Five Years Later, Families of Blast Victims Still in the Dark
ATCHISON, Kan. — Five years later, the hurt is still raw for the families of six men killed when a grain elevator blew up on the banks of the Missouri River here. For them, it could have happened yesterday. “You wake up in the morning, and then you realize it’s not a bad dream —…
Halloween Celebrations Galore & Other Weekend Possibilities
The Power & Light District is hosting Dead or Alive! Saturday. The massive costume party, which kicks off at 7 p.m., is free. You can also buy a drink package for $25. Watch the movie, “Halloween,” on the big screen on the KC Live! stage at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The zombie theme is a big one,…
Food Program Gap Can Put Entire Families At Risk
Chantelle DosRemedios was pregnant with her second child when she and her husband both lost their jobs in Rhode Island. Like millions of others, she depended on a federal program designed to aid in early childhood development to keep her children fed. Moms and kids who qualify can participate in a federal program called Women,…
The Weekend Starts Today
With Halloween on Monday, this weekend will be wild. Believe it or not, though, there are plenty of events around town that don’t require candy corn and a scary costume. Live football, unfortunately, isn’t among them. Our Chiefs, following a solid home win against the Saints, are on the road against the Colts. Most of…
On Tap | From Drexel With Lavender
Turkeys meander beside a burbling creek, and blackberry bushes flourish outside a former woodshop. Life is a little different at the region’s latest brewery — in Drexel, Missouri. “We’re like a farm winery, just with beer,” says Will Reece, who co-owns the Miami Creek Brewing Company (14226 Northwest County Road 14001, Drexel) with his wife,…
Take 5 For Your Health
Frustrated Jackson County Lawmakers Enact Their Own Prescription Drug Monitoring Plan Frustrated by the Missouri Legislature’s failure to enact a statewide prescription drug plan, Jackson County last week joined St. Louis and St. Louis County in enacting its own plan, hoping it will cut down on painkiller abuse and addiction. Missouri is the lone state…
Playing Catch-Up with Missouri Mental Health
When Missouri’s second mental hospital opened in the late 19th century, State Lunatic Asylum No. 2 in St. Joseph was designed to provide lots of natural light and fresh air. Yet as war and economic calamity frayed the nation’s psyche, over-crowding swamped the hospital’s lofty goals. The census of the St. Joseph facility peaked at…
Hot Chicken Turns Up The Heat on Fried Chicken in KC
The Nashville Hot Chicken trend is heating up in Kansas City as the spicy cousin to fried chicken. Hot chicken popping up on local restaurant menus, including Third Street Social (123 SE 3rd Street, Lee’s Summit) and Lucky Boys (1615 Genessee Street, Kansas City). Local lore in Nashville, Tennessee, points to the family of Andre Prince,…
Save The Ruby Slippers: Smithsonian Seeks Funds To Preserve Dorothy’s Shoes
Dorothy’s ruby slippers could use a little more magic these days — or at least some conservationist TLC. The famous shoes from The Wizard of Oz are among the most popular items on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. But they’re showing their age, and the museum is asking the public to…
A Force for Refugees
It was during daily walks from her lecture hall to hospital rotations that Sophia Khan first experienced poverty. Born to a wealthy family in Karachi, Pakistan, Khan was a second-year medical student in her homeland when she discovered that the unsheltered groups waiting outside the hospital were poor people wanting to be near their loved…
The Haunted Bell Tower Bash & Other Weekend Possibilities
The haunted carnival is in town for one night only. The fourth annual Haunted Bell Tower Bash is a mash-up of a dance, circus, and costume contest. The benefit for Social Heart is at the Arts Asylum is from 7 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday at The Arts Asylum (1000 E 9th Street). They’ll have aerial…
Sympathetic Vibrations | A Windstorm of Student Talent
For Steven Davis, who serves as the chair of large ensembles at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, a student performance next week highlights the conservatory’s greatest strengths — a partnership with city’s performing arts community, collaboration with guest performers and composers, and original music from the conservatory’s acclaimed composition program. That performance will take…
The Weekend Starts Today
October 23, believe it or not, is TV Talk Show Host Day. Celebrated on Johnny Carson’s birthday — look him up, millennials — it’s a day to show our appreciation for all those who sit and chat. Because, apparently, a bunch of rich, famous and powerful media types need even more praise. To mark the…
Commentary | The Untapped Power of Humor
Gil Scott-Heron was incorrect. The revolution will be televised. Because, apparently, pop culture is the only way to get through to people. This weekend, Tom Hanks was the guest host for Saturday Night Live. He played a Trump supporter in a skit called “Black Jeopardy” where he competed for prizes with black contestants, a black…