Civic Affairs
Crossroads Prep Opens Downtown in Historic Thayer Building
By Kevin Collison Six years after launching Crossroads Academy in downtown with 190 elementary students, Dean Johnson and his colleagues welcomed another 190 students, this time at a new high school in the historic Thayer building. Johnson, executive director, said the charter school has grown to 800 students since opening in a former office building…
New Study: Downtown Prime Beneficiary of City Incentive Programs
By Kevin Collison A long-awaited report on how economic development tax incentives are used in Kansas City found the greater downtown area was the primary beneficiary during the 10 years covered by the study. The study presented last week to the Kansas City Council found the city was getting a good return on its investment…
Downtown Retail Survivor Bob Jones Shoes ‘Retiring’ After Almost 60 Years
By Kevin Collison The irony of Bob Jones Shoes making it through the tough times only to close now that downtown Kansas City is back on its feet isn’t lost on Rocky Horowitz. “We seen downtown go from bad to good to really good,” he said. “Once the Sprint Center opened and things got all…
Visit KC Chooses New Leader at Pivotal Time for Downtown Convention Industry
With Kansas City’s convention infrastructure poised to be its most competitive since the 1976 Republican National Convention, Visit KC has picked a top hospitality executive from Pittsburgh to help the city cash in on its investment. Jason Fulvi is the new president and CEO of Visit KC, the metro’s primary convention and tourism marketing organization,…
Police Seeking More Eyes for WatchKC Crime Program
By Kim Mueller Kansas City police are asking downtown businesses and residences with surveillance systems to participate in a voluntary, crime-fighting initiative called WatchKC. “If your camera works, we want to get a hold of you, “ said KCPD Sgt. Jacob Becchina who developed WatchKC, a KCPD program that registers surveillance cameras in the city….