SNAP cuts are ‘worse than they look on paper’: Food access advocates warn shelves could go bare overnight
Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant doesn’t mince words about perceptions of the hungry Kansas Citians she serves daily through her award-winning culinary social venture. “These are the people who — if you listen to the rhetoric — are deemed ‘lazy,’” the founder of The Prospect KC’s NourishKC Community Kitchen told Startland News. “We know the narratives being…
Read MoreLISTEN: Fermenting a clean future through products from meat alternatives to skin creams and baby formula
On this episode of Startland News’ Plug and Play Topeka founder podcast series, we chat with Francesca Gallucci of Natáur, a Baltimore-based biotech company that’s reimagining how essential nutrients are made. Combining synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and eco-friendly fermentation, they’re producing bio-based taurine (and other naturally occurring sulfur compounds) without relying on petroleum. Gallucci takes…
Read MoreKCMO slashes fees for outdoor dining permits, launches dining trail for grant winning projects
Kansas City has officially eliminated outdoor dining permit fees, reducing the cost from $850 to zero, thanks to the momentum created by a city-led initiative to encourage investment in outdoor dining experiences, city leaders announced this week, unveiling new plans to promote funded businesses and their projects. Launched in 2024, the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program…
Read MoreWorld Cup will produce KC small biz millionaires in just weeks, leaders say, but it’s only the start
Kansas City can’t look at the World Cup in 2026 as one big event where businesses are going to make good money for a while, and then everything goes back to normal, said Wes Rogers. “This has to be the beginning of the next chapter of our city,” the 2nd District Councilman for Kansas City,…
Read MoreMissouri Starters Coalition debuts effort to boost homegrown jobs, future founders
Entrepreneurs across Missouri gained a new champion this week as regional and national advocates launched a new coalition to support builders in the face of systemic, confidence-shaking roadblocks as they seek to drive job creation and higher lifetime incomes. The Missouri Starters Coalition on Thursday unveiled its founding members — Back2KC, Cortex, E-Factory, Keystone Innovation…
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