News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
‘Supersizing Urban America’: How U.S. Policies Encouraged Fast Food To Spread
A new book examines how federal government policies made it easier for minorities to open fast-food franchises than grocery stores. Today the landscape of urban America reflects this history.
As High-Tech Farms Take Hold, Can Farm Towns Hold On?
Brandon Biesemeier climbs up a small ladder into a John Deere sprayer, takes a seat in the enclosed cab, closes the door, and blocks out most of the machine’s loud engine hum. It is a familiar perch to the fourth-generation farmer on Colorado’s eastern plains. He turns onto a country road, heading south to spray…
Top Five Ways To Spend Your Weekend
A Little Bit Country If you get the chance to see a musical legend, see that legend. It doesn’t matter what genre. Willie Nelson certainly fits that bill. Decades before he became famous for weed, Willie was writing classics like “Crazy,” “On The Road Again.” The opening acts for this triple bill at Starlight Theater…
New Rule May Worsen Backlog For Social Security Disability Claimants
By the time Stephenie Hashmi of Lenexa, Kansas, was in her mid-20s, she had achieved a lifelong dream: She was the charge nurse at one of Kansas City’s largest intensive care units. But even as she cared for patients, she realized something was off with her own health. “I remember just feeling tired and feeling…
Plans to Redevelop Washington Square Park in Downtown Kansas City Remain Work in Progress
By Kevin Collison Three years after being hired by Union Station Kansas City to explore options for redeveloping property it owns on the north side of Washington Square Park, VanTrust Real Estate remains undecided about the best plan moving forward. “We’ve looked at everything from a single use to a mixed-use of office, residential and…
Polar Photographer Shares His View Of A Ferocious But Fragile Ecosystem
Paul Nicklen has spent decades documenting the Arctic and the Antarctic. “I want people to realize that ice is like the soil in the garden,” he says. “Without ice the polar regions cannot exist.”
‘The Trump 10’: Packing On The Pounds In An Age Of Stressful Politics
Think of it as the political version of the freshman 15. Nowadays, some people who are unhappy with the current political environment are complaining of stress-induced eating and weight gain.
VanTrust Assumes Lead Role On East Village, Acquires Key Properties in Stalled Downtown KC Redevelopment Area
By Kevin Collison Almost four years after becoming co-developer of the planned East Village redevelopment, VanTrust Real Estate has negotiated a new lease deal with the city that puts it fully in charge of moving the floundering project forward. And while VanTrust has no immediate plans for construction in the eight-block downtown redevelopment area northeast…
Flashcube Building Receives Nod for Tax Incentives, $50M Downtown Kansas City Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The $50 million redevelopment plan for the reflective glass-clad building known as the Flashcube received critical tax incentives to move forward today, the latest project on the downtown Kansas City streetcar line. The nine-story building at 720 Main St. is being redeveloped by Worcester Investments into 184 apartments and 35,800 square-feet of…
East Crossroads New Home for Two St. Louis-based Bar and Restaurant Concepts
By Kevin Collison Developer Matt Abbott’s latest project at 18th and Oak streets has landed two St. Louis-based food and beverage concepts, Mission Taco Joint and International Tap House. Abbott said International Tap House, 403 E. 18th St., is expected to open in mid-June and Mission Taco Joint, 409 E. 18th St. should be serving…