Minority-Led Stories
His BBQ is no joke: This comedian-turned-entrepreneur uses an inclusive menu to get families back on the same page
After nearly a year in the smoker, Brodric Cason is lifting the lid on B-On-Meatz — a catering company with an appetite for ensuring everyone can enjoy Kansas City barbecue, no matter their dietary restrictions. B-On-Meatz BBQ offers vegan and traditional barbecue, using kosher and halal meats. Launched in early 2025, the business has a…
Overnight proof? Boujee Baker KC rising after decades in the ooey-gooey making
It’s the wee hours of the morning. Pitch-dark sky, hardly a murmur on these urban streets. Most of Kansas City tucked in their cozy beds. But inside this tiny brick building on 12th Street earlier this week, the lights are bright, R&B music is buzzing, and the oven is blazing — ready to finish off…
Bless-tested: 6-year-old’s first instinct was to help; now she wants to bag more impact
When Ava-Rochelle Woodard rides through Kansas City with her parents, the 6-year-old pays attention. She notices people walking along the road, and when Ava sees someone who might need help, she asks a question that has grown into a community effort. “Do we have a bag in the car?” asks Ava, founder of Today’s Your…
Lesser-known sales tax faces pivotal 2026 vote, opportunity to define its next chapter
Editor’s note: The following details the Kansas City’s Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax initiative within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. EDCKC is a paid partner of Startland News. A decade-long experiment in east side investment is entering a new crucible as Kansas City’s CCED sales tax district heads toward a quiet…
A tree older than the US is dying in KC’s Northeast; here’s how an entrepreneur honored its energy, Indigenous roots
Trees are among humans’ most sacred relatives, said Alex Villalobos-McAnderson, a Shawnee-based energy medicine practitioner who noted that connections to the earth run deep even amid the turbulence of modern life and political uncertainty. The 250-year-old oak tree in Kansas City’s historic Northeast — set to be cut down in January because of fungal root…
