Civic Affairs
Nick’s Picks | Buses, Schools, Eats and More …
Bus Service Shutdown? Money to run the bus service in Kansas City officially runs out on Friday, leaving thousands of riders worried about how they’ll get to work. The metro’s largest bus agency, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has been struggling to keep the service afloat after federal pandemic money dried up and…
Nick’s Picks | USDA, LBJ, Streetcar and More …
Trump Set to Move Thousands of USDA Jobs to KC We are waiting to hear more details this week about a new plan by President Donald Trump to move thousands of federal agriculture department jobs to Kansas City. It is part of a new push by the White House to shift government offices closer to…
Gay Bishop Reflects Evolution of Evangelical Lutheran Church
Almost 20 years ago, I devoted a long column in The Kansas City Star to an interview with two local pastors, both in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a Mainline Protestant denomination. The ELCA was then debating whether to change its rules to allow the ordination of LGBTQIA+ people as clergy. The Rev. Donna…
Nick’s Picks | White, Garner, Lucas and More …
Frank Decision Jackson County Executive Frank White has done something no one else has been able to accomplish over the past year. He’s managed to knock the stadium story off the front page. White’s fate has become Kansas City’s newest and biggest political drama. This week, we are waiting for a judge to rule on…
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…