Welcome to Bloody, MO
When the Border War was more than a football game, when mafia men used fear and bullets to rule Kansas City, when a woman nicknamed “La Pistolera” held records for local and Federal outstanding arrest warrants. Step into Flatland’s digital series, “Bloody, MO” for a Civil War-through modern day video peek into Kansas City’s bloody…
The Weekend Starts Today
We are officially in the winter doldrums. The lack of light and frigid, slick weather has everybody bummed. But don’t let cabin fever get you down. Or keep you inside. Rage, rage against the dark and cold by getting out and about this weekend. You can begin your battle against the blues with Blue Man…
KCPT Crime Discussion Yields Many Proposed Solutions
If there was one main takeaway from a Tuesday evening crime caucus in Kansas City, Missouri, it’s that there is no consensus on the best way to stem the tide of violence plaguing the urban core. Along with audience members, a nine-member panel that included representatives from law enforcement, academia, community organizations, and politics discussed…
KCPS Chooses Bedell for Superintendent Post
Kansas City Public Schools announced Wednesday that it has selected Mark T. Bedell to be its next superintendent, pending contract negotiations. “The KCPS school board appreciates the thoughtful input we received throughout this process,” Board Chair Jon Hile said in a news release. “The board, like our community, has set high expectations for quality leadership in…
Extraordinary Documentary Sheds Light on Today’s Clash of Faiths
It’s a story almost nobody knows, with particular relevance for a world in which religious misunderstanding fuels hatred and murder. Coming January 24th to the Kansas City Jewish Film Fest, “Besa: The Promise” tells a tale of hope and redemption amidst the horrors of the Holocaust. As a special attraction, the film will be followed by a…
One on One with Jonathan Butler
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Jan. 19, and has been updated with video from the event. Click on the play button above to hear excerpts from Jonathan Butler’s speech at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church Jan. 18. Long before Jonathan Butler held a hunger strike at the University of Missouri, sparking a campus-wide protest…
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. This week, 7 Questions goes deep with Madisen Ward and Ruth…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas Citians Demand Urgency From Citizens Task Force Against Violence None of the houses Kansas City Councilwoman Alissia Canady lived in growing up east of Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, are occupied. Most of the schools she attended have closed. “When you look at the areas where violent crime is occurring, you see vacant…
The Other Natural Gas: Making Energy From Waste
Every day, a facility on the outskirts of Grand Junction, Colorado takes in eight million gallons of what people have flushed down their toilets and washed down their sinks. The water coming out the other end of the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant is cleaner than the Colorado River it flows into. The organic solids strained from…
10 Reasons the Chiefs Could Win Tomorrow
Saturday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs. Even if you aren’t from KC, there are plenty of good reasons to root against the Patriots. They are, after all, the most villainous team in sports. Mostly because they are cheating cheaters who cheat. Granted, almost everybody cheats…
Sounding Smarter
This week, two small U.S. naval vessels reportedly entered Iranian territory, close to an important Iranian military base. U.S. Navy said the boats “inadvertently drifted” into Iranian waters due to mechanical failures. In other words, we were totally spying on Iran. Terrorists in Pakistan have begun targeting polio vaccination centers. According to analysts, the radicals…
Public Quizzes KCPS Superintendent Candidates
Both men vying to be the next superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) stressed Thursday evening how their humble beginnings could help them connect with students in an urban school district. Ronald Gerald Taylor, superintendent of Willingboro (New Jersey) Township Public Schools, noted that his modest upbringing in Detroit and his life experiences make…
Can Restoring Parks Lead To Better Health In Wyandotte County?
Editor’s note: A male in Wyandotte County can expect to live about seven fewer years than a male in Johnson County. A female in WyCo can expect to live nearly six fewer years than her JoCo counterpart. About 21 percent of residents of WyCo consider themselves to be in poor or fair health; fewer than…
5 Questions with Lidia Bastianich
Editor’s Note: Jonathan Bender is founder of the Recommended Daily, a sponsor of Kansas City Restaurant Week. This is not a sponsored post. Lidia Bastianich has been coming into people’s homes for nearly 20 years. But she doesn’t come empty-handed, she always arrives with an easy smile, a few encouraging words, and a bowl of…
Focus on ‘Spotlight’ Film Recalls Local Church Crisis
On Dec. 10, 2004, a few months before Robert W. Finn became bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, I interviewed him for The Kansas City Star about the challenges he might face when he replaced the much-loved Bishop Raymond Boland. Finn was coadjutor bishop at the time. Neither Finn nor I, of…