Civic Affairs

Caregivers in KC: Asen’s Story

Born with a disability at birth, and with no one left to help, Asen’s family turns to Lakemary Center in Paola, Kansas. Lakemary provides educational, mental, behavioral health, and social services to children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. We follow Asen’s approach in the classroom and interactions with his teachers and coaches, giving him the tools…

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(L-R) Christina Hill and her grandmother, Lucy Wilkerson, pose for a photo with Christina’s kids, Hunter Hill Harris and Summer Hill Harris, at Lucy’s assisted living home in Grain Valley, Missouri. (Chase Castor | Flatland)

Caregiving Squeezes Households Between Young and Old 

Melissa Johnson knows her life is hardly unique. The Oak Grove, Missouri, woman cares for her infirm 72-year-old mother, who lives in her own home nearby.  She calls her mother daily. She brings dinner to her several times a week.  Johnson, who coordinates care with her aunt, a team of therapists, and a nurse, is…

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Members of the band Saint Motel perform at Boulevardia.

Nick’s Picks | Soccer, Caregiving, Boulevardia and More …

Scramble to Save Stadiums A special legislative session aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri enters its second week today. The Missouri Senate has voted to cover up to 50% of the costs of new or improved stadiums for the teams, but the measure has yet to be taken up by the Missouri…

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Police car lights.

Nick’s Picks | Stadium Redux, KCK Mayor, Pride and more …

Special Session on Stadiums Starts Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has told state lawmakers to cancel family vacations and head back to Jefferson City today for a last-ditch effort to save the Chiefs and Royals. The special session begins at noon. It comes just days after the Royals acknowledged buying the mortgage on the old Sprint…

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Robert Franke stands for a photo with a map and a brush for clearing gravestones at Forest Hill Cemetery, off Troost in Kansas City, Missouri. Franke gathers users’ search requests at findagrave.com to generate a list of names and info he uses to locate the grave sites. (Chase Castor | Flatland

Volunteer ‘Gravers’ Search For Plots After Online Inquiries

Six years ago, Robert Franke’s heart doctor suggested he get more exercise. Some would have received that news and headed to the golf course or pickleball court. Franke headed for the closest cemetery. There he pursued his new calling as a Find a Grave volunteer — or “graver,” as some of them refer to themselves…

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