Boulevard Brewery Visitor Center

2534 Madison Ave | Three-story building renovation of former Skelly Oil Building | Cost: $2.3 million | Opened July 2016

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Loews Hotel

16th St and 17th St, Baltimore Ave and Wyandotte Ave | 24-story, 800 room hotel | $322.7 million | Construction begins January 2018, completion March 2020.

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Downtown Urban Homes Tour Draws Big Weekend Crowd

By Kevin Collison A pleasant Saturday afternoon coupled with the growing buzz about urban living brought throngs of people downtown to check out open houses at 20 residential projects. This year’s Urban Homes Tour, part of the Downtown Dazzle holiday event, reached its limit of 1,250 pre-registered visitors several days in advance, and many more…

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curiousKC a teacher and his student at Center high school

Wide Racial Gap Exists Between Teachers and Students in Jackson County Schools

By Lauren Langdon, Humera Lodhi and Tess Vrbil Janely Griffith Gonzalez realized the disconnect when she chaperoned field trips at Meadow Lane Elementary School in Lee’s Summit. Her 8-year-old daughter was in a class of mostly minority students, but the school had very few minority teachers. On one trip, a student started yelling on the…

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Is The Tide Of Antibiotic Use On Farms Now Turning?

For the first time, government statistics show America’s pigs, cattle, and poultry are getting fewer antibiotic drugs. Public health advocates call the new figures encouraging.

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Crossroads Pizza Smackdown

By Kevin Collison As far as Philippe Lechevin is concerned, his new Papa Keno Pizzeria at 1815 Wyandotte is bringing New York-style pizza to a hungry Crossroads. But to Shari Boles, owner of Pizzabella at 1810 Baltimore, it’s more like New York-style chutzpah. In mid-November, a Papa Keno’s billboard went up next to her restaurant…

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Creating Public Art with Phil Shafer AKA Sike Style

  Muralist Phil Shafer, AKA Sike Style, is part of a revolution that is turning graffiti into a public art form. Forget the image of an artist in the dead of night attacking a building with spray paint. While Shafer does paint with spray can in hand, he also taps into his background of art history and…

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Developer Hopes to Raise Money to Finish Renovating Eyesore Building at 10th and Oak

By Kevin Collison Nicholas Abnos readily acknowledges he’s allowed a vacant five-story building at the prominent corner of 10th and Oak to fester for well over a decade. He feels the same shame for the even longer time it’s taken to complete the redevelopment of the empty former Brandsmart building at 211 W. Gregory Blvd….

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Origin Story: Music Edition | Ha Ha Tonka

[FLEX-CONTENT] [FLEX-CONTENT] [FLEX-CONTENT] [FLEX-CONTENT] [FLEX-CONTENT] Our popular series Origin Story gets a musical twist each Thursday in December here on Flatland. Got an idea for an Origin Story? Drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter @FlatlandKC.  

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The Roasterie cold brew

SantaCon Lawrence & Other Weekend Possibilities

All the Santas will descend on Lawrence this weekend. SantaCon Lawrence is from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday. The Saint Nick-themed pub crawl kicks off at The Sandbar (17 E 8th St., Lawrence, Kansas) and a $5 contribution for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Douglas County is recommended. You have another coffee option for…

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Downtown Council Holiday Drive Collects Clothing and Toys for Homeless Families

The Downtown Council of Kansas City is rolling out the holiday barrels again to collect coats, clothing and toys for homeless families who use the services of ReStart. Sean O’Byrne, vice president of the downtown owners and property association, said this is the 15th year the council has collected donations for the individuals and families…

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mclain's market's chocolate donut

Order Up | McLain’s Market’s Chocolate Donut

Order Up is a regular series that takes a layered look at drinks and eats across Kansas City. Got a dish you think we should feature? Drop us a note below or on Twitter @FlatlandKC.

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Children’s Mercy Research Tower

23rd St. and Gillham Rd. | 375,000 square foot, nine-story research building | Cost: $200 million | Architect: BSA LifeStructures | Contractor: McCownGordon | Completion early 2020  

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Children’s Mercy Hospital Plans Nine-Story Research Tower on Hospital Hill

By Kevin Collison Children’s Mercy Hospital is planning a nine-story research tower at its Hospital Hill campus, continuing a boom of healthcare-related construction in that area. The City Planning Commission is scheduled to review the plan for the 400,000 square-foot building at when it meets Wednesday morning. The building is proposed for a 10-acre site…

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Lawrence Beer Co.

Tap List | Road Trip: Lawrence Beer Company

Lawrence Beer Company (826 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence, Kansas) opened in the Warehouse Arts District in late August. A recent trip to the brewery and taproom revealed a dynamic space with a solid slate of beer and modern brewpub food to explore. Matt Williams, Adam Williams (no relation), Brendon Allen, and chef Ken Baker, former owner-operator…

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