Cultivating History Pt. 1: ‘Potato King’ Earning New Renown

By | February 18, 2025

Junius G. Groves is having a moment. Community knowledge of the African American potato farmer, who died 100 years ago this August, is growing after largely having vanished from the collective memory of Kansas, where he arrived carrying 90 cents in 1879. A new documentary, “The Potato King,” directed by filmmaker Jacob Handy, premiers Thursday…

Nick’s Picks | Spring Training, Abortions, Casinos, and More …

By | February 17, 2025

Winter Forever? Say it isn’t so… Another major snowstorm is on the way that could cause a big disruption to your commute and force school closures again. And brace yourself for Arctic-like temperatures. The National Weather Service says wind chills will be below zero from Monday night through Thursday morning. As for the snow…our TV…

After Tuberculosis Outbreak, Wyandotte County Parts Ways with Health Director

By | February 13, 2025

The director of the Wyandotte County Public Health Department is no longer with the agency, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. It comes after turmoil during the handling of the major tuberculosis outbreak, shown by emails obtained by the Kansas News Service. Elisha Caldwell had been head of the local health department while an outbreak of TB grew…

Nick’s Picks | Super Letdown, ICE Raids, Trump Effects and More …

By | February 10, 2025

Super Sick Monday So, there’ll be no victory parade after all. No “Three-Peat” after the Chiefs fall to the Eagles on football’s biggest stage. That was tough to watch, wasn’t it? And the questions have already begun: Was that Kelce’s final game for the Chiefs? You might be experiencing a record level of absences at…

SCOTUS Justice Applauds KC Stage Adaption of Her Book

By | February 5, 2025

As the first Latina, and the third woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor is noted for reasoned questioning and, at times, searing dissents. But legal opinions, despite obvious historical weight, aren’t the writings that Sotomayor referred to as her life’s work during her recent visit to Kansas City. The messaging within her…

Nick’s Picks | Super Bowl, Aviation Disaster, Black History, and More …

By | February 3, 2025

Super Bowl Week If you haven’t heard by now, the Kansas City Chiefs are just days away from making history. Could the Chiefs be the first team to win three back-to-back Super Bowls? The NFL’s biggest game is Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in New Orleans. I just did an online search for tickets, and you…

Trump Views Raise Questions for De Soto Panasonic Plant

By | January 31, 2025

The mammoth $4 billion Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant nearing completion on the western edge of Kansas City is the biggest investment ever in the state of Kansas. Now it looms as possibly the biggest paradox and largest question mark hanging over the state and its future fortunes. The paradox is that one of the…

‘The Fish are Very Dumb and They’re Very Hungry’

By | January 29, 2025

So, you think it has been unbearably cold lately? Try skimming across the frigid water of an area reservoir in a fishing boat at this time of the year. Then you will know what wind chill is all about. Take it from Brian Ondrejka, a guide on Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas, who is accustomed…

Nick’s Picks | KC Streetcar, Kansas Troops, Missouri Governor, and More …

By | January 27, 2025

The Chiefs are officially heading to the Super Bowl. Will that be the only story Kansas Citians now care about? Here are some other trends and news developments you may want to be aware of in a week dominated by Chiefs talk… The Big Streetcar Shutdown It’s the week of the big Kansas City Streetcar…

Aging KCK Congregation Bequeaths Building to Serve Youth

By | January 26, 2025

Across much of the nation in recent decades, shrinking churches have confronted the painful question of whether they can afford to maintain a building for worship and other activities. Time and again the answer has been no. Sometimes that means finding other places in which to continue offering worship. But often it means either abandoning…