News & Issues

Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.

Big Third and Grand Apartment Project On Track for Late Winter Start

By Kevin Collison Work is expected to begin by late winter on a 246-unit apartment project located on a public parking lot at Third and Grand, a site that’s been targeted by the KCATA for development since 2015. Bill Crandall of CBC Real Estate Group, a partner in the $60 million venture, described the project…

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Missouri Becoming Strategic Home for Indoor Farming

The U.S. has about 2,000 indoor farms, and the industry is expected to grow nearly 10% annually over the next decade. Many are popping up in Missouri.

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"Kansas City Week in Review" host Nick Haines.

Nick’s Picks | Stadium Fatigue, Bus Fares and Murders

Kansas City newsmakers will deal with stadium issues, free bus fares and a mounting murder count in the week before Christmas. We also mark the winter solstice.

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Development Humming at 18th & Vine with New Apartments, Other Projects

By Kevin Collison The 18th and Vine Jazz District has received a double dose of good news recently with the opening of the $25 million One Nine Vine apartment project and the award of tax credits critical to another project that would revitalize a strategic block. The 80-unit One Nine Vine is located at the…

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People at a bus stop at University Health.

Kansas City Ponders Impact of Free Bus Service

A new study has been launched to ponder the impact of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s “zero fare” policy for bus riders.

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A hand holding keys to a house.

Four Financial Tips for First-Time Homebuyers

Here are the top four financial mistakes first-time homebuyers make, and a few tips on how to avoid them.

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The Kansas City Downtown Lions Club has collected and recycled enough plastic bags in the past three years to get six benches, which are located throughout the area including this one in front of Kansas School for the Blind in Kansas City, Kan. The group’s most recent bench was placed outside Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kansas City.

Recycling Program Turns Plastic into Park Benches

Several cities in the Kansas City area have gotten park benches made out of recycled plastic bags, thanks to a program supported by Trex Co. Inc.

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Higher Cost Estimates Pause UMKC Arena Proposal at 51st and Brookside

By Kevin Collison UMKC’s proposal for a 5,000-seat arena at a campus site by the south terminus of the Main Street streetcar extension has been paused until spring because of higher than anticipated costs. Officials said responses came in higher than expected based on the specifications in a request for proposals (RFP) issued last spring…

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Gov. Laura Kelly, left, listens to a discussion about the advantage of expanding eligibility for Medicaid to lower-income Kansans as 40 states have done since 2014, including Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma.

Kansas’ Unrivaled Rural Hospital Crisis: 58% at Risk of Closing, 82% Lost Money on Patient Care

Financial weaknesses at four of every five rural Kansas hospitals provide leverage to Medicaid expansion advocates seeking $680 million annually.

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Historic ‘Castle’ Back on Market Near 18th and Vine

By Kevin Collison A plan to renovate the historic City Workhouse Castle into a boutique hotel has fallen through and it’s now part of a 20-acre group of properties that’s on the market near the 18th & Vine Jazz District. “There are few sites that close to downtown with that kind of land assembly, it’s…

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