As High-Tech Farms Take Hold, Can Farm Towns Hold On?
Brandon Biesemeier climbs up a small ladder into a John Deere sprayer, takes a seat in the enclosed cab, closes the door, and blocks out most of the machine’s loud engine hum. It is a familiar perch to the fourth-generation farmer on Colorado’s eastern plains. He turns onto a country road, heading south to spray…
Boulevardia & Other Weekend Possibilities
The Blip Summer Open House (1101 Mulberry St.) is a little bit coffee and a little bit craft show. Pick up a cup of joe or some jewelry, and watch the pretty motorcycles — part of Blip’s culture — roll into the West Bottoms tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. While you’re there, you can pop…
Working Toward a Solution
Summer internships and jobs might be a rite of passage. But often inner-city kids lose out to well-connected families that cash in favors to land their child a primo position at the bank headquarters. Hire KC Youth — an employment-training program that Mayor Sly James started to place urban teenagers in City Hall jobs —…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Picture Him Rolling
This Friday, June 16, would have been the 46th birthday for one of hip-hop’s biggest and brightest stars, Tupac Shakur. The emcee – best known for his infectious smile, his towering bravado, and his thought-provoking lyrics – died in 1996 during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Shakur’s death at the young age of 25 was…
Top Five Ways To Spend Your Weekend
A Little Bit Country If you get the chance to see a musical legend, see that legend. It doesn’t matter what genre. Willie Nelson certainly fits that bill. Decades before he became famous for weed, Willie was writing classics like “Crazy,” “On The Road Again.” The opening acts for this triple bill at Starlight Theater…
New Rule May Worsen Backlog For Social Security Disability Claimants
By the time Stephenie Hashmi of Lenexa, Kansas, was in her mid-20s, she had achieved a lifelong dream: She was the charge nurse at one of Kansas City’s largest intensive care units. But even as she cared for patients, she realized something was off with her own health. “I remember just feeling tired and feeling…
Tap List | Beer Candles & Brew Lab Update
Brew Lab (7925 Marty St., Overland Park, Kansas) plans to open its expanded brewery, homebrew supply shop, taproom and restaurant by late June, pending occupancy inspections. Clay Johnston, Justin Waters, Kevin Combs and Matthew Hornung co-founded Brew Lab in 2013 at 8004 Foster St. Homebrewers could shop for supplies and also use Brew Lab’s equipment…
Plans to Redevelop Washington Square Park in Downtown Kansas City Remain Work in Progress
By Kevin Collison Three years after being hired by Union Station Kansas City to explore options for redeveloping property it owns on the north side of Washington Square Park, VanTrust Real Estate remains undecided about the best plan moving forward. “We’ve looked at everything from a single use to a mixed-use of office, residential and…
Order Up| Crane Brewing Company’s Orange Gose
Order Up is a regular series that takes a layered look at drinks and eats across Kansas City. Got a dish you think we should feature? Drop us a note below or on Twitter @FlatlandKC.
Polar Photographer Shares His View Of A Ferocious But Fragile Ecosystem
Paul Nicklen has spent decades documenting the Arctic and the Antarctic. “I want people to realize that ice is like the soil in the garden,” he says. “Without ice the polar regions cannot exist.”
‘The Trump 10’: Packing On The Pounds In An Age Of Stressful Politics
Think of it as the political version of the freshman 15. Nowadays, some people who are unhappy with the current political environment are complaining of stress-induced eating and weight gain.
VanTrust Assumes Lead Role On East Village, Acquires Key Properties in Stalled Downtown KC Redevelopment Area
By Kevin Collison Almost four years after becoming co-developer of the planned East Village redevelopment, VanTrust Real Estate has negotiated a new lease deal with the city that puts it fully in charge of moving the floundering project forward. And while VanTrust has no immediate plans for construction in the eight-block downtown redevelopment area northeast…
Defining “Our” with Nicholas Dorn
At Take Note we like to say, “This is Our City. Our Schools. Our Future.” but, as we’ve been noting, the word “our” is used differently by different people. This week, we asked Nicholas Dorn, director of education with the KC Social Innovation Center, what “our” means to him. Too often, he says, we think of the…
Food Truck Frenzy & Other Weekend Possibilities
It’s a Food Truck Frenzy. The city of Lenexa is hosting a food truck extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at Lenexa City Center (southeast corner of 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard). It’s a dozen trucks offering up everything from meatballs to waffles to Asian fare. The Colorado imports keep coming. Larkburger (13611…
Student Voices | The Perks of College in High School
Take Note partners with Johnson County Community College’s Promotional Writing class for stories of JCCC students who pursued college classes while in high school. The College Now program allows high school students to the ability to earn college credits through concurrent enrollment while completing high school courses. These stories explore the many factors students weigh. Why Would…