News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Historic Muehlebach Hotel Bar Reopening After 40 Years
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published Jan. 31, 2023) By Kevin Collison The former Rendezvous bar in the historic Muehlebach Hotel, a luxurious watering hole where Truman Capote once worked on “In Cold Blood” and bygone businessmen talked deals over whiskeys and cigars, is reopening soon as the Voo Lounge. The old bar at…
Thanks to Federal Tax Credits, Carbon Dioxide Pipelines are Booming in the Midwest
Thousands of miles of carbon dioxide pipelines planned in the Midwest have been spurred by federal tax credits in a new climate law. Questions are being raised.
Who Are the Houseless? Their Stories, in Their Words
Who are the houseless in Kansas City? Flatland asked seven houseless people to share their stories in their words. This is what they had to say.
Four Former KC Mayors Talk Shop at Plaza Library Event
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published Jan. 30, 2023) By Kevin Collison It was a unique gathering last week when four former KC mayors discussed the perennial issues confronting the occupant of City Hall’s 29th floor including crime, East Side redevelopment, affordable housing and Jefferson City. The executive quartet brought together at the Plaza…
Positive Polling Doesn’t Guarantee Victory for Abortion Rights
Polls show that most Americans, even in red states, oppose the strict abortion bans Republican state lawmakers have enacted in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
Jim’s Alley Bar Adds Cozy North Woods Vibe to East Crossroads
(Editors note, this article originally was published Jan. 18, 2023) By Kevin Collison Jim’s Alley Bar, the new creation by the owner of King G, is about celebrating family roots and chilling in a cozy North Woods-feeling place with an ice cold yard beer served in a koozie. “It’s demographic is totally mixed at this…
Royals Ballpark Decision Expected Late Summer, Could Open by 2027
By Kevin Collison Royals owner John Sherman says his club will choose a ballpark location by late summer, adding the delay in deciding between downtown and North Kansas City lies with other players involved who don’t share his team’s urgency. “We’re waiting on a few people and we understand their reasons why they’re not as…
Kansas City’s Cruel Summer: The Flood of 1993
The Missouri River Flood of 1993 defined a cruel summer in Kansas City, as the city was inundated by heavy rains and unleashed rivers for about a month.
KCATA Pulls Plug on High-Rise Plan, Dissolving Development Agency
By Kevin Collison The KCATA has dropped an ambitious high-rise proposal at 10th and Main and is dissolving its transit-oriented development arm, RideKC Development Corp., an agency with a spotty track record. Commissioners recently approved ending a contract with Live & Ride KC. The development group had proposed a 20-story mixed-use tower at the former…
KCATA Pulls Plug on High-Rise, Dissolving Development Agency
The KCATA has dropped an ambitious high-rise proposal at 10th and Main streets and is dissolving its transit-oriented development arm, RideKC Development Corp.