Nick’s Picks | White, Garner, Lucas and More …

Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. when he was named to the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

Frank Decision Jackson County Executive Frank White has done something no one else has been able to accomplish over the past year. He’s managed to knock the stadium story off the front page. White’s fate has become Kansas City’s newest and biggest political drama. This week, we are waiting for a judge to rule on…

Read More

Nick’s Picks | Batteries, Recall, Butterflies and More …

Monarch butterflies rest on branches.

Panasonic Plant Grand Opening Panasonic’s $4 billion Kansas battery plant finally begins operations this week. The company is hosting a grand opening ceremony today in De Soto with state and local leaders. The project is jam-packed with superlatives: At full capacity, the plant can churn out 66 lithium-ion batteries per second. But it’s unclear if…

Read More

Kansas City’s ‘Stunning’ Array of Sacred Music

Rockhurst University music professor Timothy L. McDonald grew up near New York City where, he says, “we have a lot of sacred music, but it’s my perception that New York has not nearly as many professional and semi-professional sacred music groups as in Kansas City. “It’s stunning to me how many such groups we have…

Read More

Kansas City Establishes New Court in Undaunting Setting

Kansas City Municipal Judge Martina Peterson listens to an attendee at a May 13, 2025, ReStart/Project Homeless Connect event at the Gregg/Klice Community Center. Peterson was representing Kansas City's new Community Court. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

Kansas City is taking court “straight to the people” with a new Community Court that convenes at a multipurpose center in the urban core, not the downtown courthouse. The off-site location at 27th Street and Prospect Avenue is essential to the specialty court’s focus on serving people experiencing instability issues, such as homelessness, by providing…

Read More

Caregivers in KC: A Community of Care

Younger man assists older man walking through dining room.

By 2030, it’s predicted that adults over the age of 60 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. How are older residents and their caregivers equipped to meet the challenges inherent in aging in our area?   Flatland looks at two organizations providing services intended to support people staying in…

Read More