey that began in 2012 when the downtown charter school opened with 190 elementary students in a former office building at 1015…
Streetcar Extension to Isle of Capri Casino May Be in the Cards
By Kevin Collison The Kansas City Streetcar Authority may push its planned riverfront extension to the Isle of Capri, a strategic move that would connect the isolated casino to major downtown convention hotels. While the idea is still in the early stages, officials note the link to the gambling destination could bolster the city’s appeal…
Singers Extend Range Beyond Their Own Faith Tradition
Elizabeth Birger is Jewish, but she is also a professional musician with a love for all kinds of religious works, which is how she ended up singing with a Christian church choir in Wichita some years back. At one point there she was asked to prepare kids to sing in an upcoming worship service. The…