Despite the severe cold, families from around Lyon County gather Wednesday at the Prairie Street bridge hill in Emporia for sledding.

How Rolling Blackouts Helped Regional Power Grid Avoid ‘Cascading Failures’

Federal regulators are investigating how the Midwest power grid had come so close to a catastrophic failure during a winter weather blast last week.

A hospital bed.

Struggling Kansas Hospitals Ponder Potential Solution: Fewer Beds

Pending legislation in Kansas could provide relief for struggling rural hospitals by providing them more flexibility in the services they provide.

City Barrel is at 1740 Holmes St.

Tap List | Springing Out of A Cold Snap With Beer

Tap List brings you this week’s new beer releases and events in Kansas City.

A crowd gathered for the 1914 cornerstone laying at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri.

A Record of Kansas City Black History: ‘Chant Their Names, Almost As If Holy’

The Local Investment Commission, the Black Archives of Mid-America and the Kansas City Public Library have collaborated on “Kansas City Black History,” a book documenting the stories of notable local Black people.

New City Manager Talks About Police, Streetcar Development and Ballpark

Brian Platt, the new city manager, took questions from Midtown KC Now members last week via Zoom. The organization, formerly MainCor, runs a community improvement district along Main and Broadway, and promotes the overall interests of the area. Some context, Platt, 35, came here in early December after serving as city manager of Jersey City,…

A Lewis and Clark statue pointing toward the KC skyline.

curiousKC | Muddy Water, Wildlife and Whiskey: Lewis and Clark’s Stop in Kansas City, Kansas

One curiousKC reader wanted to know more about where Lewis and Clark first landed in what would become Kansas City.

Nick Haines

Nick’s Picks | Warm Weather, Baby Mahomes and Better Pandemic Picture

Warm weather and an improving COVID outlook tops the news outlook for the coming week in Kansas City.

Children’s Opens Research Tower, Continuing Hospital Hill Economic Boom

By Kevin Collison Today’s opening of the nine-story building housing the Children’s Mercy Research Institute is the latest in a series of recent major investments galvanizing both the Hospital Hill district and nearby environs, particularly Troost Avenue. The tower will provide space for cutting edge research in diagnosing and treating complex childhood diseases, and joins…

Art House Extra | ‘The Stylist’ Screening at Screenland This Weekend

“The Stylist” has become a hot pick among horror movie aficionados since Art House visited with Kansas City filmmaker Jill Gevargizian a few short months ago.

Safe in Harm’s Way partnered with the Out of Home Advertising Association of America to create billboards to reach survivors of domestic abuse.

Local Group Using Billboards to Reach Survivors of Domestic Violence

Safe in Harm’s Way partnered with the Out of Home Advertising Association of America to create billboards to reach survivors of domestic abuse.

Bartle Hall Warming Shelter Seeks Volunteers, Donations

The city’s temporary overnight homeless shelter at Bartle Hall, which has hosted up to 400 people escaping the subzero cold this week, has established a web page to make it easier for those wanting to volunteer and/or make a donation. The Scott Eicke Warming Center, named after a homeless man who died from exposure at…

Black Lives Matter mural being created on 18th Street.

‘6 Streets’ Explores How Art Can Raise Social Awareness

Tonight at 7 p.m., Kansas City PBS will premiere “6 Streets,” a new documentary about the people who created six Black Lives Matter murals on prominent streets in Kansas City.

A cup of coffee

Weekend Possibilities | KC’s Vietnamese Coffee Spot, Live Music and Best Friend Bingo + Beer

From the Bar K Beer Tour to the Kansas City Fairytale Ball, there’s something for everyone itching to celebrate the thaw this weekend.

The Midwest Afro-American Genealogical Interest Coalition holds monthly meetings and members go on yearly road trips of historical significance. Here is the group at the Brown vs. Brown National Historic Site in Topeka.

Surging Interest in African American Genealogy

Interest in African American genealogy is growing, and the Kansas City area is fortunate to have numerous organizations dedicated to preserving, sharing and celebrating those family histories.

New Healthy Eatery Takes ‘Bite’ of East Crossroads

By Kevin Collison For Kathy Hale, bringing her concept that specializes in selling prepared, healthy meals that  people can then heat at home to the East Crossroads is an idea five years overdue. She had started her first bricks-and-mortar canihaveabite in Waldo in 2014 and needed a new home for her growing business. “I started…