Caregivers in KC: Asen’s Story

By | June 23, 2025

Born with a disability at birth, and with no one left to help, Asen’s family turns to Lakemary Center in Paola, Kansas. Lakemary provides educational, mental, behavioral health, and social services to children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. We follow Asen’s approach in the classroom and interactions with his teachers and coaches, giving him the tools…

Caregiving Squeezes Households Between Young and Old 

By | June 19, 2025

Melissa Johnson knows her life is hardly unique. The Oak Grove, Missouri, woman cares for her infirm 72-year-old mother, who lives in her own home nearby.  She calls her mother daily. She brings dinner to her several times a week.  Johnson, who coordinates care with her aunt, a team of therapists, and a nurse, is…

Nick’s Picks | Juneteenth, Sharks, Dragons and More …

By | June 16, 2025

World Cup Countdown Party Last week, we marked the one-year countdown to the World Cup. Now, get ready for the big party. Kansas City’s host committee is planning a “Countdown to the World Cup Kick-Off Event” on Sunday at the Aspiria Campus in Overland Park. That’s the former Sprint headquarters site near 119th and Metcalf.…

Nick’s Picks | Soccer, Caregiving, Boulevardia and More …

By | June 9, 2025

Scramble to Save Stadiums A special legislative session aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri enters its second week today. The Missouri Senate has voted to cover up to 50% of the costs of new or improved stadiums for the teams, but the measure has yet to be taken up by the Missouri…

Nick’s Picks | Stadium Redux, KCK Mayor, Pride and more …

By | June 2, 2025

Special Session on Stadiums Starts Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has told state lawmakers to cancel family vacations and head back to Jefferson City today for a last-ditch effort to save the Chiefs and Royals. The special session begins at noon. It comes just days after the Royals acknowledged buying the mortgage on the old Sprint…

Volunteer ‘Gravers’ Search For Plots After Online Inquiries

By | June 2, 2025

Six years ago, Robert Franke’s heart doctor suggested he get more exercise. Some would have received that news and headed to the golf course or pickleball court. Franke headed for the closest cemetery. There he pursued his new calling as a Find a Grave volunteer — or “graver,” as some of them refer to themselves…

World War II Left Lasting Economic Imprint in the Region

By | May 29, 2025

Harry S. Truman would scarcely recognize today’s technological wizardry and business advancements, 80 years after his instrumental role in the Allies’ victory in World War II. But the former U.S. senator and president from Independence, Missouri, helped lay the groundwork for some of the pillars still fueling the Kansas City-area economy, including components of a…

One elder abuse investigator has 70 cases. Kansas doesn’t say how swamped other caseworkers are

By | May 27, 2025

Stacy Crow made sure to check the outdoor cameras at Shirley Crow’s house in Wichita every now and again. Stacy lived five hours away from her 85-year-old mother-in-law, and the video check-ins were necessary because Shirley had Alzheimer’s disease and needed regular medication. “We did like to just see her out on her porch drinking…

Retreat Centers Serve as Oases from Stressful Times

By | May 25, 2025

Stress — including that caused by our nation’s current political turmoil — is such a common experience that people have devised many ways to describe it, including the simple exclamation “I’m stressed out.” There’s also the phrase you’re likely to hear only in parts of New England: “I’m right out straight.” Sometimes people under age…

Nick’s Picks | Fireworks, Funeral, FIFA and More …

By | May 19, 2025

Celebration at the Station There’s a lot to like about this week. We’ve got a three-day holiday weekend to look forward to. Memorial Day is Monday. Here at the TV station, we’re prepping for our biggest show of the year, Celebration at the Station. It’s all hands on deck for our production crews as we…