Martin Rosenberg

Stories by Martin Rosenberg

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…

Native American pottery and artifacts fill a table at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum on March 26, 2025 in Bonner Springs, Kansas. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

KC Area Museums Reviewing Extensive Indigenous Holdings

Arrowheads, skinning knives, spearheads pulled from Kansas City fields, and prehistoric woven fibers teased from centuries-cold fire pits sit on the floor of a closed wing of the Wyandotte County Historical Museum. They are now under a year-long review to comply with strict federal guidelines designed to give Native American tribes greater control of the…

Morning sun peeks over the roof of the Panasonic EV Battery Facility in DeSoto, Kansas, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

Trump Views Raise Questions for De Soto Panasonic Plant

The mammoth $4 billion Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant nearing completion on the western edge of Kansas City is the biggest investment ever in the state of Kansas. Now it looms as possibly the biggest paradox and largest question mark hanging over the state and its future fortunes. The paradox is that one of the…

A rendering of a natural gas burning plant Evergy plans to build in Sumner County, Kansas.

Mum’s The Word on the Solar Farm at Kansas City Airport

Area residents flying to and from home may wonder about the fate of the gleaming solar farm at Kansas City International Airport promised a year ago by Kansas City officials and Evergy. The short answer is that attorneys for the city and the consortium Evergy assembled to build the project are still working on the…

Panasonic Energy's electric vehicle battery plant is under construction in De Soto, Kansas.

Panasonic Plant Could ‘Revolutionize Region’s Economy’

Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas believes the opening of the $4 billion electric car battery manufacturing plant in DeSoto early next year will revolutionize the region’s economy, lifestyle and self-image. Kansas and the Kansas City region will find themselves among elite, fast-charging locales around the globe whose fortunes are aligned with the push to create…

In this Feb. 1, 2021 file photo, emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City Strikes Out on Big Bid for Sustainability Funds

The Kansas City area won't get any of nearly $200 million it sought as part of a nationwide competition for $4.3 billion in federal sustainability grants.

Panasonic Energy's electric vehicle battery plant is under construction in De Soto, Kansas.

Can Panasonic Help Kansas be Saudi Arabia of Clean Energy?

The new Panasonic facility in DeSoto will be the world's biggest battery plant, raising the question of whether Kansas can be the Saudi Arabia of clean energy.

A view of Kansas City's skyline.

Kansas City Faces Fight as Feds Ponder Sustainability Grants

The Kansas City area faces stiff competition as it seeks nearly $200 million in federal sustainability grants to fund projects to address climate change.

Clouds in the sky.

Kansas City Area Seeks Unprecedented Sustainability Grants

The Kansas City area is pursuing nearly $200 million in federal grants to support sustainability efforts across the metro area.

In this Feb. 1, 2021, a smokestack from Evergy's Hawthorn coal-fired power plant is silhouetted against the setting sun in Kansas City.

Evergy Struggles to Cut Carbon as Energy Demand Soars

Evergy is struggling to meet soaring demand for electricity in the Kansas City area. It's complicating efforts to reduce carbon emissions amid climate change.