Latest Stories
Coffee cluster percolating on one Troost block; will business support the buzz of six spaces to sip?
A new stretch of coffee shops in the 5500 block of Troost will test the caffeine tolerance of folks seeking a fix. Six options soon fill out the menu along this bustling corridor. Blackhole Bakery, High Hopes Ice Cream and The Littlest Bake Shop currently offer coffee along with their core menu items. But Blackhole…
Rally unifies voices amid attacks on immigrants, LGBT+ rights; now it’s time to make noise, organizers say
As anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies seeking to dismantle DEI efforts ramp up, Danny Soriano has seen inquiries and communication to his digital media business noticeably slow down, the Latino entrepreneur said. “Clients [suddenly seem] deterred from going with me — as opposed to somebody who’s not of color or white,” explained Soriano, the founder of…
Rooftop Austin’s Bar & Grill just one step in unlocking Olathe’s ‘downtown renaissance’
A century-old building in downtown Olathe will get new life as an indoor/outdoor restaurant complex known as County Square Commons — anchored by the popular Austin’s Bar & Grill. LANE4 Property Group and Austin’s are redeveloping the 10,859-square-foot building, which is expected to feature four or five storefronts on the street level at 114 to 126…
Concert: Black rockstars don’t just exist — they innovated the genre; how KC artists are still (song)writing history
A rock concert Friday at the newly opened Zhou B Art Center in Kansas City does more than place Black artists center stage for one night, said Malek Azrael; it spotlights that Black creatives belong in every musical space. “There is such a beautiful, Black presence in Kansas City and rock,” said Azrael, who is…
Blackhole Bakery plans bodega-style expansion for second location: a West Plaza ‘blank canvas’
During his five years operating on Troost, Jason Provo said real estate agents often approached him, asking, “When are you going to leave and get a big boy spot in Leawood?” Now the owner of beloved Blackhole Bakery is planning his second location. But not in Johnson County. Provo is taking over a space at…
Dublin down on shenanigans: Smoke Brewing goes green with St. Patrick’s season pop-up
St. Patrick’s Day-themed Shenanigans is now open in downtown Lee’s Summit. But just until March 23. The owners of Smoke Brewing Company at 209 S.E. Main St. decked out the barbecue restaurant and brewery in floor-to-ceiling St. Paddy’s decor, and have food and drink specials to match. It’s a way to make St. Patrick’s Day…
The game is rigged; the goalposts move (and we still have to pretend it’s fair)
Editor’s note: The perspectives expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. JQ Sirls is an author and illustrator, as well as co-founder and CEO of Storytailor — an AI-infused storytelling platform that turns children’s emotions and challenges into adventures filled with imagination and wonder. His company was named one of Startland News’ Kansas City…
How Trump’s win on DEI means fewer fresh foods for KC’s east side; USDA rakes back critical grant for farmers market
An ambitious plan to create greater food security through urban farming won’t be entirely uprooted by efforts to dry up federal funding for projects linked to equity and access, said Alana Henry — but its harvest likely will yield dramatically less. “Doing right by people is always the right answer,” said Henry, executive director of…
‘Black-owned dining passport’ launches in response to Trump’s attacks on diversity
A new effort encouraging support for local, Black-owned businesses — many in Kansas City’s historically redlined neighborhoods — is a timely reminder of the purchasing power in each diner’s hands, said Brandon Calloway. Kansas City G.I.F.T. on Friday launched the first edition of its “Savor The Flavor” Black-Owned Dining Passport, which features 13 restaurants. Diners…
As ICE threat scares customers, Kansas City businesses urged to ‘protect people working for you’
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. After a highly publicized raid on a Mexican restaurant in Liberty, Missouri, earlier this month, immigration advocates and attorneys are rushing…
