News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Midwest Farmers Prepare For Another Year In The Red
Farmers across the Midwest are trying to figure out how to get by at a time when expected prices for commodities from corn, to wheat, to cattle, to hogs mean they’ll be struggling just to break even. “Prices are low, bins are full, and the dollar is strengthening as we speak and that’s just making…
50 Years Later, NASA Creates Tribute To 3 Astronauts Who Died In Space Race
On Jan. 27, 1967, three astronauts were killed when a fire broke out in their Apollo 1 cockpit during a test on the launchpad. The capsule will be put on public view for the first time Friday.
The Cost of Our Water | Preview
If you’ve ever wondered where your water comes from, how it gets there, and what shape those pipes are in, follow The Cost of Water, the first in of a five-part general overview series on our city’s aging infrastructure. Here’s a preview in advance of Monday’s Episode 1. All five overview episodes culminate in a 30-minute documentary at 7:30 p.m., March 2…
Oddly Correct’s Open Forum & Other Weekend Possibilities
Oddly Correct (3940 Main Street) is hosting an open forum tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s a chance to chat about coffee with folks who enjoy drinking it and those who are employed by coffee roasters and shops in the metro area. This is also a chance to sample BKS Artisan Ales (read their…
Uzbek Family In Kansas Starts A New Chapter In Their American Journey
Bangladesh. Burma. Benin. Somalia. Haiti. Ireland. South Sudan. Iraq. One by one, 59 immigrants from 29 countries rise before a federal judge in a Kansas City, Mo., courtroom and proudly state their country of origin. Some have brought their young children, who watch from the audience. All look eager and intent. This is a big…
KC-Area Philanthropists Come Up Big To Fight Pediatric Cancer
With the infusion of $10 million in philanthropic support, two of the region’s largest medical centers have established four high-level research positions aimed at making Kansas City an international hub in the fight against pediatric cancers. Children’s Mercy Hospital and The University of Kansas Cancer Center announced the new endowed chairs Monday evening at the…
Bach and Beer
Jan Kraybill’s got nothing against football. In fact, she’s come to love the Kansas City Chiefs. But you might say Kraybill fumbled the planning of her debut concert as principal organist at Community of Christ church in Independence, Missouri. [FLEX-CONTENT] It was not until about a month before the January 1999 concert, with promotions already…
Why We’re Growing The Most Sweet Potatoes Since WWII
Sweet potatoes are undergoing a modern renaissance in this country. While they have always made special appearances on many American tables around the holidays, year-round demand for the root vegetables has grown. In 2015, farmers produced more sweet potatoes than in any year since World War II. War Effort “A lot of things were hard…
Spreading The Word About HIV Prevention For African-American Women
African-American women are more likely to be infected with HIV than other women. So the District of Columbia is launching an effort to inform them about PrEP, medication that can reduce their risk.
Tireless Activist Battling Back After Being Hit By Car
The day that a car shattered Steve Israelite’s body in September, he was in a crosswalk on 63rd Street heading to the Panera Bread in Brookside. While there, he planned to check his e-mail because he was early for a meeting with our mutual friend Julie Warm, co-director of the UMKC Service-Learning Program. Steve’s injuries…