a female rocker on the scales of justice

Sympathetic Vibrations | Setting the Record Straight

For many musicians, writing and performing music for the public is a privilege. And though artists rights typically don’t factor into the general perception of being a kick-ass rocker, that doesn’t mean those rights should be ignored. But safeguarding those rights can often be more difficult for female artists. In my time as a practicing…

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A young girl speaking on screen

Reimagining Schools at Maker Faire Kansas City

Organizers call Maker Faire the Greatest Show (And Tell) on Earth, and Kansas City held its eighth annual version of the international event at Union Station in June. The two-day faire drew crowds to celebrate all things creative — from science to art and anything in between. As part of our Take Note education project,…

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New 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City Wraps Hospitality Around Art

(Updated July 31: AccorHotels, a French firm, has acquired 21cMuseum Hotels, paying $51 million to purchase 85 percent of the firm. 21c founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson will retain a 15 percent ownership share. AccorHotels owns 4,000 hotels throughout the world making it the largest hotel group outside the United States.) By Kevin…

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A man standing in front of a mural

Work in Progress | The Painter

With every brush stroke, Warren “Stylez” Harvey combats the anxiety and self doubt he’s dealt with since childhood. Through his artwork, he’s able to embrace the feelings that once held him back. “I’m grateful for my fear,” he said. “It has brought me to understand who I am. I am light. I am consciousness. I’m a…

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Local Pig Relocating to City Market, Taking Former Winslow BBQ Space

The Local Pig & Pigwich is leaving the East Bottoms for the former Winslow BBQ space at 20 E. Fifth St. in the City Market with an opening expected in mid-October. After six years at 2618 Guinotte Ave., co-owners Alex Pope and Matt Kafka began exploring ways to expand Pigwich, a stationary food truck adjacent…

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Double Shift Brewing Co.

Tap List | Double Shift Turns Three

Bryan Stewart pauses in the middle of a story about a beer made with birthday cake to take a delivery early on a weekday afternoon. A farmer from Wellsville, Kansas, is dropping off bags of malt, which he stacks on the wooden tables inside of Double Shift Brewing Company (412 E. 18th St.). “I want…

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Endangered Wheatley-Provident Hospital Saved; Historic Black Institution Being Redeveloped

By Kevin Collison The long-vacant Wheatley-Provident Hospital, an important landmark in the Kansas City African-American community, has been purchased by a development group with plans to renovate it as offices. The deteriorating building at 1826 Forest was the only hospital operated and staffed by black doctors and nurses at a time when healthcare services were…

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Anton's Taproom steak

Best Eat In the House | Anton’s Dry-Aged Steak

Best Eat in the House features dining recommendations from people in and around Kansas City. For this episode, Kasim Hardaway, founder of the TKG Agency, stopped by to chat about the dry-aged, grass-fed beef at Anton’s Taproom (1610 Main St.) We traveled along the Streetcar line to talk to owner Anton Kotar about his space where they cut and…

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Park University Assistant Professor Tami Radhol

Moving Out But Struggling to Move On

When it comes to education and work, many foster kids are already at a disadvantage when they enter the system, often coming from families beset by generational poverty. Unfortunately, their circumstances are not much improved once they “age out” of foster care, according to findings in a national survey by the organization Child Trends. The…

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Dakota Kinslow

The Fire Within Fuels Path From Foster Care to University

Dakota Kinslow completed high school by acing tests. His chaotic home life made it impossible to complete work outside of class. He shuttled between various family members after the court removed him from his home when he was very young. His childhood was marked by witnessing drug use and abuse, and at age 13, he…

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Baltimore Avenue and W. 19th Street (Laura Richey | Flatland)

The Art of (Signs)

Get lost* in our new photography series, “The Art of (KC)”, where we bring you beautiful, thought-provoking and compelling images of our city and surrounding areas every other week. On Friday, the iconic Western Auto sign at 21st Street and Grand Boulevard was re-lit, thanks to funding from the Western Auto Lofts homeowners’ association. In light of this…

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The Star Turns Lights Out after More Than a Century at 1729 Grand

By Kevin Collison More than a century of newspaper history ends today when The Kansas City Star staff moves from its historic quarters at 1729 Grand into new space in the Press Pavilion across McGee Street. The Star’s local management, as has been the case since the real estate transaction was first publicized in March 2017,…

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Hello Atelier | Embracing the Nostalgia of a Quilt

Designer Luke Haynes creates quilts in an effort to start conversations. Whether they are a new take on a traditional pattern or one of his innovative portrait quilts, Luke approaches each design as the start of a dialogue between himself and the audience. Join us in Luke’s studio as we talk about success, travel and…

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s'mores blossom cookies

Recipe | America’s Test Kitchen’s S’mores Blossom Cookies

S’mores may conjure memories of warm nights and sleep-away camp, but it doesn’t need to be summertime to capture the flavors of this treat; the combination of wheaty graham crackers, rich chocolate, and sweet, gooey toasted marshmallow is good any time of year. [FLEX-CONTENT] We wanted to package s’mores into a neat blossom cookie, one…

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Bird Arrives Downtown, ‘Lil Lectric’ Scooters Not Without Controversy

By Kevin Collison The Bird quietly scooted into downtown Kansas City Wednesday, a new smartphone-based personal transportation method that like its predecessors Lyft and Uber, is not without controversy elsewhere. The dock-free electric scooters, which are rented using a smartphone app, are billed as an ideal way for people to roll that last few blocks…

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