Focus On: School Choice
Here at Take Note, we’re asking: How do you create school choice through (blank)? For people in the Kansas City metropolitan area, school choice can be both a blessing and a curse. It provides an array of education options, but the system can also be confusing, or perhaps even detrimental to existing school districts. From…
A Powerful Force, Sixty Years Later
Charles Farris endured hurricanes and typhoons during his 28-year naval career. But even so, when the south Kansas City man hears reports of a funnel cloud, six decades melt away, and an instinct kicks in. “Every time I hear a tornado warning,” he said, “I go looking for a shovel to dig myself a hole.”…
Excuse Me, Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Education In Kansas City?
What do you know about education in Kansas City? Whether you’re a parent, educator, or just a Kansas Citian, education matters. This is our city, these are our schools and this is our future, so take note. Follow Take Note: Our City. Our Schools. Our Future as together, we tell the stories that matter, the…
13th Annual Troost Festival & Other Weekend Possibilities
The 13th annual Troost Festival is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The free festival, put on by the Troost Village Community Association at 31st and Troost, has vendors, kid’s activities, and plenty to eat (JC Popcorn, Jerusalem Cafe, among them). The stage lineup includes dance troupes and musical acts. Forget glass, Cinderella should have been…
Mental Health Resources for Area Families
A child’s mental health affects success in school. Mental health disorders can result in poor school performance and attendance, according to The Journal of School Nursing. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that in the United States, approximately one out of five adolescents have a mental disorder. With May as Mental Health Awareness Month,…
Splitlog Coffee Perks Up Central Avenue
A young man in a checkered shirt and jeans sips an iced latte while trucks and traffic rumble by on Central Avenue. He pauses to take in the view of downtown — the pings from his laptop momentarily forgotten. This might be the best $4 view in the city, only it’s not in Kansas City,…
Sympathetic Vibrations | How My Kid Learned to Rock
My son Charlie is 6 years old. And when he’s not playing sports or setting indoor decibel records with his sister, he’s usually walking around our house with headphones on, jamming to his own handpicked tracks on an old, decommissioned iPhone. As a music lover, this makes me a proud daddy. But it wasn’t easy….
‘Restaurant Rispal at Asnières’ | Like Flying Over a Mountain
In art terms, In Situ means “in its original place,” a designation for artwork that lives in its place of origin. Think of a mosaic floor among ruins, a fountain sculpture in a park, an installation crafted for a specific venue. This summer, In Situ will mean the story of how a lifetime of art collection…
The Weekend Starts Today
May is National Barbecue Month. But let’s get serious. It’s pretty much always barbecue month in Kansas City. In between stuffing your face with our glorious local cuisine, though, you might also want to get out and see some of the cultural events our city has to offer. Don’t look now, but the Royals are…
Whirring, Purring Fidget Spinners Provide Entertainment, Not ADHD Help
Fidget spinners — the trendy toy of the moment — are causing a commotion. A lot of kids love them, just as many teachers hate them and some people think they’re more than just toys. The basic fidget spinner has three prongs centered around a circle with bearings in the middle. Take one prong, give…
Tap List | Doom is Coming
Back At The Bar With Founders Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki Doom is coming. Founders Brewing Company brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki, who visited Bier Station earlier this month, shared details on Doom, an Imperial IPA (12.4-percent ABV) aged in bourbon barrels, and other Founders beers. [FLEX-CONTENT] “Doom was originally called Hand of Doom, after a song by one…
Downtown Kansas City Office Vacancy Drop Leads Nation Thanks to Conversions and New Tenants
By Kevin Collison Downtown Kansas City leads the nation these days reducing its office vacancy rate, but not because it’s returning to its heyday as the region’s business center. The drop is primarily due to the conversion of many older, obsolete office buildings into apartments and hotels as downtown has transitioned to a mixed-use, ‘live,…
Weighing The Choice Of Charters
Charter schools have traditionally filled a hole left by underperforming districts in Missouri. But what if that structure was radically changed? What if charter schools were allowed by states at the earliest sign of trouble – one lagging school – instead of waiting for an entire school district to slip? Would it help or hurt…
‘Tar Baby’: A Folk Tale About Food Rights, Rooted In The Inequalities Of Slavery
The tar baby story in which Bre’r Rabbit outwits Bre’r Fox is a classic trickster folk tale. But like all fables, it is a double-barreled affair, with entertainment firing in tandem with a serious message. The question the story addresses is a fundamental one: Who controls access to food and water? Or, more crucially, who…
Big Data Is Transforming How Scientists Create Better Seeds
This summer, in cornfields in Iowa and Nebraska, about a thousand small point-and-shoot digital cameras will be enclosed in waterproof cases, mounted on poles and attached to solar-powered battery chargers. They will take pictures every ten minutes as plants grow; all part of a plan to create better seeds. “We watch plants go through their…