illustration of items that go together, like macaroni and cheese

Flatland and The Recommended Daily Launch a New Partnership Today

Hi, My name is Jonathan Bender and I’m writing to you between bites of a pastrami sandwich and sips of iced coffee. If I can ever devise a harmonica-like device that hangs from my neck and allows me to do both, you’ll get the notice about my Kickstarter. Until then, we’ll just make do with…

Kansas City Council meeting

Kansas City Council approves health funding increase

The Kansas City Council on Thursday approved a $1.5 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year that boosts spending from health fund reserves to pay for indigent care. After some last-minute lobbying from providers, the council took $300,000 from the reserve to bump up next year’s allocation for Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center and Children’s Mercy…

Knitted koozies, one in the shape of a cat.

Crafts & Drafts and Other Weekend Possibilities

Shopping is always better with beer. The Pitch’s Crafts & Drafts — a mash-up of local artists, crafters, and beers — is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Uptown Shoppes (3600 Broadway). Check out DarkHumorGirl’s knit drink koozies (pictured above, some are in the shape of kitties) and 928 Woodworks’ nail head bottle openers…

A pair of bottles hang on a wall.

KC Wineworks Set to Pop Bottles of Wine and Cider in the Crossroads

First Friday has always been about openings – a chance to experience something new from an artist’s palette. On the First Friday in April, it will finally be your palate’s turn. KC Wineworks (1829 McGee Street), a new tasting room and winery, will hold its grand opening next Friday, April 1, at 5 p.m. “We…

Hip-hop star Malik Isaac Taylor

Sympathetic Vibrations | Remembering Phife Dawg

It was a rough Wednesday morning for hip-hop enthusiasts like me, who learned that Malik Taylor, aka Phife Dawg, aka The Five Foot Assassin, had passed away at age 45. The MC was best known for his work with A Tribe Called Quest – a Queens-based hip-hop trio featuring Phife, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammed,…

Samuel Rodgers, Children’s Mercy get funding reprieve

A Kansas City Council committee has added some funding for indigent health care services in a revised 2016-17 budget to be considered Thursday by the full council – much to the relief of Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center. The Finance and Governance Committee on Wednesday recommended approval of the revised budget, which allocates about $300,000…

Musicians on stage

The Weekend Starts Today

Who doesn’t adore Spring? Lovers love it. Poets sing its praises. Animals get frisky. Trees bud and flowers bloom. Everyone, but everyone, loves springtime. That is, unless you happen to have allergies. In that case, spring means six weeks of itchy eyes and a runny nose. Spring can also mean rain. Which, thank goodness, it…

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster speaking at press conference.

Mental Health Crisis Center Set to Open Ahead Of Schedule

A new 16-bed mental health crisis center on Kansas City’s East Side could open as much as two months ahead of early projections. The target date is now July 1. Details approved this month by the City Council call for a $1 million contribution from Missouri-side hospitals toward annual operating costs of the Kansas City…

Question from audience

Take 5 For Your Health

Missouri Law Restricting Insurance Navigators Is Pre-Empted By ACA, Judge Rules A federal judge says that Obamacare navigators may dispense advice to those looking for insurance under the federal health reform law. U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith on Wednesday struck down provisions of a Missouri law that bars insurance navigators from giving advice about health…

Jolie Justus

Fountain City Frequency | Making History in Missouri Politics

Fountain City Frequency’s Matt Hodapp sat down with Kansas City Councilmember Jolie Justus to talk about her historical tenure as the first openly-gay member of the Missouri State Senate, where she served from 2007-2015. Here, and in the accompanying podcast, Justus gives the back story on her experience serving in the Missouri Legislature. Two years before…