The Open Kansas initiative kicked off last week in the Statehouse rotunda. Nonprofit organizations that advocate for children, minorities and low-income Kansans launched the effort to counter what they see as a trend toward less open government. (Photo: Susie Fagan | Heartland Health Monitor)

Take 5 For Your Health

Nonprofit Groups Launch Open Kansas Government Initiative Several nonprofit organizations that advocate for children, minorities and low-income Kansans are concerned about what they see as a trend toward less open government in Kansas. So, they’ve joined forces to launch what they’re calling the Open Kansas initiative and to ask legislators to sign a “transparency pledge”…

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Bloody, MO, Part II : Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd

Bloody, MO | Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd

Welcome to “Bloody, MO,” a Civil War-through-modern day video peek into Kansas City’s bloody past – starring equally notorious and unknown gunslingers, fire-starters, and godfathers. Today: Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd The sharp-dressed gunslinger was wanted in six states at the time of his death. But he steadfastly denied taking any part in the most famous crime he…

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Photographer Roy Inman, who uses vintage flash bulbs in his work, took this photo when the classic Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge car and a vintage Milwaukee Road passenger cars visited Union Station. (Photo: Roy Inman)

A Photographic Homage

Roy Inman stands in the driveway of his home in Lenexa, Kansas. Nearby, a bank of reflectors perch on light stands loaded with vintage flash bulbs. Inman, along with his brother George Inman and neighbor Bob Agne are testing equipment in preparation for a late-night flash bulb shoot at the Midland Railway Historical Society’s restored…

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Hashtags for the Month of JANUARY

The first month of 2016 has already come and gone. Which means it’s the perfect time to introduce “Hashtags for the Month.” At the end of each month we’ll share four hashtags that trended locally, nationally, or simply caught our eye. Here’s what we have for January. What do you think? Which four would you…

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Taking what vegetarians and vegans miss most about eating meat — that would be bacon — local clean eating company Mean Vegan has created baconated coconut. (Photo: Jonathan Bender | Flatland)

Baconate: (verb) To Make Vegans Happy

With our proximity to pigs and tremendous appetite for pork, Kansas City has long been an innovator in the world of bacon. Local barbecue competitor Jason Day invented the Bacon Explosion –a bacon-lattice wrapped sausage. Bacon Fest Kansas City will celebrate its eighth anniversary this summer. And now, thanks to Mean Vegan, you can eat…

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Self-described as a "loud, three piece, power punk band from KCMO," Hipshot Killer's lead guitarist Mike Alexander, left, answers our "Seven Questions". (Photo: Hipshot Killer)

Music | 7 Questions With…

Every Tuesday at 6pm on The Bridge, local music writer and Middle of the Map Fest organizer Chris Haghirian and The Bridge’s Sarah Bradshaw shine a light on the people, music, and events in the 816 area code during “Eight One Sixty”. One regular feature, 7 Questions, gets to the heart of a guest’s passions, past, and… purchase history. On the heels of Hipshot Killer’s full-length release, “They Will…

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The Weekend Starts Today

Mercifully, we get a reprieve from winter this weekend. With temperatures expected to be in the 50s and 60s, there’s no excuse for anyone to stay home. And, while you’re out and about, we’ve got a ton of fun things to do. The warm weather might make you dream of spring. So will the Royals…

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The U.S. Supreme Court, covered in snow, announced a decision on Monday that signals a new resentencing hearing for a Kansas City man currently serving a life sentence. (Photo: Alex Brandon | AP)

Supreme Court Decision Has Repercussions for KC Man Serving Life Sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a resentencing hearing in the case of a Kansas City man serving a life sentence in federal prison for a 1988 explosion that killed six Kansas City firefighters. Bryan Sheppard, one of five defendants serving life sentences after their 1997 convictions in federal court, will now…

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exam room

Take 5 For Your Health

Kansas Appeals Court Rules That State Constitution Provides Right To Abortion In a sweeping decision, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights provides a right to abortion and blocked a Kansas law banning the second-trimester abortion method known as “dilation and evacuation.” The ruling represents a major victory…

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Bloody, MO | Silas M. Gordon

Welcome to “Bloody, MO,” a Civil War-through-modern day video peek into Kansas City’s bloody past – starring equally notorious and unknown gunslingers, fire-starters, and godfathers. Today: Silas M. Gordon An anti-Union guerrilla who indirectly caused Platte City, Missouri, to be burned twice by forces during the Civil War, Gordon engaged in various guerrilla actions, including…

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The growing popularity of kitchen shortcuts like pre-sliced vegetables and bagged spinach mean greater energy inputs. (Photo: Leigh Paterson for Harvest Public Media)

The Rising Energy Costs Of Convenience In The Kitchen

To make or not to make a homemade pie?  That is a classic holiday dilemma. Do you take the easy way out and buy a fairly decent frozen pie, or do you risk making your own, resulting in a potentially burnt and lumpy version? While there is something special about that homemade option, every cook…

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Doug Anning and Kirk Isenhour

Commentary | A Local Love Story with International Echoes

As Doug Anning and Kirk Isenhour turned to walk up the aisle after an Episcopal blessing of their same-sex commitment to one another, the packed church erupted. I have never seen a sanctuary full of such joyful people. They were applauding, shouting, cheering, even crying. At the time, I posted a blog entry about it…

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For Innovators, Winning Isn’t Everything

Last year’s Innovator of the Year, Alicia Herald, put winning the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program’s marquee award into perspective. “I think it’s a fun title, and you get a beautiful celebratory bowl,” said Herald, CEO of myEDmatch. “But internally amongst the Pipeline family, we think of the event as the celebration of how far all…

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Eric Harland, the organizer for KC's Culinary Fight Club, says there is a melting pot of talent in the region. (Photo: Jonathan Bender | Flatland)

Culinary Fight Club Comes to KC

The knives are about to come out in Kansas City. The pots and pans and spatulas will get a turn, too, when Culinary Fight Club Kansas City – a live competitive cooking event with roots in Chicago – launches in April. Think of it as “Iron Chef,” for home cooks with a live audience, secret…

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Vinyl record on turntable

Sympathetic Vibrations | It’s A Groove Thing

We are currently living in a music consumer utopia. Services like, Tidal, Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play offer more than 30 million tracks, available on-demand and anywhere you have a data connection – all in exchange for a monthly subscription price that is less than what you would have paid for a single album…

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