News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
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.
Making Principles of Peace Part of the Curriculum in Raytown
For nearly two decades, Queen Mother Maxine McFarlane closed Raytown’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration with the hymn, “Pass It On.” Though she recently moved to Florida, the legacy she created to honor the slain civil rights leader remains alive and well in the city — and its schools. For the past five years, Raytown…
Agriculture Secretary Lone Trump Cabinet Post Without A Nominee
And then there was Agriculture. Agriculture Secretary is the only post in President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet without a nominee, mystifying many in rural America and spurring worries that agriculture and rural issues will land near the end of the line among the new president’s priorities. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who served for all 8 years…