• Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

    By Nick Haines | June 1, 2026 |

    World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in Wyandotte County. Much of the attention, of course, is focused on Lionel Messi. The soccer…

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Flatland produces multimedia stories that examine local news, highlight rural affairs and explore Kansas City history.

Crime & Safety

exterior of old metcalf south shopping center

A Black Friday Romp Through the Metro’s Shoplifting History

Not long ago a woman walked into an Oak Park Mall bath and body store carrying two shopping bags. She lingered for two hours, examining the scented candles. Then the phone of Detective Byron Pierce of the Overland Park Police…

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Economy

Nina Ward said she's seen personally and professionally the challenges of navigating the child care market in Kansas City. She struggled to find care for her now 1-year-old daughter, A'ja. (Photo courtesy of Nina Ward)

Child care ‘is like paying a mortgage.’

Nina Ward began looking for child care when she was only a few months pregnant.  Ward and her husband created a list of child care centers and set up tours, but the Kansas City couple repeatedly ran into the same…

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Education

Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in…

Read More >

Food Chain

Officials at food banks like Kansas City-based Harvesters worry about administrative barriers facing families applying for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (Austin Wood | Flatland)

Missouri Food Assistance Applicants Hit ‘Bottleneck’

Imagine you have just been evicted, and that any documentation you had regarding income, health care expenses, utility costs, or other relevant paperwork got lost in the shuffle. That is a problem in and of itself. But the lack of…

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Healthcare

Younger man assists older man walking through dining room.

Caregivers in KC: A Community of Care

By 2030, it’s predicted that adults over the age of 60 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. How are older residents and their caregivers equipped to meet the challenges inherent in aging in our…

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History

Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in…

Read More >

Housing

Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in…

Read More >

Sustainability

Blue River Cleanup Targets Trash, Invasive Species

A restoration project is underway along the Blue River watershed, a collaborative effort by four nonprofit partners: The Heartland Conservation Alliance, Bridging The Gap, Deep Roots, and Mid-America Regional Council. The groups signed the contracts officially in May. “The day…

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