News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Hyundai Uses Downtown Kansas City Skyline in National Commercial–Sort of
In a weird mash-up, Hyundai is using the Kansas City skyline, with a few more buildings thrown in for good measure, in a national television commercial for its Sonata model. The spot opens with heavy freeway traffic in the foreground but there’s no mistaking the core downtown skyline in the background: One Kansas City Place,…
Mayor James Defends Missouri Historic Tax Credit Program, Says Jeff City: “Doesn’t Like Cities”
Mayor Sly James used the grand opening of the East 9 at Pickwick Plaza redevelopment last week to champion the endangered state historic tax credit program that helped finance the $65 million apartment project. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the historic tax credit program,” the mayor said. “Let’s not say we’ll let our buildings…
Ruby Jean’s Juicery Opens Shop at Town Pavilion on Downtown Streetcar Line
By Kevin Collison For Chris Goode, his Ruby Jean’s Juicery shops are a labor of love. “It’s named after my late grandmother,” he said. “Ruby Jean died at age 61 from Type 2 Diabetes. I was 14 at the time, it was the first time I experienced death, and I was very close to her….
Beyond The Nasty Needle: Trying To Make Vaccines More Comfy And Convenient
News this summer of a flu vaccine patch sparked a lot of chatter. Could getting vaccinated be as easy as putting on a bandage? Could there be fewer, or at least smaller, needles in our future? Some companies and academic labs are working to make those things happen. They’re refining technologies that involve tiny needles,…
Historic Hotel Bray in Downtown Kansas City to be Redeveloped as Apartments
By Kevin Collison A slender downtown architectural beauty, the historic former Hotel Bray at 1114 Baltimore Ave., is being redeveloped as an apartment project by developer John Bennett Jr. The nine-story building is 25-feet wide and 125 feet deep, and is wedged between the Hotel Phillips and the Italian Garden garage on Baltimore. Bennett plans…
Historic Kansas City Star Building Sold, to be Redeveloped as Office Project for 1,200 Workers
By Kevin Collison The Kansas City Star’s historic headquarters building at 1729 Grand Blvd. has been sold to a local developer who wants to redevelop the property as a first-class office project for up to 1,200 workers. On Friday, The Star’s parent company, Sacramento-based McClatchy, announced it had sold the historic property and the 11-year-old…
13th Annual KC Fringe Festival Offers Late Night Gathering at New Outdoor Venue at Union Station
The 13th Annual KC Fringe Festival continues tonight through July 30 and is using the new Haverty Family Yards outdoor venue next to Union Station for its “Late Night at the Fringe” event. Tonight and Saturday, from 9 p.m. to midnight, the annual arts event is hosting what it calls a chance to “hang out…
River Market West II Wins Tax Incentive Approval, $23.6 Million Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The apartment boom in the downtown River Market district got a little louder Thursday with the approval of tax incentives for a 116-unit development at Fifth and Wyandotte streets. The developer of River Market West II was granted a 15-year property tax abatement by the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority. The $23.6 million…
Historic Pickwick Plaza Gets Its Landmark Clock Back Just in Time for Grand Opening
By Kevin Collison The historic Pickwick Plaza in downtown Kansas City is back on the clock–literally–after a $65 million redevelopment project. On Wednesday, workers were reinstalling the eight-foot diameter clock mounted seven stories above McGee Street, one of the final touches before the grand opening Friday of the 260-unit apartment development. “That clock is symbolic…
The Caregiver’s Perspective on Alzheimer’s In Our Community
When Elaine and Jose Belardo discovered he had Alzheimer’s disease, their lives seemed to stand still. “Once you get the diagnosis, it’s destabilizing, you lose vision because everything is so dizzying,” Elaine said, “Once I got a new vision, I could orient myself for what could be done.” In that instant, Elaine became not only…