News & Issues
Downtown Marriott Upgrades Rooms, Adds Tech Features
By Kevin Collison The Kansas City Marriott Downtown has completed a $44 million upgrade of its 970 guest rooms, preparing for the new competition and opportunity checking in next year when the Loews convention hotel opens. Cynthia Savage, vice president of the Raphael Hotel Group, operator of the Marriott Downtown, believes downtown is well poised…
Troostapalooza Street Fair Celebrates Unity and Creativity on Troost
By Kevin Collison The second annual Troostapalooza, a street festival celebrating “makers” of all kinds and encouraging community spirit along Kansas City’s historic racial divide, is happening tomorrow (Saturday) at 30th and Troost from noon until 7 p.m. The event is a benefit for the Troost Market Collective, an organization aimed at promoting artists, crafts…
Divided City Council Delays Vote on $133M Strata Office Plan
By Kevin Collison Updated Sept. 19: The City Council voted 6-5 Thursday to give the developers of the proposed 25-story Strata office tower another week to return with a plan that substantially reduces or eliminates the city’s credit risk. While several Council members, including Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Kathryn Shields, wanted to kill the…
‘Lest We Forget’ Holocaust Exhibit Now at World War I Museum
By Kevin Collison “Lest We Forget,” a traveling Holocaust exhibition that opened in Germany in 2015,has arrived at the National World War I Museum and Memorial at a time anti-Semitism is increasing in the U.S. and white nationalists are fanning intolerance. The outdoor exhibition features 70 large portraits of Holocaust survivors, including seven living in…
“American Graduate: Getting to Work” Talks to Communities Seeking Firefighters
There’s an old saying that some folks run toward the fire, other folks don’t. Communities across the country are looking for more folks willing to run toward the fire. As part of the “American Graduate: Getting to Work” series, we spoke with firefighters about the rewards and challenges of public safety work. They noted that…