Nick’s Picks | Redistricting, Heat, Football and More …

By | August 18, 2025
University of Kansas football fans will get their first look at the school's renovated stadium when the team takes on Fresno State on Saturday. Phase 1 overhauled the southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. KU will complete a second phase at a later date. (KU rendering)

Back to School Week Kansas students returned to the classroom last week, now it’s Back to School week for Missouri kids. Mayor Quinton Lucas was scheduled to greet students on the first day of class in the Kansas City school district today. In addition to the pain of getting up early, Missouri students will be…

Read More

Lady Pitmasters Work to Break Barbecue’s Gender Stereotypes

By | August 6, 2025
Veronica Scroggins trims beef for brisket at Scott’s Kitchen & Catering at Hangar 29 in Kansas City, North. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

Work in a barbecue joint can involve hoisting 85-pound cases of brisket and cleaning away the soot, grease, and grime inside the pits. No place for a woman? Tell that to aspiring pitmaster Veronica Scroggins and her mentor Scott Umscheid, owner of Scott’s Kitchen & Catering at Hangar 29, located in a former car rental…

Read More

Child care ‘is like paying a mortgage.’

By | July 9, 2025
Nina Ward said she's seen personally and professionally the challenges of navigating the child care market in Kansas City. She struggled to find care for her now 1-year-old daughter, A'ja. (Photo courtesy of Nina Ward)

Nina Ward began looking for child care when she was only a few months pregnant.  Ward and her husband created a list of child care centers and set up tours, but the Kansas City couple repeatedly ran into the same problem: there were no infant spaces available. So they broadened their search and eventually found…

Read More

Developers eye idle KCK power plant as the region pursues data center projects

By | July 7, 2025
Investors have offered to buy the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ defunct Quindaro Power Station and develop a data center on the site. (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)

A defunct Kansas City, Kansas, power station astride polluted land has caught the eye of investors eager to develop an energy-hungry data center. The investors have offered to pay millions of dollars for the environmental remediation of the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ defunct Quindaro Power Station — and then some. The Unified Government…

Read More

Nick’s Picks | Travel, Fireworks, Lacrosse and More …

By | June 30, 2025
Gas might not be as cheap as it was when these pumps operated, but AAA is reporting that gas is about 24 cents a gallon cheaper than it was a year ago in the lead-up to the Fourth of July. (Mike_Birdy | Freerange Stock)

Kicking the Can Down the Road on Stadiums A Kansas deal to fund up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals expires tonight. But it looks like the teams and our political leaders have decided to kick the can down the road, yet again. Both teams have asked Kansas…

Read More