News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Nick’s Picks | Gerrymandering, Brewing, Haunting and More …
Final Redistricting Vote Missouri lawmakers are expected to sign off this week on a new congressional map that could force out Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. The full House is expected to vote on the measure today. If approved, some dramatic changes are on the way. Downtown Kansas City, the Plaza, and Brookside would all…
Many ‘Moving Parts’ Complicate Work of KC Reparations Panel
Kansas City’s history of racial division and injustice is painful and often appalling. But the city now has an opportunity through the Mayor’s Commission on Reparations to show other cities — and maybe the nation itself — how to begin repairing the vast damage inflicted on Black citizens by discriminatory, foolish, destructive, and indefensible past…
Nick’s Picks | Diapers, Troops, Fans and More …
It’s the last blast of summer for many Kansas Citians this week. Expect quiet commutes and empty desks as Labor Day’s three-day break has folks heading out early. Many area schools are also cutting the week short. Here are some other local stories we’re keeping tabs on this week… New Laws From Diapers to Marriage…
Kansas City Looks to Build On History of Philanthropy
It started with a conversation on a Lake of the Ozarks dock. Comedian Rob Riggle was describing his recent visit to Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital. “He had hosted the hospital’s annual Red Hot Night fundraiser [in 2009] and they had taken him on a tour,” Julie Riggle McKee, Riggle’s sister, said recently. Like anyone…
Nick’s Picks | Redistricting, Heat, Football and More …
Back to School Week Kansas students returned to the classroom last week, now it’s Back to School week for Missouri kids. Mayor Quinton Lucas was scheduled to greet students on the first day of class in the Kansas City school district today. In addition to the pain of getting up early, Missouri students will be…
Nick’s Picks | Buses, Schools, Eats and More …
Bus Service Shutdown? Money to run the bus service in Kansas City officially runs out on Friday, leaving thousands of riders worried about how they’ll get to work. The metro’s largest bus agency, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has been struggling to keep the service afloat after federal pandemic money dried up and…
Lady Pitmasters Work to Break Barbecue’s Gender Stereotypes
Work in a barbecue joint can involve hoisting 85-pound cases of brisket and cleaning away the soot, grease, and grime inside the pits. No place for a woman? Tell that to aspiring pitmaster Veronica Scroggins and her mentor Scott Umscheid, owner of Scott’s Kitchen & Catering at Hangar 29, located in a former car rental…
Nick’s Picks | USDA, LBJ, Streetcar and More …
Trump Set to Move Thousands of USDA Jobs to KC We are waiting to hear more details this week about a new plan by President Donald Trump to move thousands of federal agriculture department jobs to Kansas City. It is part of a new push by the White House to shift government offices closer to…
Gay Bishop Reflects Evolution of Evangelical Lutheran Church
Almost 20 years ago, I devoted a long column in The Kansas City Star to an interview with two local pastors, both in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a Mainline Protestant denomination. The ELCA was then debating whether to change its rules to allow the ordination of LGBTQIA+ people as clergy. The Rev. Donna…
Nick’s Picks | White, Garner, Lucas and More …
Frank Decision Jackson County Executive Frank White has done something no one else has been able to accomplish over the past year. He’s managed to knock the stadium story off the front page. White’s fate has become Kansas City’s newest and biggest political drama. This week, we are waiting for a judge to rule on…