News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Vietnam War Refugees Succeed — and Struggle — in Kansas City
When American troops made a chaotic, embarrassed withdrawal from Vietnam in April 1975, the flood of terrified Vietnamese refugees to Kansas City began. Ty Bui, who had spent seven years in the Vietnamese military, escaped his country in August that year and, after staying in a refugee camp in Arkansas, came to Kansas City in…
Booming Spring Venture Group Plans to Add Over 650 Jobs in Downtown Kansas City and Gobble New Office Space
By Kevin Collison Spring Venture Group, a fast-growing senior health insurance brokerage firm, is moving its downtown headquarters this winter from Crown Center to 12 Wyandotte Plaza and expects to occupy almost half of the 18-story building by the end of 2019 At a time when downtown leaders are focused on attracting more private jobs,…
Pair of Downtown Festivals Saturday Promises a Great Day of Beer and Music
By Kevin Collison A pair of fun annual events are overlapping Saturday in downtown Kansas City, promising a day of great live music and a huge selection of craft beers. Beginning at 3 p.m., the Ninth Annual KC Beer Fest will take over Grand Boulevard from 13th to 14th streets and the adjoining Power &…
Councilwoman Says New Independent Poll Reveals “Tide Has Turned” in Support for New KCI Terminal
By Kevin Collison Kansas City Councilwoman Jolie Justus, a key player in the city’s effort to build a new airport terminal, said today an independent “sophisticated” poll commissioned by civic leaders found 55 percent of frequent voters support the project. “The data shows the tide has turned,” Justus told a meeting of the Downtown Council…
Mean Mule Plans to Start Kicking in its Own Crossroads Stall Early Next Year
By Kevin Collison The growing thirst for tequila is inspiring a young couple and their friend to open what they believe will be the nation’s fifth agave distillery in the Crossroads District in January. Jeff and Meg Evans, and Patrick Little, are the co-owners of Mean Mule Distilling, and they plan to be start at…
KC Leaders To Explore Disparities in School Discipline
Biases, race inequity and gender discrimination in Kansas City schools are some of the alarming patterns set to be explored this morning at Kansas City Mayor Sly James’ School Suspension Summit. Those topics aren’t often aired in public, but city leaders argue it’s mistake to ignore disparities because they play a big role in absenteeism,…
Feeding the Mind
Education and nutrition go hand in hand. If a child is hungry or malnourished, it’s a good bet they can’t concentrate on their studies. That premise underpins the federal school-lunch and school-breakfast programs, which provide free- or reduced-price meals to millions of at-risk students each year. So, class breaks are a challenge for families that…
Sale of Historic Kansas City Star Building Completed, New Owner Weighing Options for Redevelopment
By Kevin Collison The sale of The Kansas City Star building was completed last week although the new owner has no immediate plans to redevelop the historic property at 1729 Grand Blvd. “I’ve worked a little over a year on the transaction so I’m excited to complete the acquisition,” Vince Bryant of 3-D Development says….
As Kansas City Booms And Sprawls, Trying Not To Forget Those In Between
This summer, NPR reporters are returning to their hometowns to see how they’ve changed. Sarah McCammon grew up in Kansas City – on the Missouri side of the state line. Like a lot of places, Kansas City is experiencing a couple of major trends – suburban sprawl and, more recently, a downtown revitalization. My two…
A Ledger of Names, Mine Among Them, Tell Our Vietnam Stories
All 30 of the boys listed on the Vietnam-era Selective Service ledger were born in the spring of 1948, during America’s most prolific era of mass procreation, the end of World War II. At 18 years old, the thing first and foremost on our minds was to find a way to commit the same act…