Woman-led Stories
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…
‘You never know who’s watching’: Small Business Superstars celebrate being seen
Athena Printing opened its doors with a mission to give artists a local place to produce work without giving up control of the process. Just months later, the fine art printing studio is already making an impression — finding itself among hundreds of Kansas City businesses recognized as Small Business Superstars. Such affirmation of the…
Pitch competition winner says funds will help scale impact for neurodiverse children, their parents
Ivory Duncan teared up thinking about all the neurodiverse young people and their parents that she can champion now that she’s won $6,000 in the most recent pitch competition from The Porter House KC. The founder of Embracing Neuro-Diversity — a former educator and assistant principal — is building bridges between homes and schools to…
