News & Issues

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

Becky Divine and her daughter, Evie, walk to a playground. Divine has more than $41,000 in student loans.

Student Loans Threaten to Crunch Area Borrowers

Borrowers are bracing for the resumption of payments on student loans, which were suspended during the pandemic. The effects will ripple through the economy.

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Crown Center WeekEnder Event Takes Off Next Week with Top Gun

Crown Center resumes its annual WeekEnder series on July 7, beginning its weekly free Friday event that runs through July with the film Top Gun: Maverick and the band The Vincents. The family-friendly outdoor entertainment event at Crown Center Square begins at 6 p.m. with live music and movies start at about 9 p.m. Crown…

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A sinkhole in Barry County, Missouri.

That Sinking Feeling: Missouri Full of Caves, Sinkholes

Missouri is unusually fertile ground for sinkholes and caves, thanks to its landscape. The Show-Me State is home to the second most caves in the country.

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Nick Haines

Nick’s Picks | Trans Law in Kansas, Murders in Kansas City

A new transgender law in Kansas, soaring homicides in Kansas City and preparations for the Fourth of July top the news in Kansas City this week.

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Grimm Tattoo Relocates to West Bottoms After Devastating Fire

By Yasmine Ferhat Flatland The West Bottoms has been booming in recent years after decades of being widely viewed by the public as a development dead zone. The American Royal Complex, Hy-Vee Arena, Stockyards Brewing Co. and Lemonad(e) Park have helped transform the area from an abandoned relic of industrialization into a thriving nightlife scene….

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A stone building with bluish green metal on the front reads "Hall of Waters" a stone water tower is on top of the building, as is a flag.

Rural Rebirth: Excelsior Springs, Eternally 

Excelsior Springs faced the same fate as many rural towns, declining population and vacant downtown buildings. But that didn’t happen. Here’s its rural rebirth.

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Film Row Projects Underway, Latest Crossroads Investment by Helzberg

By Kevin Collison Work is set to begin on a big Crossroads redevelopment project that includes renovating two Film Row buildings and transforming a parking lot at 18th and Baltimore into a landscaped courtyard. The project is being done by philanthropist and developer Shirley Bush Helzberg, her latest investment in the historic Film Row area…

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A participant in a KC Tenants Power political rally uses a megaphone to fire up the crowd.

Endorsements Shift Kansas City’s Political Landscape

Even as the old guard of Kansas City politics made endorsements, newer groups like KC Tenants Power and Northland Strong shaped the 2023 City Council election.

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Revised River Market Apartment Project Supported by Plan Commission

By Kevin Collison A revised development plan for the long-awaited Oaks River Market apartment project at Third and Grand was supported by the City Plan Commission Tuesday and the developer anticipates breaking ground before year’s end. Minneapolis-based Oaks Properties took over the apartment deal across from the City Market last year after an earlier version…

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A "vote here" sign in Kansas City.

Kansas City Election Results: Here’s Your New City Council

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas won re-election, all but one incumbent was re-elected and seven newcomers were selected in Tuesday’s City Council election.

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