KCPT

Stories by KCPT

Monarch butterflies rest on branches.

Nick’s Picks | Batteries, Recall, Butterflies and More …

Panasonic Plant Grand Opening Panasonic’s $4 billion Kansas battery plant finally begins operations this week. The company is hosting a grand opening ceremony today in De Soto with state and local leaders. The project is jam-packed with superlatives: At full capacity, the plant can churn out 66 lithium-ion batteries per second. But it’s unclear if…

Nina Ward said she's seen personally and professionally the challenges of navigating the child care market in Kansas City. She struggled to find care for her now 1-year-old daughter, A'ja. (Photo courtesy of Nina Ward)

Child care ‘is like paying a mortgage.’

Nina Ward began looking for child care when she was only a few months pregnant.  Ward and her husband created a list of child care centers and set up tours, but the Kansas City couple repeatedly ran into the same problem: there were no infant spaces available. So they broadened their search and eventually found…

Investors have offered to buy the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ defunct Quindaro Power Station and develop a data center on the site. (Vaughn Wheat/The Beacon)

Developers eye idle KCK power plant as the region pursues data center projects

A defunct Kansas City, Kansas, power station astride polluted land has caught the eye of investors eager to develop an energy-hungry data center. The investors have offered to pay millions of dollars for the environmental remediation of the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ defunct Quindaro Power Station — and then some. The Unified Government…

Gas might not be as cheap as it was when these pumps operated, but AAA is reporting that gas is about 24 cents a gallon cheaper than it was a year ago in the lead-up to the Fourth of July. (Mike_Birdy | Freerange Stock)

Nick’s Picks | Travel, Fireworks, Lacrosse and More …

Kicking the Can Down the Road on Stadiums A Kansas deal to fund up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals expires tonight. But it looks like the teams and our political leaders have decided to kick the can down the road, yet again. Both teams have asked Kansas…

Kansas City’s ‘Stunning’ Array of Sacred Music

Rockhurst University music professor Timothy L. McDonald grew up near New York City where, he says, “we have a lot of sacred music, but it’s my perception that New York has not nearly as many professional and semi-professional sacred music groups as in Kansas City. “It’s stunning to me how many such groups we have…

Kansas City Municipal Judge Martina Peterson listens to an attendee at a May 13, 2025, ReStart/Project Homeless Connect event at the Gregg/Klice Community Center. Peterson was representing Kansas City's new Community Court. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

Kansas City Establishes New Court in Undaunting Setting

Kansas City is taking court “straight to the people” with a new Community Court that convenes at a multipurpose center in the urban core, not the downtown courthouse. The off-site location at 27th Street and Prospect Avenue is essential to the specialty court’s focus on serving people experiencing instability issues, such as homelessness, by providing…

Younger man assists older man walking through dining room.

Caregivers in KC: A Community of Care

By 2030, it’s predicted that adults over the age of 60 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. How are older residents and their caregivers equipped to meet the challenges inherent in aging in our area?   Flatland looks at two organizations providing services intended to support people staying in…

Elderly woman holding hands with unseen caregiver

Caregivers in KC: Planning for the Future

Becoming a caregiver is a responsibility that can sometimes arise unexpectedly. After the birth of a child with a disability, or the health decline of a parent or spouse, caregiving often comes with important financial considerations.  Health care and supply costs for caregivers can add up quickly, and your income may be reduced as you…

KU Med students prepare ingredients in a culinary medicine class where they learn about nutrition and food as medicine as well as how to cook a selection of dishes. They critique the meals as well as talk about how it can benefit their patients. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

When Going Under the Knife Does Not Mean Surgery

Chef Educator Rachel Ciordas deftly sliced collard greens into a ribbon-like chiffonade as students from the University of Kansas School of Medicine watched with a degree of awe typically reserved for an episode of the Food Network’s “Chopped.” After Ciordas demonstrated how to peel, chop, or grate the raw ingredients, the future physicians donned aprons…

Welcome to summer. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s all week. (Pexels)

Nick’s Picks | Stadiums, Heat, Concerts and More …

Pressure Mounts on Chiefs, Royals to Decide A deadline is forcing the owners of the Chiefs and Royals to finally pick a side: Kansas or Missouri? A Kansas offer that would pay up to 70% of the construction costs for building new stadiums for the teams expires at the end of the week. Kansas legislative…