Hot Style in the City

Model on the catwalk in Kansas City

Make no mistake, the West 18th Street Fashion Show has become a big deal. The show began in 2000 with little more than a few folding chairs in the street. Sixteen years later, “West 18th Street” has become a big thing. Though the show retains a DIY sensibility, it’s become a major undertaking and big event on…

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5 Bar Bites to Help You Travel the World Without Leaving KC

Pork spare ribs

Feel the urge to travel and explore but short on funds for a worldwide adventure? Leave the passport at home. These five destinations in Kansas City serve up a taste of Italy, Spain, France, Austria and Mexico. Hop in the car or schedule an Uber ride, and get set for global discovery only minutes from…

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From Turner to Tokyo

A teenage boxer

This story was produced in partnership with The Pitch. Look for it in print right now.  Missy Fitzwater asks Instagram: “Is it weird I like my black eye?” In the selfie, she’s 17 years old, apple-cheeked, smiling. Her brown hair is pulled back, messy, slightly out of focus. Her green eyes are a bit puffy, and…

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Blessing the Barbecue

People in a butcher shop

At around 2:30 Thursday afternoon a long line begins to form in the back of Pak Halal, a local Middle Eastern grocery store in the heart of Lenexa. One by one, customers who had driven from “as far as Omaha” await their turn at the butcher counter to place their order. Most people are in…

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Francois and Berenice Chouteau

Title page for The Founders

Today their names grace our highways, city districts and restaurants. But before Chouteau was a trafficway, it was the name of an immigrant couple who used their honeymoon to discover new land. Before McCoy’s was a good place to get a beer, it was a family of missionaries whose son would use his business savvy…

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