That’s the Spirit
Benay Shannon hops down from a forklift, her bright pink galoshes padding across the concrete floor of the Restless Spirits Distillery. She maneuvers clear plastic tubing to the open hole in the top of a 10-gallon oak barrel. It’s Tuesday afternoon and Kansas City’s only female head distiller is making whiskey. “This is about making…
3 Reasons To See ‘Reflecting Class’ at The Nelson
A new show at the Nelson-Atkins,“Reflecting Class in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer,” runs from February 24 – May 29. The exhibit explores social and economic relations in 17th-century Holland through the work of the era’s best artists. Flatland has three good reasons why you should go. It’s the Nelson, for goodness sake Far…
The Weekend Starts Today
Another unseasonably warm, dry weekend is on the way. While you’re waiting for some badly needed rain, you might as well get out and enjoy our city’s fine nightlife. And, for that matter, its daylife. First Fridays are back. Actually, of course, they never went away. You just might have forgotten about them while the…
There’s A Plague Of Locusts In Argentina. Could We See The Bugs Here?
The normally dry northern region of Argentina has a problem of biblical proportions. Farmers there are struggling with a massive outbreak of locusts. Dark clouds of the green-brown bugs cast shadows when they fly overhead and when they land, they cover the ground. “It is really, really, amazing when you see the locusts because you…
Take 5 For Your Health
Doctors Warn Of (Another) Early, Intense Spring Allergy Season In Kansas City The early spring weather Kansas City is expected to enjoy this weekend can be a mixed blessing for allergy sufferers. Doctors at Children Mercy Hospital in Kansas City report surges in pollen and mold have accompanied the blips of early warm weather the…
Hashtags For The Month Of FEBRUARY
At the end of each month we share four hashtags that trended locally, nationally, or simply caught our eye. February was full of announcements, conversations, and events on social media and it was hard to decide which to include. But there can only be four and here they are! What four would you pick? Let…
The Younger Games
When Lee’s Summit West High School’s archery team broke the Missouri state record for highest team score on January 30th, head coach David Winslow looked over to his staff. High-fiving and hugging each other, his assistant coaches reveled in the moment. It was the accumulation of work that had been years in the making. Nearby,…
A Familiar Space Becomes A Beer Place
Heavy trucks, laden with construction materials, thud down Genessee Street in the West Bottoms. The trucks roll past storefronts covered in butcher paper and the old site of the Golden Ox, which is now set to be reborn in two stages with two businesses. First up is the Stockyards Brewing Company (1600 Genessee Street, Suite…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Five Things I Learned at FAI
I should come clean. This was the third year of the Folk Alliance International Conference’s residency in Kansas City and it was my first time attending. I know, I know. I’m awful. Stain on me. I have to admit I didn’t know what I was missing. Looking back, last weekend was a whirlwind, complete with…
Divided Board Approves KC Schools Plan
Over continued citizen opposition, a divided Kansas City school board Wednesday night approved a master plan that shifts students and staff from Wendell Phillips Elementary School to nearby Crispus Attucks Elementary. Under the plan, approved on a 7-2 vote, the district will convert Wendell Phillips, 1619 E. 24th Terrace, into the Kansas City Neighborhood Academy,…
Does Zapping The Brain With Electricity Boost Creativity?
Would you wire your head to a battery if you thought it might help boost your brain function? A quick Internet search turns up lots of videos of at-home tinkerers with electrodes strapped to their heads and nervous looks on their faces. Inspired by anecdotes and a handful of studies showing it can temporarily improve…
The Weekend Starts Today
This remarkably mild February of 2016 is almost over. While you’re preparing for the big, quadrennial Leap Day parties on Monday, we’ve got a few other things to do around town. The Harriman-Jewell Series is like a trusted Yelp reviewer. If they bring a performer to KC, you can trust that it’ll be top-notch show….
Take 5 For Your Health
Analysis: Why The Kansas Senate Has A New Health Committee Leader Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook offered an amendment to expand Medicaid earlier this month because she believed it would fail. A few days later, Senate President Susan Wagle removed Pilcher-Cook as chairwoman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee because Pilcher-Cook pushed the amendment even…
New Research: Humans Transfer Disruptive Bee Virus
The persistent decline of honeybees has scientists scrambling to understand what’s causing the problem and how to correct it. Humans may be part of the problem. U.S. beekeepers report losing about a third of their colonies each year and the figure increased from 2014 to 2015. Two new studies are helping shed some light on the problem,…
Commentary | Let Common Sense Prevail In Battle Over Religious Liberty
The very day in late February that five Republican candidates for president participated in a smash-mouth debate in Texas with much moaning and gnashing of teeth about the erosion of religious freedom in the United States, these things also happened: I gathered with Episcopalians, Catholics, and mainline Protestants for a Bible study I help to…