Projects
Behind the Scenes of Crime Scene Cleanup
[Transcript: Jeremy Cumberford, Owner and President, Crime Scene Cleaners] Jeremy Cumberford: “But there’s a lot of blood there.” “That’s going to keep everybody safe.” “The bullet hole went right through the windshield.” At Crime Scene Cleaners, we are the Midwest’s oldest crime and trauma remediation company, serving families and businesses after tragedies such as homicides,…
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Reintroduces 40 Alligator Snapping Turtles to Sunflower State
An aura of excitement filled the air near the Neosho River in Kansas on a hot September morning. State wildlife officials gathered around several large, gray bins, snapping photos and eagerly chatting. Why the excitement? Forty, dinner-plate-sized alligator snapping turtles, about to be released into the wild. The last known living alligator snapping turtle collected…
Kelce’s Acting Debut, Fall Festival Takeover and More
Kansas City Royals in Limbo Time is running out for the Kansas City Royals. Will the Boys in Blue make it to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade? Or are those high hopes about to be dashed after an excruciating 7-game losing streak? It’s a make-it-or-break-it week for the team. Only…
From Monasteries To Mainstream: Some Find Healing And Purpose Through Spiritual Direction
Several years ago, the Rev. Lisa Senuta, now an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Kansas, became the rector of a church on Chicago’s ritzy North Shore. But, she says, “about 18 months in, the place was just eating my lunch. I was having panic attacks, which was very unusual for me.” So she got…
Services for Those Impacted by Violent Crime
[Transcript: Damon Daniel, President and CEO of the AdHoc Group Against Crime] Hello, my name is Damon Daniel, president and CEO of the AdHoc Group Against Crime. For some, AdHoc is the emergency room for social services, and for others, it’s the trust and bridge between the community and the criminal justice system. We work…
Panasonic Plant Could ‘Revolutionize Region’s Economy’
Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas believes the opening of the $4 billion electric car battery manufacturing plant in DeSoto early next year will revolutionize the region’s economy, lifestyle and self-image. Kansas and the Kansas City region will find themselves among elite, fast-charging locales around the globe whose fortunes are aligned with the push to create…
Nick’s Pick’s: Mail-in Ballots Concern Officials and More
FIRST PRESIDENTIAL VOTES CAST The presidential election may not be until November, but the first votes will be cast this week. Saturday is the deadline to mail absentee ballots to military and overseas voters in Kansas and Missouri. It comes as a growing number of local election officials are ringing the alarm bells about mail-in…
Nick’s Picks: Top Headlines for Sept. 9
ABORTION AMENDMENT COULD BE AXED FROM THE MO BALLOT A public vote on abortion in Missouri is now in danger of being kicked off the November ballot. A judge ruled Friday that the proposed amendment, which was placed on the ballot after 380,000 Missourians signed a petition, violates state law because it fails to mention…
‘Buy Nothing’ Helps Neighbors Share More Than Free Stuff
‘Buy Nothing’ is about more than getting rid of stuff – it’s also about building community and saving the environment. You can find just about anything in a Buy Nothing Project group – from brown bananas to fine china. Perhaps one of the strangest gifts? “Somebody either had or needed chinchilla droppings for their…
Sheep, Native Plants and Fire Tested as Methods for Managing Invasive Honeysuckle Next to the Blue River
Editor’s Note: Additional information was added into this article to identify the species of bush honeysuckle that impacts Missouri. For information on identifying invasive honeysuckle or other invasive plants, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Website. Something is suffocating Missouri’s forest floors. It’s leafy, it’s dense, it’s pervasive, and it can grow so thick that…
Historic Earthquakes Accounts Guide Modern First Responders
On December 16, 1811, a U.S. Army officer stationed in the soon-to-be-established Missouri Territory woke just after 2 a.m. reacting to what he described as a “great agitation”, an earthquake. Several of the officer’s guards, he soon wrote to a friend, “could scarcely keep their feet” during the shaking, which he said lasted about eight…
Nick’s Picks | Dolly Parton in KC, Stadium Tax Revisited and More…
It’s been more than four months since voters rejected funding for a new Royals ballpark and improvements at Arrowhead Stadium. Now Jackson County lawmakers are one step away from putting the issue back on the ballot. But this time with a big twist. ANOTHER STADIUM SALES TAX VOTE Later today, county lawmakers will vote on…
New Pastor Brings Generations of Faith to the Pulpit
The new senior pastor whom my congregation, Second Presbyterian Church, will welcome to the pulpit this weekend brings with her a family legacy that may seem unusual. The Rev. Sarah Are Speed is not simply the daughter of Carol and the Rev. Tom Are, former senior pastor at Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, she’s…
Missouri Business Tests New Net to Catch Invasive Carp Leaping Out of Platte River
A little ripple tears through the muddy water. It’s small. It’s so small, in fact, that coupled with the regular movements of the river, you wouldn’t even notice it – unless you knew what to look for. Within seconds, a silver carp flies out of the water and launches itself several feet into the air….
Kansas City Exceeds Need for Electricians as Green Energy Grows
Naomi Alexander spent two years studying accounting at Missouri Southern State University before deciding it was not the right path for her. When her father, a lifelong sprinkler fitter, suggested she consider a trade career, he “lit a fire” in her, she said. After doing some research, Alexander enrolled in the Missouri Apprentice Ready Program,…