News & Issues
Crossroads Prep Opens Downtown in Historic Thayer Building
By Kevin Collison Six years after launching Crossroads Academy in downtown with 190 elementary students, Dean Johnson and his colleagues welcomed another 190 students, this time at a new high school in the historic Thayer building. Johnson, executive director, said the charter school has grown to 800 students since opening in a former office building…
Ginger Rogers and The Kansas Governor’s Race
KCPT’s Nick Haines, executive director of public affairs and Week in Review host, picks out the big stories of the week ahead and the interesting stories you may have missed. Orman Remains on The Ballot Independent candidate for Kansas Governor,Greg Orman will stay on the November ballot after a state board rejected a challenge to his…
New Study: Downtown Prime Beneficiary of City Incentive Programs
By Kevin Collison A long-awaited report on how economic development tax incentives are used in Kansas City found the greater downtown area was the primary beneficiary during the 10 years covered by the study. The study presented last week to the Kansas City Council found the city was getting a good return on its investment…
Downtown Retail Survivor Bob Jones Shoes ‘Retiring’ After Almost 60 Years
By Kevin Collison The irony of Bob Jones Shoes making it through the tough times only to close now that downtown Kansas City is back on its feet isn’t lost on Rocky Horowitz. “We seen downtown go from bad to good to really good,” he said. “Once the Sprint Center opened and things got all…
Streetcar Authority Picks Outer Lanes of Main Street for Planned Extension
By Kevin Collison The Streetcar Authority plans to run the proposed extension from downtown to UMKC on the outside lanes of Main Street, saying it would provide a more pedestrian-friendly access and greater economic development opportunities. The decision to go outside rather than the alternative of an alignment down the middle of Main Street was…