News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Overworked And Underfunded, Mo. Public Defender Office Assigns Case — To The Governor
Gov. Jay Nixon has denied funding increases and vetoed caseload caps for the state’s badly overloaded public defender system. So the director is calling him in to help out with the backlog.
One Year In | A Pivot, Then Full Speed Ahead at Custom Trailer Pros
“One Year In” is a five-part series that revisits entrepreneurs highlighted on Flatland within the past year. We check on the progress of once-fledgling startups, see how the local entrepreneurship environment is treating them, and get to better understand their long-term decision-making. All interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Food trucks, food trailers:…
One Year In | Crema Moves to Shorter Name and Larger Team
“One Year In” is a five-part series that revisits entrepreneurs highlighted on Flatland within the past year. We check on the progress of once-fledgling startups, see how the local entrepreneurship environment is treating them, and get to better understand their long-term decision-making. All interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Crema refers to the…
One Year In | For Rawxies, A Growing Team and Consumer Base
“One Year In” is a five-part series that revisits entrepreneurs highlighted on Flatland within the past year. We check on the progress of once-fledgling startups, see how the local entrepreneurship environment is treating them, and get to better understand their long-term decision-making. All interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Three years after moving…
How Monsanto And Scofflaw Farmers Hurt Soybeans In Arkansas
A new type of genetically engineered crop is tempting farmers to use a weedkiller illegally. The illicit chemical use has damaged nearby crops and provoked conflict among neighbors.
Take 5 For Your Health
Appeals Court Throws Out Challenge To Missouri’s Execution Protocol A legal challenge to Missouri’s execution protocol brought by four taxpayers has been rejected by the Missouri Court of Appeals. In a decision July 26, the appeals court upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the taxpayers’ claims just days after they filed their lawsuit. The lawsuit…
One Year In | Taking Beer Paws Full Time
“One Year In” is a five-part series that revisits entrepreneurs highlighted on Flatland within the past year. We check on the progress of once-fledgling startups, see how the local entrepreneurship environment is treating them, and get to better understand their long-term decision-making. All interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Two Blodgett commercial ovens,…
Upcoming PBS ‘Hamilton’ Documentary Puts Us In the Room Where It Happens
When we first learned that Great Performances would have a film about Hamilton, there were those who hoped it would be a full performance by the original Broadway cast that’s gradually been departing in recent weeks and months. It’s not; it’s a film called Hamilton’s America, and PBS presented it at the Television Critics’ Association…
Common Grounds | Brooksiders Dissect Campaign Advertisements
What happens when a regular coffee group gathers at a Brookside restaurant? Check out the latest episode of “Common Grounds” to find out. The hangout of choice for our coffee conversationalists is Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant, Deli, and Coffee Bar at 6229 Brookside Blvd. Sharon Grosshart, Fred Newman, Bob Miller, Nelson Maurice, and Jackie Allen…
Commentary | Harry Potter and the Democrats
I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter series. Not the movies, the books. I miss the pomp and circumstance of lining up outside the bookstore, at midnight, with my friends, making a party of it as we waited for the next story in the ongoing saga. For some folks, it’s sports or concerts,…