John G. McGrath
Multimedia Producer
John McGrath hails from Ottawa, Kansas, and attended the University of Kansas where he majored in film. A filmmaker since the age of 10, John has written and directed a number of short films he is always eager to show you or talk about. If it's film related, he's your go-to guy. With more than 15 years experience in journalism at two local television stations, he is eager to lend his skills to Flatland.
Stories by John G. McGrath
Terror in the Heartland: The Bobby Greenlease Kidnapping
Much of the twisty, grizzly story behind the Bobby Greenlease kidnapping has never been fully told. And one key element of Kansas City's crime of the century remains tantalizingly unresolved.
Lawrence Artist Celebrates People of Color
Lawrence artist Blanca Herrada celebrates family and friends, but the real goal is featuring people of color in her works.
Tivoli’s Jerry Harrington Reflects on a Life in Film
Six months after the Tivoli Cinemas closed its longtime Westport location, Kansas City’s cornerstone of independent film exhibition re-opens in the 500-seat Atkins Auditorium at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Bringing Out the Dead: The Great Stockyard Fire of 1917
One of the biggest agricultural disasters in Kansas City history occurred in 1917, when a fire scorched the stockyard in the West Bottoms, leaving thousands of dead cattle and hogs charred in its wake.
Pondering Tom Pendergast’s Complicated Legacy
Boss Tom Pendergast long ago earned a place on any list of the most influential people in Kansas City history. His legacy, though, is rather mixed.
A Kansas City Costume Shop Like No Other
Flatland's reporters venture deep into Have Guns Costumes and Props — Kansas City's quirkiest costume store.
A Ride-Along with KC’s Mayoral Candidates in the Northland
Kansas City mayoral candidates Quinton Lucas and Jolie Justus tour through the Chaumiere neighborhood in the Northland to see first-hand the issues residents care about and share what they plan to do.
As Seen On TV: SNL’s Heidi Gardner Stops By KC
SNL's Heidi Gardner had a few things to share with the Genesis Charter School in KC. Watch here.
Reducing Kansas City’s Violent Crime
This time, Danelle Williams and Vito Mazzara arrived prepared. The two Kansas City, Missouri, police officers didn’t want to be overwhelmed, like a previous evening last winter, when passersby at 35th Street and Prospect Avenue snapped up their inventory in less than 15 minutes. On this evening, Williams and Mazzara stationed themselves on a corner…
Can KC’s new leadership fix ‘the land that time forgot’?
The kielbasa recipe hasn’t changed much since Peter May, a Polish immigrant, opened a grocery store in Kansas City’s Blue Valley neighborhood in 1929. Customers can count on the same fresh meat, no preservatives, spiced with a mixture passed down through the family. The location is the same, too. Peter May’s House of Kielbasa still…