Quality Hill Playhouse Opens ‘The Q,’ Adds Full Bar and Quadruples Lobby
By Kevin Collison The Quality Hill Playhouse has expanded into long-dormant space at 10th and Central streets, dramatically expanding the size of its lobby and adding a full-service bar for patrons. Rick Truman, managing director, said the $600,000 expansion project called “The Q” opened the day after Thanksgiving in time for the downtown musical theater’s…
Giving Away the (Wind) Farm
Mark Buck can see some of the 314 turbines in Kansas’ largest wind farm from his office window in Medicine Lodge, where he is superintendent of the Barber County North School District. The nearly $1 billion Flat Ridge project, built in two phases and owned in part by British Petroleum, spans 70,000 acres near the…
Federal Tax Credits Drive Foreign Wind Investment
Investment in U.S. wind energy production has increased tenfold over the past decade with the help of billions of dollars in federal tax help, with foreign companies making up much of the increase. Indeed, six foreign-owned wind energy companies have received at least $4.8 billion in federal tax credits between 2000 and 2015, according to…
Day Spa and Physical Therapy Clinic Coming to ‘Baltimore Square’ District
A new day spa and physical therapy clinic are opening in what’s being branded the “Baltimore Square” district, a group of historic buildings in the Ninth and Baltimore area owned by Denver developer Craig Slawson. The Plaza West Spa is planning to open at the former Kansas City Club at 918 Baltimore and SERC Physical…
Downtown Convention Hotel Expects to Break Ground Jan. 2, Wins Key Approvals from Development Agency
Updated: Kansas City Tax Increment Financing Commission approved redevelopment agreement and other documents for convention hotel project this morning, last public hurdle for the project. By Kevin Collison After seven years of discussion and planning, construction of a 24-story, 800-room downtown convention hotel is expected to begin Jan. 2 following approvals of key documents Wednesday….
Sympathetic Vibrations | AUMI-zing
To an outsider, the scene at the Sound + Vision studio of the Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Kansas, on Tuesday may have looked strange – an enthusiastic group of individuals, some of whom are differently abled, waving their hands and moving their heads to create a panoply of musical sounds. But to Kip Haaheim…
Ugly Holiday Sweater Dog Party & Other Weekend Possibilities
You know that onesie you bought for Christmas? Get it out of the drawer and head to Rhythm & Booze (423 Southwest Blvd). It’s hosting an adult onesie party this from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday. Not a onesie person? You can trot out your ugly Christmas sweater at the 403 Club (614 Reynolds Ave.,…
Downtown Dazzle Heats Up in December with Urban Homes Tour and Streetcar Concerts
Anyone interested in checking out the downtown housing market will have an opportunity Dec. 9 as part of the ongoing Downtown Dazzle holiday festivities. The free Urban Homes Tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 20 residential buildings will be open for touring throughout greater downtown from Union Hill to the…
Order Up | Ruby Jean’s Juicery’s
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.
Critical Convention Hotel Agreements Before Development Agency, Includes $59.7 Million Private Investment
By Kevin Collison The long-awaited, 800-room downtown convention hotel is poised to begin construction in January if, as expected, the key city development agency handling its financing and property issues approves the deal Wednesday. The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority board is scheduled to consider the final financing and leasing agreements with KC Hotel Venture…
Tap List | East Forty Brewing Coming to Blue Springs
East Forty Brewing (1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri) plans to open in a former print shop as a 5,000 square-foot space which will house the brewery, taproom and kitchen. Founder and brewer David Mann and co-owner Matt Bryan anticipate a May 2018 opening for the new venture. The brewery name refers to the east side of…
Developer May Shift Affordable Apartment Project Threatened by State Tax Credit Cut to East Village
By Kevin Collison Developer Kelley Hrabe is scrambling to salvage his plan to build 400 affordable apartments downtown following a sudden shift in state policy and plans to pitch his project for the long-dormant East Village redevelopment area. Hrabe of Prairie Fire Development was about to announce his residential project at another downtown location when…
Origin Story | The Strowger Switch
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Hospital Chaplains Deliver Spiritual Care
Right from birth, this baby was sick, in trouble. “Her mother immediately asked for prayer and was very optimistic,” Kathie Knehans, then a chaplain at Children’s Mercy Hospital told me. So Knehans prayed with the family. And even when no family members were present, Knehans, now retired, visited the child and prayed. When the still-hospitalized…
Let’s Not Quiet the Conversation
Sexual harassment isn’t something that just happens in Hollywood, in the halls of Congress, and major television networks. It happens close to home, no matter where home is. This past week, a local actress friend posted about a Kansas City theater writer/producer who harassed her by private Facebook messages. She posted screenshots of his…