News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
The Great American Immigration Debate — Minus A Century
FLAT RIVER, Mo. — This old mining town in the southeast Missouri Ozarks once straddled the richest lead deposits in the world. But it no longer exists and the name is all but forgotten — much like the riots here that shocked the nation a century ago this week. As America’s never-ending debate over immigration rages…
Atlas Apartment Project Revives Historic Berlau Paper Co. Building in Crossroads
By Kevin Collison It had been a long time since Boulevard Brewing President Jeff Krum restored his last building, but he couldn’t resist the Romanesque Revival charms of the 115-year-old former Berlau Paper Co. building at 1509 Walnut St. “It’s an incredibly handsome building,” he said, “and one of the few of that quality and…
Swaying to the Music
At happy moments, Jim and Leslie Donigan often find themselves dancing to “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” the Andy Williams hit that has been their song since they first met at a pizza joint in Mission, Kansas, decades ago. One of those dance-worthy occasions took place late last year, at the end of a long…
Civic Leader Warren Erdman Speaks Out on UMKC Downtown Conservatory Funding Veto: ‘I Played Every Card We Had’
By Kevin Collison Warren Erdman, the leader of the local effort to obtain state money for the proposed UMKC Downtown Conservatory, warned today that any alternative funding plan in response to the Gov. Greitens’ veto last week should not place a “severe” strain on UMKC. “The governor decided not to go in that direction, and…
Sweeping River Market Redevelopment Plan Calls for New City Garage, and Additional Private Apartments and Retail
By Kevin Collison City officials are working with a private developer to make the River Market an even more urban, mixed-use area by replacing three parking lots with a 400-space garage, and two apartment projects totaling more than 160 units. The plan is part of a comprehensive redevelopment strategy that includes introducing paid parking in…
Strange Days Brewing Adding Even More International Flavor to River Market
It’s getting to be a crowded microbrewery field in downtown Kansas City, but Nathan Howard believes his worldly approach to creating new beer flavors will make his new River Market venture, Strange Days, a refreshing retreat from today’s domestic blues. “(Strange Days) is a homage to the world we’re living in,” Howard said. “For us,…
Forget Freud: Dreams Replay Our Everyday Lives
Thanks to Sigmund Freud, we all know what it means to dream about swords, sticks and umbrellas. Or maybe we don’t. “For 100 years, we got stuck into that Freudian perspective on dreams, which turned out to be not scientifically very accurate,” says Robert Stickgold, a sleep researcher and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard…
Howard’s Adding Groceries and Homegrown Produce to Its Crossroads Menu
By Kevin Collison Howard’s has gained a tasty reputation for its healthy cafe menu since opening in the Crossroads in September 2015, and now is expanding to become a downtown neighborhood source for groceries and homegrown produce too. Craig Howard opened his all-things-food place at 1708 Oak St. after the building housing his previous grocery…
Coming To Peace
One June morning, in 2002, the bells at a Benedictine abbey in northwest Missouri tolled dozens of times The 83 rings was not random, coming a day after a murderous rampage inside Conception Abbey. The number represented the combined number of years two slain monks had lived at the abbey, which is located about 100…
America’s Growing Taste For Mezcal Is Good For Mexico’s Small Producers
A traditional drink is giving a boost to the economy of one of the poorest states in Mexico. It’s called mezcal, a pungent booze made from the agave plant — the same plant used to make Mexico’s biggest spirit export, tequila. Investors north of the border are taking notice of Mezcal’s newfound popularity and are…