Arts & Culture

Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in Wyandotte County. Much of the attention, of course, is focused on Lionel Messi. The soccer…

Read More >
A new exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo is allowing visitors to come "nose to nose" with its long-necked residents. (Wikimedia Commons)

Nick’s Picks | Veep, Zoo, Fireworks and More …

Vance Lands in KC U.S. Vice President JD Vance touches down in Kansas City today to tout the Trump administration’s economic policies. According to the White House, Vance will tour Milbank Manufacturing, a nearly 100-year-old electrical parts company in northeast Kansas City, Missouri, before delivering remarks on tariffs, tax cuts and efforts to boost American-made…

Read More >
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is trading stadium talks for the Bloomberg CityLab in Madrid, Spain, this week. (Wikimedia Commons)

Nick’s Picks | Downtown, Spain, Jackson County, and More …

Next Steps on New Royals Ballpark Who’s got the toughest assignment in Kansas City right now? Try City Manager Mario Vasquez who’s been tasked this week with turning a new Royals stadium plan into something resembling an actual deal. Despite all the smiles and celebrations last week, many of the details are fuzzy and some…

Read More >
Leaders in Leavenworth, Kansas, are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to reopen a former CoreCivic facility as a federal immigration detention center. (Morgan Chilson | Kansas Reflector)

Nick’s Picks | Sports, Immigration, Booze and More …

Big 12 Takes Over Downtown It’s that time of year when workplaces start clearing out early to chase a bouncing orange ball. The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship rolls into town this week… the first sign that March Madness is on the way. K-State takes the court at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday. KU plays Thursday….

Read More >
Karen Paisley, artistic director and cofounder of the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, stands in a balcony above the stage at the Warwick Theatre. Behind her are storage tubs full of costumes that she and volunteers cleaned after a devastating fire at the site two years ago, on Feb. 6, 2024. (Todd Feeback | Flatland)

Up From the Ashes: Warwick Theatre Revival Draws Applause

Two years ago, John Cleary met a fellow Kansas City actor for drinks. Their conversation centered on the fate of the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. A large portion of the ensemble’s home, the Warwick Theatre, was ash, charred timbers and soot-saturated costumes and props — remnants from a recent massive fire. The destruction was so great…

Read More >

Local Storytelling. Fact-Based Reporting. Trustworthy Sources.

Help support the nonprofit media landscape in Kansas City and provide a platform for underrepresented voices across the region.