Hawnest. // image courtesy the artist

Musician Patrick Hawn’s debut release under the name Hawnest, the You Come Here Often? EP, is a fine example of “genre bending soundscapes inspired by early 2000s sampling, folk infused R&B, and indie pop.” When it dropped earlier this month, we were immediately taken in by the way Hawn’s music evokes both Frank Ocean and Bon Iver simultaneously, all woozy production and heart-on-the-sleeve confessional lyrics.

The four songs that comprise You Come Here Often? should easily make more than a few chill time playlists this spring, but what really got us was the fact that you can do more than listen to the first Hawnest EP. Hawn created an online media player for his website where listeners can isolate stems, apply production effects such as reverb, delay, and chorus, while also offering options to speed up and slow down, pitch up and down, reverse, and loop the audio.

The media player is an endless playground of options, allowing listeners to turn these tracks into whatever their hearts desire. We immediately created a chopped and screwed version of the first single, “Reggie,” and definitely lost an afternoon of productivity to fidgeting with as many possibilities as we could.

“I was trying to explore what could be the next evolution in streaming,” explains Hawn via Zoom one evening. “Because I feel people get one version of a song and then, you’re stuck with that version of the song.”

Additionally, Hawn says, he sees the media player as a way to make music production accessible to folks who don’t have a music background. As he notes, he certainly doesn’t, having picked things up over the years.

“I was like, ‘I think it would be cool to try to create a tool that allows people a deeper engagement with the music through changing some high-level functionality on the music,’” Hawn reflects. The player and the music come about as a combination of Hawn’s personal interests and his educational background. The musician graduated from Kansas State with a degree in industrial engineering at 23, but transitioned over the last four or five years into software development.

“Basically, I have been doing web development for the last four or five years,” says Hawn, while noting that he’d had no prior musical experience before picking up a guitar after graduation. “That was when I started cutting my teeth and being like, ‘Okay, I think I know enough to be dangerous in building this thing.’”

The idea behind the concept of a real-time mixing console is a way for Hawn to promote both skill sets that he has.

“I’ve just, over the years, built on the music knowledge, built on the software development knowledge, and tried to find that middle ground to come up with something unique,” Hawn offers, and he’s quite right in that assessment. It helps, though, that the music of You Come Here Often? stands on its own, beyond the technological sheen of the web player.

As Hawn explains, the four songs on the EP all deal with relationships, aging, and the tension and the ambiguity of it all when you graduate college. When you start a life following the formalized route of “go to college, get a degree,” the spectrum of life experience blows wide open in terms of where people are at and what they’re doing.

“My friends have started families, dating’s a lot harder the older you get, and so I think I wanted to have music that packages that,” Hawn continues. “But also too, I wanted to just get stuff out.”

It’s been a “slow burn” journey to this EP from starting with an acoustic guitar, Hawn says, describing it as “tinkering away” over the years. When he was unemployed during Covid, Hawn got a copy of Ableton and started sinking his teeth into learning it and recording. It took a long time to get to here because, Hawn says, he didn’t really do arts in high school or college.

“So, I just held a lot of this stuff within,” the musician says. “I was a big consumer of music, but I knew the next phase in my journey was like, ‘I wanna try to make it. I wanna try to add to the conversation and’–I don’t know, just make good music.”

Hawnest. // image courtesy the artist

Messing around with what Ableton could do, Hawn began making beats and chopping up samples, and got good results, but the downside was that he couldn’t release any of it due to copyright. With that realization, Hawn taught himself to record his own guitar, and from there, essentially sampled himself.

“On ‘Vince, Be Cool,’ that initially started out as me just playing some piano chords and then guitar, and then I chopped it up like I would with a beat,” Hawn says of his process. “I resampled myself singing, as well.”

Hawn wanted to bridge the gap between making beats and his singer-songwriter side, and that encapsulates the music that is Hawnest. Think Dijon, but all recorded in an apartment and learning as you go. Add in Bon Iver to the equation, and you can see the music of Hawnest as being a perfectly natural way of approaching music, with both of those artists starting out as one person with a guitar before finding their way into pop music, hip hop, and things like that.

Another interesting aspect of the web player for You Come Here Often? is that it’s led Hawn himself to hear his own music in a new context. When we mention our chopped and screwed excursions, he notes that what he’s been doing, too.

“A lot of these songs I never messed with the BPM or the pitch when I was making ’em,” Hawn admits. “So when I was playing back ‘Reggie’ on the website, it was like, ‘Oh shit, this sounds pretty good at 95-100 BPM.’ I kinda like it more upbeat and I’m like, ‘Damn it, I should have sped it up a little bit.’”

While the web player is fun, we wonder aloud to Hawn what his end goal for the project and ask him if he hopes that, by being able remix music on the fly, folks will engage beyond a surface level response of, “It’s a bop.”

“Yeah, I think that’s the goal, hopefully,” Hawn says. “And it would be cool to inspire someone to also get into music production, just based on a website that encourages someone to take one more step forward and learn more about the different components of making a song or whatnot.”

It’s an approach Hawn himself has learned from artists like Dijon.

“Just his humility when he makes music,” Hawn continues. “He’s very clearly going on Zane Lowe and being like, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m figuring it out,’ and it’s–man, I feel the same way.”

Hawn says that while he doesn’t have a formal background in music, he finds there’s just so much joy in creating.

“I find it reminds me a lot of playing with Legos as a kid,” Hawn says. “I think I’ll always be making music. It’s a way for me to express myself and get the stuff that I bottle up out in a healthy way.”

Hawnest’s You Come Here Often? is streaming now.

Photo by Tarik Sykes

Michael Wacha struck out seven while pitching four-hit ball through eight innings, Maikel Garcia homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the White Sox 2-0 on Saturday as Chicago’s scoreless streak reached 20 innings.

The new color scheme for the Royals… looks like it looks.

Our photographer Tarik Sykes was there to capture the action:

Kansas public school students will need to get parental permission before they can leave school to attend a protest after the Legislature pushed through legislation by overturning the governor’s veto on April 10, 2026. Here, Lawrence High School students and residents protested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 27, 2026, Lawrence, across the street from the school. (Photo by Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — Kansas public school students raising their voices in protest during school hours will need parental permission to leave school grounds to attend a rally or protest event after legislative action Friday.

The House and Senate overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s line-item veto in the budget bill to enact a proviso that will punish youth for skipping school to attend a protest.

In early March, both chambers passed legislation to clamp down on public school protests by requiring students to receive parental permission before participating and hitting school districts with penalties as high as $100,000 per day if they’re complicit in organizing or encouraging the events or if they don’t enforce restrictions. Fines would go to the state general fund.

In addition, students must make up an instructional day if they walk out for a protest.

Sen. Silas Miller, D-Wichita, said he had concerns that people who didn’t agree with the reason for the protest might file complaints, which could result in bounty-like situations in which schools are fined.

“The next thing you know, there’s a bunch of money being spent on investigations and people getting in trouble, even if the students did get their parental consent,” he said.

Many legislators spoke about freedom of speech rights and the importance of protest in the United States’ history.

Both Kelly, in her veto, and Democratic lawmakers on the House floor noted it was ironic that Republicans uniformly supported a bill honoring slain activist Charlie Kirk and students’ rights to free speech, then penalized school districts and students if they exercised those rights.

Sen. Pat Pettey, D-Kansas City, said the legislature was giving mixed signals in its treatment.

“We, on one hand, are passing legislation to protect the freedom of our students, whether at the university level and our public schools, and on the other hand, saying, ‘But no, we don’t like the way you’re talking right now or how you’re behaving right now, so we’re going to do just the opposite,’” she said.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, an Overland Park Democrat who is running for governor, said a student called to ask her if this bill would have been introduced if students had walked out to protest Kirk’s death. Instead, several school walk-outs protested Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activities.

“I hope people ponder that question. Who are we protecting free speech for and who are we penalizing?” she said. “Free speech rights do not end at the schoolhouse door.”

Rep. Rui Xu, a Westwood Democrat, spoke directly to any students who might be listening.

“They want you to just sit down and be quiet,” he said. “You are not troublemakers. Like our forefathers, you are being engaged citizens. The moment that the government starts writing laws that silence the youngest voices is the moment that your voices become the most important ones in the room.”

Proponents agreed that Kansas students have the right to free speech, but said they need to express themselves outside school hours.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.

Cow Town Country Club // Courtesy of Stockyards Brewing

It was 1912 in the West Bottoms. Over 200,000 cattle mingled as far as the eye could see, the land owned by the Kansas City Livestock Exchange. In a good year, two million cows were shipped to be slaughtered. Now, over 100 years later, something has risen from these heifer-hallowed grounds: some damn good music and beer. Both are part of Stockyards Brewing’s concert series, Sunday Service, which has been held every Sunday afternoon for 10 years and is a staple of Kansas City’s folk scene.

Located in the historic Golden Ox, Stockyards Brewing opened its doors on April 15, 2016, exactly 10 years ago. The brewery continues to embrace the cattle-prodding legacy of its location, seamlessly weaving the past into its present.

Greeting patrons as they approach on Genessee Street is the painstakingly maintained hand-painted “Golden Ox” sign displayed in the window. A heavy wooden door that sticks a bit guards the early 1900s history. A faithfully recreated saloon awaits – the centerpiece is the solid-wood bar with stained-glass decorations hanging from the ceiling. Traditional wood accents and light fixtures adorn the walls, all leading to a backdrop of cattle ranchers on a Western horizon. It’s here that every Sunday at 3 pm, Americana amplifies out into a packed house.

Sunday Service stage // Courtesy of Stockyards Brewing

Inside, friendly faces such as Jordy Brady—Sunday’s expert bartender who never forgets a face or order—set the tone. Alongside Jordy is Melissa VanGoethem; together, they’ve maintained the show’s consistency for a decade. Supported by ‘trailboss‘ Greg Bland and the team, Stockyard Brewing celebrates navigating the open plains of alcohol vending and concert hosting in the 21st century.

“We originally were calling it Bluegrass Sundays,” explains founder Bland. “We eventually expanded that genre, and it became all about the community. Bluegrass has always been a gathering place.” The community Bland is referring to is a diverse crowd: from a web of musicians to entire families to the regulars who leave saying, “church was great today.”

A typical Sunday, friends, strangers, old-timers, and families packed shoulder to shoulder, exchanging hugs and ‘how the hell have you been’. It’s the sort of environment where everyone knows everyone, even if it’s your first time, you’re included in that hospitality. The brewery for a concert venue is quintessentially intimate – you are never 30 feet away from the musicians or another beer.

The typical bluegrass outfit (guitar, mandolin, banjo, and upright bass, with the occasional fiddle) is most likely to make up the sermons that grace Sunday Service. The music is tight. Bluegrass is technical, yet mainly improvisational. Any given week, a new arrangement of some of KC’s most talented musicians will come together. Maybe make you cry with a new cover of a Glen Campbell song (just a hypothetical). And even though the lineup is set, you never know what you’ll get.

“It’s the kind of music where people step in, and they jam together,” explains VanGoethem. “We don’t care who’s coming. We’ll know it’ll be great.” Bands such as Cee Dee Vee, Whiskey Mash Band, and John Brown Boys (or any of the other 10 years’ worth of folk bands) have made the stage their home.

According to Bland, Sunday Service just started to catch on once they got the first concert started. “I think one of the first bands was an employee connection. After that, if a band played here, we would ask them, ‘Who else should we reach out to?’ Then those bands would start to tell their band friends, and those people would start reaching out.”

Stockyards hosted the event quarterly until the team realized there was enough traction to move it to every Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. “We quickly changed to that, and we’ve done it ever since. I think we’ve only missed stupid Super Bowls,” VanGoethem explains. Even for Chiefs fans, there’s just something about Sundays at the stockyards.

Barroom Billies // Courtesy of Stockyards Brewing

“Now it’s up to the musicians if they want the Chiefs games on,” explains Brady. “One Sunday, The Matchsellers came over to the TV and narrated the game. They moved the whole band right here, and he was banging on his banjo while the game was going on. It was hilarious.”

The Sunday Service concerts are usually held inside Stockyards Brewing, but when the weather is favorable, they have also been held outdoors in the brewery’s West Bottoms backyard. Due to recent wind-related transgressions against an upright bass, outdoor events have been paused, but the upcoming April 11 celebration marks their return to this space for the 10-year anniversary.

A celebration with food, drink, and music is set for Sunday, April 11, featuring longtime performers Konza Swamp Band and special guests.

“They’ve had a couple of shows where they have gone full acoustic,” explains Bland. “One day they went full unplugged, and the band got behind the bar and played the entire show there.” When any given Sunday has a chance to be memorable, nobody wants to miss it.

Jordy and Melissa trade stories over the long-term friendships these walls have cultivated. A bridesmaid’s request mistaken for a marriage proposal, the merchandise Melissa has helped curate over the years, and swooning over surprise performances like the most recent fiddle step in from Betse Ellsi.

To top it off, Jordy Brady met Mr. Brady while working a Sunday Service. “Billy is my husband, he’s in Whiskey Mash Band. I was bartending here, and he had played here for years. I just batted my eyes at him for a bit,” described Brady. A bluegrass brewery hallmark movie.

Not only has Stockyard’s scene been a staple for people who have been coming there for 10 years, but the beer is also finding its roots in the Midwest. Stockyard Brewing has recently crossed a state line. The Kansas takeover has commenced with the opening of their taproom in Overland Park. This expansion looks away from the history of the meat trade and towards the history of the meat counter.

“Once we started construction and ripping things out, we found remnants of the old Piggly Wiggly,” explains Bland. “The bar was designed to be like the meat counter at the grocery store; we wanted to mix in a sort of mid-century modern cowboy feel to it.”

Soon, the team hopes this space will take on a life of its own, hosting events. “If we tried to recreate Sunday Service down there, people would still come to this bar. This room is electric on Sundays,” explains Brady.

After years in the Kansas City ‘burbs, it’s easy to overlook the city’s bluegrass roots. But whether you wear boots or Converse, cowboy hats or beanies, Stockyard Brewing’s Sunday Service remains welcoming. The service’s principles—love, acceptance, and a sense of higher power—are always easier to celebrate with a beer in hand.

After  Brady summarizes the Sunday Service mentality, “We’re a big ole’ honkin’ family. And people feel it pretty quickly. If you come to town and you’re looking to meet people, it’s a great place to do it.”

Art by Teddy Rosen

Do you want intimate, behind-the-scenes stories of our process, adventures, and general parasocial relationships? Become a supporting member of The Pitch and get our weekly internal newsletter as a silly little perk, with dispatches from the edge and bonus stories. Today, our President/COO gives a peek behind the curtain of his life during BEST OF 2026 nomination round tabulation, and what winds up on the cutting room floor.

Andrew Miller, President/COO:

Normally, I’d be at recordBar tonight, absorbing the high-viscosity swamp-sludge sounds of the New Orleans band Crowbar. I’ve seen them a few times, at now-defunct venues like El Torreon and Aftershock, and there’s nothing quite like the humid heft of their dense riffs.

But the show sold out almost immediately, due to new fans finding the group on TikTok and making memes about its uniquely weighty tones. (Around the time of Spotify Wrapped diagnosing “listening age,” I saw comments along the lines of “I’ve been playing a lot of Crowbar; my listening weight is three tons.”) I learned about Crowbar through Beavis and Butt-Head (“This is the kind of music you have on a workout tape if you’re skinny, and you wanna get fat”), so it’s heartening to see young people still discovering heavy music through comedy.

Speaking of plodding slogs, I’m about halfway through the 70-hour process of auditing the 38,000+ submissions from The Pitch’s Best of KC Nomination Round, which concluded on 3/31. There have been many mentions over the years about the multiple spellings of Meshuggah Bagels (there were 29 this year), but that’s a relatively easy fix: You just click a checkmark next to each of them and merge them with the correct entry.

The more time-consuming corrections occur when someone votes for a favorite bar (perhaps enjoying its offerings at the time) in many categories, including some that aren’t necessarily applicable. If you’re written in for “Best Rooftop Bar” but you’re a one-story establishment and your patrons would have to supply their own ladders – sorry, ineligible.

Similarly well-intentioned are the occasional nominations of physicians/tattoo artists/insurance agents/jazz musicians who have retired; I get that the pleasant memories are real and lasting and not everyone is doing fact-checking research before Best of KC nominations (or voting of any kind), but this contest is reserved for the actively practicing.

But even though I’m seeing the ballot forms imprinted behind my closed eyelids like shapes after an all-night Tetris marathon, I’m still excited to go through the nominations and find out from our readers what’s new, what’s underrated, what’s overlooked. We have our strongest field of Best New Bar and Best New Restaurant candidates in many years. (The Peanut, as a 92-year-old establishment, doesn’t qualify, but I understand the enthusiasm of the person who wrote them in; maybe it was their first time there, and it’s new to them!)

Before seeing it as a nomination, I’d never heard of Happy Rock Park in Gladstone. Looks like it’s a neighborhood favorite. Maybe I’ll check out the trails some Sunday morning, love the peaceful setting and tell everyone I know, “You’ve gotta get out there!” The Pitch’s Best of KC is about BBQ titans and luxurious spas battling it out, sure, but it’s also about crowdsourced under-the-radar recommendations and discovery. Thanks to everyone who contributed and/or looks forward to exploring once we reveal the finalists on April 22.

All I had (I gave),

Andrew Miller

Photo by Tarik Sykes

The Kansas City Current advanced to the championship match of the 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, with a 2-1 victory over Corinthians SC on Thursday night at CPKC Stadium. Forward Haley Hopkins opened the scoring in the 39th minute and, after the Brazilian side equalized in the 75th minute, midfielder Avery Clark capped her professional debut with a remarkable headed goal in the 82nd minute. Clark’s header stood as the game-winning goal, sending Kansas City to the Teal Rising Cup Championship for the second year in a row. The Current will face SE Palmeiras on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT.

In the first match of Thursday’s doubleheader, Brazil’s SE Palmeiras notched a 1-0 victory over Mexican side Club América. Palmeiras earned the lone goal of the contest in the 68th minute, breaking through a resolute Club América defense with a well-worked set piece capped by defender Poliana. Fellow defender Fernanda latched onto a long free kick served into the Club América box and headed it across goal for Poliana, who steered a header from near the penalty spot into the back of the net.

The 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, concludes Sunday with a doubleheader at CPKC Stadium. The Kansas City Current will meet Brazil’s Palmeiras at approximately 6 p.m. CT as the Current aim for its second consecutive Teal Rising Cup. A clash between Corinthians and Club América at 3 p.m. CT will precede the championship match.

Our photographer Tarik Sykes was there to capture the action:

KC Current vs. Corinthians SC

SE Palmeiras vs. Club América

KC Sipps logo by Theodore Rosen

Life in KC is pretty delicious. In fact, there is often so much going on that it can be hard to decide where to go and what to try.

That’s where I come in. 

I’ve curated this weekly list of events, openings, deals, and celebrations to keep you in-the-know. Cheers!

Something New

News Bites: Enjoy Pure Food + Drink’s Leawood location is celebrating 10 years of serving up fresh and wholesome dishes. You’re invited in on the fun this week with special menu items, discounts, BOGO dinner entrées on Thursday, and more. 

As if they don’t already do enough for our daily life and overall culture, some KC restaurants are offering even more with new classes and how-to events, often outside of their regular hours. Take Care, the Crossroads coffee shop, is welcoming Work in Process for an apron-making class to cover some sewing basics on April 19. King G, catty-corner from Take Care in the East Crossroads, has introduced cocktail classes with flexible dates. Tian Tea House in Columbus Park has invited Taiwanese chef Tiffany Alexandria for a couple made-from-scratch dumpling classes and tea pairings in May. 

Common Tiger, the speakeasy on Johnson Drive and sister bar of The Primrose, just got a makeover. Additional seating and an aesthetic swap transformed the space into a chic and moody new look, and now offers seated service. 

If April were a pastry, it would be the beautiful blueberry cream cheese concha at Aurora Cafe & Bakery. But to sweeten the deal, $4 from every pastry sold this month will be donated to Child Protection Center KC in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Opening

Te Amo Café: Stanley Square has a new boba shop. Te Amo Café opened over the weekend and now serves boba tea, lattes, waffle dishes, and more. It is open daily from 10:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Casita de lil Chingu: Chingu fans, rejoice. After a few days of trial runs, popping up at Garden House Cafe, Chingu has a longer-term plan for serving the Rosedale community with a new twist. Starting this weekend, a new menu of Korean/Mexican dishes can be enjoyed at Garden House Cafe and Sagebrush. The hours are limited, so check the respective establishment’s social media for specifics. 

April 11

Museum of BBQ: It’s been one year of barbecue schoolin’ and ball pit beanin’. The Museum of BBQ in Crown Center is celebrating with events all day with samples and giveaways. Boulevard Brewing Co. is offering samples from 12 – 2 p.m.; and to stay completely on theme, Burnt Finger BBQ will pop up with samples from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Q39 from 1 – 3 p.m.; and Rufus Teague from 3 – 5 p.m. Regular admission tickets are required, which are $10.

Underdog Wine Co.: The founder of KC’s own Bronson’s Punch will be at Underdog in the Crestwood shops at 3 p.m., providing an educational seminar and tasting. Tickets are $50 for this event, which also includes snacks from nearby Vita’s Place. 

Rock Island Bridge: The new bridge, complete with restaurants and a bar, just opened and is already being taken over. Well, a one-night-only Queer Bar Takeover. From 9 p.m. – 12 a.m., the bridge will become a haven for queer joy. A few tickets remain at the $20 level. Drinks are not included, but tickets cover the DJs and entry to Q Kansas City afterwards.

April 12

Beverly’s: The new Strawberry Hill bar and restaurant is throwing a yacht rock-themed oyster party! KC Oyster Festival will pop up from 12 – 5 p.m. to provide oysters, and Beverly’s full menu will be available. If this is your jam, go ahead and grab tickets for the KC Oyster Festival, happening at J. Rieger & Co. on May 17.

Plan Ahead

Bella Napoli: Bella Napoli in Brookside is celebrating 25 years! A quarter of a century is an impressive milestone for any restaurant. On April 18, they will host an open house from 1 – 4 p.m. with wine, light bites, and opportunities to share special Bella Napoli memories in person and online.

In the Lowest Ferns: On April 24, In the Lowest Ferns is the place to be. The West Bottoms multi-purpose club is hosting Amante Domingo, chef and owner of Le Champion, Noka, and The Russell, for a festive fundraiser. Domingo is celebrating his birthday with food, naturally, and raising money for Kanbe’s Markets. Expect yakitari, island-themed drinks, and a little flame here and there. Tickets are free but require advance registration.

Livestream screenshot

The back-and-forth on the next Royals ballpark location could once again end up in downtown Kansas City.

At an April 9 Kansas City Council meeting, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other council members proposed legislation that would relocate the Royals to Washington Square Park—right between Crown Center and Union Station.

Before you get too excited (or otherwise), Ordinance 260339 is still subject to review by the City’s Finance Committee next week. Then, there would be a council-wide vote and further review by the Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.

Unlike the failed 2024 proposal for a stadium in the Crossroads, the process this time around excludes a public vote.

Should this ordinance pass, City Manager Mario Vasquez would have the authority to enter a binding term sheet, lease, and development agreements for the design, construction, and operation of the new stadium plus immediately surrounding infrastructure. The current plan would only demolish the now-vacant Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City offices and a nearby service road. Meanwhile, the property in its place would be under the ownership of the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.

“I’m heartened by the fact we see no destruction of existing businesses,” Lucas told The Kansas City Star.

Livestream screenshot

A successful vote would also mean a $1.9 billion investment in this proposed Downtown Ballpark District, with the City footing $600 million of the bill in a public-private agreement with team ownership.

This would be supplied by bonds, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and other allocations from the City budget. There would be no new taxes. Also, the State of Missouri’s Show-Me Sports Investment Act, passed last year, could fund up to 50% of qualifying development costs.

“When completed, it will be the largest single economic development project in the history of Downtown Kansas City,” Lucas says.

For some fully realized news: the Royals recently revealed their 2026 City Connect uniforms.

Patrick Mahomes on stage alongside event emcee Christian Walker // Photo by Samantha Russell

Thursday April 2: the T-Mobile Center hosts the fourth annual Lead to Read KC Reading Rally with special guest Patrick Mahomes. The event provides incentive for students participating in Lead to Read mentorship and Read for 15 programs.

A perfect quarter of an hour resides in the number stitched on Mahomes’ jersey. The Read for 15 program, part of 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, uses that number to encourage kids to read for fifteen minutes a day. 15 and the Mahomies exists to improve the lives of children. For the last four years, their Read for 15 program has partnered with Lead to Read to advance youth literacy.

Over 3000 schoolchildren from 33 schools across the metro descended into the T-Mobile Center for the culminating event of their year-long programs.

A drum line kicks as students fill the seats. KC Wolf works the crowd as palpable energy infuses the stadium with excited shrieks reaching high frequencies. Ahead of Mahomes’ appearance, kids break it down to comestible pop hits like “Espresso” and “Hot to Go” as cheerleaders sashay pom poms.

Lead to Read pairs one-on-one reading volunteers with students to read for half an hour over a volunteer’s lunch break. Students get to select and keep a book they want to read. Funding provided by 15 and the Mahomies allows Lead to Read to provide books of interest to students. These range from sports books to graphic novels—books that aren’t in a school’s curriculum, but foster a necessary sense of fun associated with reading.

Rhea M. LeGrande and KC Wolf // Photo by Samantha Russell

Rhea M. LeGrande, Executive Director of Lead to Read, speaks to the importance of the program and Reading Rally event, “Every single reading mentor matters. Every time an adult chooses to pour into a child, that matters. And, when someone has the visibility and star power like Patrick Mahomes, tells a child face to face, ‘reading matters, and you matter, and you reading matters to me’—that plants this seed in a kiddo that just can’t be replicated.”

Literacy rates across the KC Metro are an area of concern for educators over the last few years. Missouri state data shows that less than a quarter of third-graders are reading at grade level. Third grade is a crucial checkpoint for literacy, as up until third grade, primary emphasis is placed on learning to read. But beyond this grade level, students are expected to gain knowledge from reading. Students who are not proficient in reading by third grade will struggle to comprehend learning material, impacting life outcomes beyond high school. Programs like Lead to Read and Read for 15 are essential boosts to the literacy landscape for young students.

LeGrande says of the book selection, “It builds reading stamina, reading confidence, and reading joy—because the kids get to pick what book they’re reading. It’s primarily done during the school day, but they’re all techniques that we know as educators work to build kids’ independent reading skills.”

40,000 books are given out across the year and two thousand reading volunteers participate weekly.

Patrick Mahomes enters, with children spinning their white, newly-obtained, Garmin-sponsored t-shirts in the air like rally towels as Tech N9ne’s “KCMO Anthem” plays.

For fans of the Chiefs, I’m here to report the three-time Super Bowl MVP walked exceedingly well to the stage. Mahomes’ left knee, which underwent ACL surgery after major injury December 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, looks stronger than ever.

As if part of a pre-game huddle, he gave a pep talk to the enthusiastic crowd, “Let’s have a great day today and have some fun!” continuing, “I’m here today because reading is important… I just wanna show y’all, if you read for fifteen minutes, you can become smarter in everything you do in life—including playing quarterback, or whatever your dreams are.”

Mahomes and over 3000 schoolchildren at T-Mobile Center // Photo by Samantha Russell

Mahomes read aloud from local author C.L. Fails’ book Ella and the One Great Race alongside the author herself and event emcee, Crossroads Charter School teacher Christian Walker. The book shows different ethnicities of people running in a long run race with Ella’s positive mindset as she faces down the 5k. Mahomes asked the students if any of them are fast runners. He confides with a laugh, “I’m not very fast.”

Against the defensive line of illiteracy, Mahomes reminds students about the habits of persistence and practice: “No matter what you’re doing, you have to go out there and read every single day to be successful. Reading takes practice. Just like everything in life—just like me practicing on the football field—every time you read, you’re going to get better and better.”

Rhea M. LeGrande says of his live appearance, “Kids see superstars as someone or something far away—almost magical. Patrick coming in person, saying, ‘I read daily to increase my sports ability, I read daily because I’m curious about the world, I read to my own kids,’—that associates reading less as just something that has to be done in school and more as something that is important for all of us to do to unlock all of our potential.”

Abigail Morris // Photo by Samantha Russell

The Last Dinner Party played their rollicking music to a ravenous crowd at the Midland on Wednesday, April 1. Wrapped up in their name, The Last Dinner Party presents both religious and apocalyptic imagery, twisting each to garnish their oeuvre with tart aromatics. 

Their second album From the Pyre released 2025 matures the themes of Prelude to Ecstasy. They create an illustrious stratosphere with dark academia undertones that are feminist and queer-forward.

With a highlight on “The” preceding their name, the band proclaims righteous recognition of their craft. When I first heard “Caesar on a TV Screen” from their first album on a New York City subway platform, I was floored by the lyricism. It’s like reading the opening sentence of a new-to-you-classic-writer that holds such incisive precision one cannot but throw their hands up and think, ‘who does this person think they are?’ The song encompasses gender fluidity alongside gender equality with scathing satirical commentary towards the patriarchal landscape: “I can talk all the time/‘cause my shoulders are wide.”

I stood back then on that dreary and oddly humid platform containing air soaked through with every imaginable cityscape refuse, feeling, somehow, light. Feeling seen, saturated by the visionary nature of their lyrics.

Aurora Nishevci // Photo by Samantha Russell

Emily Roberts // Photo by Samantha Russell

I stand now in front of their glory real time, dappled wet with the Kansas City April downpour set upon us by the sky in promise of May flowers.

They emerge on the opulent stage, serving silhouettes to shrill audience cheers. The stage holds free-standing arches posing ruins of a once-affluent time period. A greyhound weathervane stands on the far arch. Above, metal birds dance in a glittering mobile. As they catch and cast light, the setting is at once purgatory and womb. 

The lights come up, accentuating modern baroque outfits. Abigail Morris on vocals emerges in a laced cream gown with flowing tatters slit up to the hip; Aurora Nishevci dons an angular black pinstripe suit contrasting her red keyboards and black piano; Emily Roberts on lead guitar and mandolin and flute is in gauzy and muted flouncy dress; and Lizzie Mayland on rhythm guitar dappers with a white poet shirt and gray baggy pants so folded they’re skirt-like. Each accentuates their own personality. And as The Last Dinner Party does, they fit together to combine a larger-than-life force in the process.

Georgia Davies, who discussed with me her favorite song to write on the recent album, was not present to play the twanging baseline of “Count the Ways” for us. Max Lilley stood in for Davies, who badly hurt her back, Morris tells us, though she wishes to be there. Throughout the set, backline technician Lilley is in smiling disbelief that he’s on stage.

Lizzie Mayland and Max Lilley // Photo by Samantha Russell

Nishevci procures a beautiful song in her Albanian mother tongue with Roberts plucking mandolin, rolling into “Rifle,” a song addressing war and the place man’s behavior has in it. 

If there was ever a flat point during the show, it was when songs from the band’s first album were performed with lackluster expansiveness. Patterned instrumentation and indifferent faces trudged through the rote monotony of tracks done many times over. The Last Dinner Party came to know these songs well as they toured their only album two years ago in a global circuit encompassing not only countries but also festivals. Though energy as a whole was not lost, any stagnation was brief and barely perceptible, only noted when compared to more illuminating performances of songs they put forward with great enjoyment. Morris’ vocals kept up the energy throughout. Her performance superseded any draw towards the prosaic. 

Photo by Samantha Russell

The audience brought sharp incisors to snap up what Morris threw down. Enthusiasm was shown not just in cheers, but in the form of handmade signs. On behalf of the band, Morris accepted signage reading “Kansas City loves Portrait of a Dead Girl” on a brown paper scroll and a painted occult lamb. She pauses to sign a foot cast of a dancer with gushing empathy for the injury and thanks the opening act, Florence Road, heartily.    

Light illuminated the band anew as their energy flourished with songs from the recently released From the Pyre. They mix a wide range of shared vocal talent performing songs from this album. On “Woman is a Tree” the four of them circle around a microphone to unleash different layers of stunning hair-raising and haunting vocals. 

Stage lights glow at times like fire, illuminating the flowing backdrop and staged landscape like a beautiful wasteland utopia. The Last Dinner Party embodies with full ecstasy of being. 

With a well-done performance, we’ll linger in the sweet aftertaste until the next album. 

Photo by Samantha Russell

Photo Gallery by Eli Ralls

The Last Dinner Party

Florence Road

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

“It’s a torture to need people,” Holly (Emilie Kouatchou) sighs in the fourth act of David Adjmi’s 1970s-set play Stereophonic. It’s not a cynical statement, but a weary one—and this group of people understand her sentiment better than most.

Holly and her bandmates have been recording the follow-up to their number one selling record for an entire year (their last album was finished in three weeks). Over that time, professional and personal relationships have faltered, recovered and imploded. Former spouses and close friends now can’t stand to be in the same room with each other. Small conflicts born of lingering insecurities have exploded into ego-trip-powered shouting matches.

Holly’s point is this: We need people, whether as emotional support, moral guidance or creative collaborators. Human beings are built for community. But the communities we build — even the healthiest, most loving ones — inevitably break our hearts. Sometimes you’re heartbroken, sometimes you’re the heartbreaker, sometimes you’re both. That’s the way it goes.

The national tour of Adjmi’s Tony-winning play, currently on show at the Kauffman Center, is lightly cut down from the original Broadway production to fit it in under three hours (Adjmi lovingly calls it “The Radio Edit”). Fortunately, that trimming doesn’t take away from the immersive atmosphere, which plops audiences into a recording studio in Sausalito, CA, in the mid-70s as an unnamed band that’s not Fleetwood Mac but also not not Fleetwood Mac encounters sudden fame and the fallout that comes with it.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

While the story is its own, Stereophonic’s setting and cast of characters are pretty much a one-to-one parallel for Fleetwood Mac’s recording of Rumours.

Holly, the keyboardist, and her kooky, hard-partying bassist husband Reg (Christopher Mowod) are stand-ins for Christine and John McVie. Talented but insecure singer Diana (Claire DeJean) is our Stevie Nicks. She’s married to Peter (Andrew Gombas in last night’s production), the perfectionist frontman/Lindsey Buckingham approximation.

Weary manager/drummer Simon (Cornelius McMoyer), the play’s version of Mick Fleetwood, is desperately trying to keep everyone working together peaceably. Behind the boards, fledgling engineer Grover (Jack Barrett)—Adjmi’s fictionalized take on Rumours co-producer Ken Caillat—is increasingly certain this record might make his career, if it doesn’t break his brain first.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Straight plays don’t often get national tours, but Stereophonic is a capital-P production worthy of that treatment, from the ambitious scenic design to the original songs by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, performed live onstage by the actors themselves. The single, impressive set resembles a swanky 70s recording studio: warm wood paneling, poufs, pillows and blankets draped alongside shag carpeted stairs. The recording booth sits on an upper level, behind a wall of glass.

The only flaw in the set design is the wood frames breaking up those window panels. While they’re certainly handsome and period-appropriate, they mess with audience sight lines to a distracting degree. When the whole band performs together, for instance, those window frames might keep you from seeing Holly’s keyboard or bisect your view of Diana, unless you happen to be seated front and center. The design is consistent with the show’s Broadway run and doesn’t ruin the experience, but every time the band enters the booth, it’s hard not to wish set designer David Zinn had gone a different route.

This is also a long play. Adjmi uses much of that length to explore character elements that start subtle, but explode later—the way they might in a creative partnership or a marriage. However, we do also feel that time. When the final act hits, you might feel as tired as the band members themselves. That may or may not be by design, but it does lend a certain air of relief to the final scenes, when necessary, long-avoided conversations finally get addressed.

Stereophonic uses a much-obsessed-over actual event as a springboard to explore creative and romantic relationships, and how our own insecurities, when combined with others’, can contain both the seeds of greatness and of destruction. It’s fascinating and heartbreaking to watch these characters build each other up, then slowly tear each other back down.

Adjmi observes those dynamics so well that you’ll likely be thinking about the play, and all the music that inspired it, for a long time afterward.

Courtesy Well Go USA

With over 100 films to his name, Takashi Miike has created something to satisfy every film fan out there. He’s done J-Horror (Audition), Samurai movies (13 Assassins), Yakuza movies (Ichi the Killer), Manga adaptations (Blade of the Immortal, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure). video game adaptations (Ace Attorney, Like a Dragon), musicals (The Happiness of The Katakuris), and even films for kids (Ninja Kids!!!).

Miike’s latest feature, Blazing Fists, sees Japan’s prolific auteur exploring new territory: YA sports movies.

Our heroes are Ikuto Yagura (Danhi Kinoshita) and Ryoma Akai (Kaname Yoshizawa), who bond at a juvenile detention center. The future looks grim until MMA fighter and promoter Mikuru Asakura (a producer on the film, playing himself) makes an appearance to deliver a motivational lecture about his personal journey from juvenile detention to success.

Inspired, Ryoma and Ikuto vow that once released they’ll sign up to be part of Asakura’s “Breaking Down,” a reality fighting competition with one-minute, single-round fights. Ryoma sees it as a path to stardom and a better life, while Ikuto wants to use it to learn more from Asakura. After their release, however, the two teens struggle to keep out of trouble.

Miike has made films with teenage characters before, but Blazing Fists is a teen-centric movie. All the tropes are here: pop power ballads, teenage melodrama, crushes, and misunderstood bullies. These elements clash incongruously with others that feel like they belong to different movies entirely, whether it’s the hard-boiled voiceover, Ikuto’s oddly stoic characterization, or a surprise cameo from Japanese pop icon Gackt, who shows up for three scenes just so he can take part in a massive fight later on.

Much of the Blazing Fists‘ oddness arises from manga and TV writer Shin Kibayashi’s unwieldy script, which turns on a dime between contemplative and haphazard. Blazing Fists feels like a miniseries condensed to feature length. Dozens of subplots are introduced and just as quickly abandoned. Basing the movie on Asakura’s autobiography, with Asakura himself as a supporting character and producer, may have proven another questionable choice.

Does this sound like it’s not a recommendation? Let’s fix that.

Courtesy Well Go USA

Surprisingly, with Miike’s direction, these glaring issues transform into endearing quirks. Frequent collaborators—including long-time cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita, composer Koji Endo, and the recent addition, editor Naoichiro Sagara—turn Blazing Fists into a fun oddity.

Alongside winning performances from Kinoshita and Yoshizawa, the movie is worth cheering for despite its faults.

If you love all things YA and all things Takashi Miike, you may find Blazing Fists a bizarrely fun combination of both. Taken individually, it’s too light for Miike’s ardent fans, and too intense for anyone looking for a fun coming-of-age sports movie.

If you live at the odd, and very slim center of that Venn diagram, though, you’re in for a unique treat. Just check your expectations at the door and plaster a giant goofy grin on your face for a good time.

(Beacon file photo)

Voters in seven local school districts on Tuesday chose board members and approved ballot measures addressing school finances.

The districts with school board elections this year included some of the state’s largest, such as North Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Independence and Park Hill. Two smaller Kansas City districts, Hickman Mills and Center, also held school board elections.

Voters in both the Hickman Mills and Independence school districts approved bond issues that won’t increase the tax rate, according to unofficial results from the April 7 election. Those bonds will allow the districts to fund building projects and, in Hickman Mills’ case, get rid of debt that was being repaid from its operations fund.

Hickman Mills voters also approved a measure that will shift money to its operations fund that isn’t needed for debt repayment, also without affecting the overall tax rate.

Combined, the two Hickman Mills measures are expected to free up more than $3 million for the operations budget annually, helping reduce a budget deficit.

Read ahead to see who your new — or continuing — board members are.

Click the links to jump ahead:

• Blue Springs
  • School board
• Center School District
  • School board
• Hickman Mills
  • Bond issue
  • Tax levy
  • School board
• Independence
  • Bond issue
  • School board
• Lee’s Summit
  • School board
• North Kansas City
  • School board
• Park Hill
  • School board

Blue Springs

In Blue Springs, five candidates vied for three open spots on the board. The three winning candidates were:

• Allison Johnston (27.3%)
• Rebeca Swank (25%)
• Ken Horrell (20.7%)

Johnston is a Blue Springs graduate and parent with more than 10 years of program management experience. She promised to listen to families and staff, use data to inform decisions and “ensure transparent communication and responsible oversight.”

Swank is a parent, incumbent board member and chief development officer for a nonprofit. She said she’ll be a champion for the community’s “educational needs and aspirations” and celebrate achievements within the district.

Horrell, who is retired, is a grandparent of current students and has a background in management and strategic planning. He said he wants to support teacher recruitment and retention, advocate for fair funding at all levels and promote clear AI and technology guidelines.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

Center School District

The Center School District had four candidates on the ballot. The three with the highest number of votes won. They are:

• Kristin Stokely (35.7%)
• Marsha Brown (26.1%)
• Melissa Bellante (26.1%)

Stokely spent 11 years as an attorney for the state of Missouri. She wants to “optimize funding to support teachers,” publicize the support available for families and increase awareness of Parents as Teachers.

Brown is a retired educator with nearly 50 years of experience. She said she wants to “establish clear priorities for student learning,” recruit and retain qualified staff and improve partnerships between families and school.

Bellante is a third-generation Center alum who has spent most of her career working in public education. She cited understanding low test scores, improving family engagement and examining success outside of test scores as priorities.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

Hickman Mills

Bond issue

Hickman Mills voters approved a $20 million general obligation bond with more than 80%in favor and less than 20% opposed. The district has said the bond will not increase the tax rate.

A general obligation bond is the way for the district to borrow money and pay it back with tax dollars, mainly for building and facilities upgrades and repairs.

It can’t be used directly for day-to-day operations, but the district plans to use more than half of it to eliminate debt from another type of bond that is being paid out of the operating fund. That will free up about $1.3 million to $1.5 million per year for operations while the bond is repaid from the separate debt service levy.

The rest will go toward projects such as new stadium lights, improvements at Warford Elementary School and HVAC, roof and plumbing repairs.

Tax levy transfer

Hickman Mills voters also approved a change that would send more tax dollars to the operating fund instead of the debt service levy. Voters were nearly 75% in favor and about 25% opposed. The overall tax rate would stay the same.

The district anticipates that the levy transfer will add an additional $2 million per year to the operating fund without raising taxes. Officials said the district can afford to make the transfer because it is collecting more than it needs to keep up with existing debts, even with the new $20 million bond.

Read more about both ballot measures here.

School board

Five candidates, including all three incumbents up for election, were vying for three spots on the Hickman Mills school board. In a close race, four candidates were within 100 votes of each other. The candidates who appeared to have won were:

• Byron Townsend (21.4%)
• Irene Kendrick (21.2%)
• Evelyn Hildebrand (20.4%)

But April Cushing, an incumbent, was close behind with 19.8% of the vote.

Townsend, who is retired, is an incumbent board member. He plans to address key issues facing the district by continuing to apply for grants, seeking additional tax revenue and reminding government bodies how tax incentives hurt school districts.

Kendrick, who is semiretired, is an incumbent and also serves as an alderman for Grandview. She said she wants to expand Real World Learning, prioritize certified teachers and interventionists and promote financial stability.

Hildebrand is retired from Sprint and works as a substitute teacher. She said accreditation is one of her top priorities.

Cushing, who is retired, is an incumbent board member and president of Ruskin Hills HOA. She said she is listening to the community about the district’s financial deficit and lack of full accreditation.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

Independence School District 

Bond issue

Independence School District voters approved a $60 million bond with nearly 73% of voters in favor.

The bond will be used for projects at nearly all of the district’s schools, especially remodeling and renovating three elementary schools: Fairmount, Korte and Procter. The district said it will not increase the tax rate.

Read more about the bond issue here.

School board

Four candidates ran for two spots on the board. Independence school board members serve six-year terms, twice as long as the three-year terms common in other area districts.

In a close race, the two winning candidates appeared to be:

• Sarah Wimberly (29.7%)
• Justin Durham (23.7%)

But Zac Harmon-McLaughlin and Jeffery Jewell were close behind with 23% of the vote and 22.9% of the vote, respectively.

Wimberley is an ordained United Methodist minister at St. Mark’s UMC in Independence. She said her goals include asking more questions about virtual education, field trips and programming on Mondays when school is closed.

Durham is an education architect at Hollis + Miller Architects. He said his goals include facility improvements, better student engagement and teacher and staff retention.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

Lee’s Summit school board

A crowded field of seven candidates appeared on Lee’s Summit school board ballots, competing for just three spots. Three incumbents ran alongside four challengers, though one of the challengers suspended his campaign.

Preliminary results show the winning candidates are:

• Kamile Johnson (19.3%)
• Erica Dolores Miller (17.9%)
• Rodrick K. Sparks (17.6%)

Johnson is a pharmacist and current school board member. She said her priorities include protecting public funding, improving access to advanced coursework and increasing pay for teachers and staff.

Miller is a manager of employee health and well-being for GEHA. She said her focus areas include mental health services, teacher and staff retention and enhancing special education.

Sparks is an escrow assistant who has previously served on the board. He said he wants to improve communication with families, oppose efforts to divert public funding and advocate for more resources for classrooms and teachers.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

North Kansas City school board

Three candidates ran for two spots on the North Kansas City school board this year. The winning candidates are:

• Laura Wagner (47.9%)
• Karee Gleason-Miller (33.4%)

Wagner is an incumbent board member and a public engagement and communications manager at HNTB. She said she will review recommendations to keep the budget in check and ensure it directly supports students, teachers and staff.

Gleason-Miller, also an incumbent board member, is a legal operations specialist at C2FO. She said she will lead implementation of the 2025 bond, launch the new strategic plan and promote fair school funding.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

Park Hill school board

Four Park Hill school board candidates sought three open spots on the board this year. After voters weighed in, the winning candidates are:

• Alexia Norris (29.8%)
• Janice Bolin (26.4%)
• Deanna Munoz (25.4%)

Norris is a current board member, parent and attorney with Polsinelli. She said she wants to promote school safety, support teachers with salaries and professional development and ensure spending transparency for the facilities plan.

Bolin is an incumbent board member and director of soccer operations for the Kansas City Current. She said she wants to recruit and retain quality staff, keep public tax dollars in public education and support transparent and efficient spending.

Munoz is founder of the Chicano Center for the Arts and director of organizing for the Latinx Education Collaborative. She said her priorities include supporting teachers, academic excellence and responsible budgeting.

Read more about all of the candidates here.

This article first appeared on Beacon: Kansas City and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Soccer fans react to the official FIFA World Cup host city announcement on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City. (Zachary Linhares/The Beacon)

The VisitKC Foundation is hosting a free Culture & Hospitality Training Series for restaurant, hospitality, and other customer-facing workers. Facilitated by The Protocol School of Washington, the training will help staff best accommodate thousands of expected international travelers for the World Cup.

The website states, “With an unprecedented number of international and domestic visitors expected this summer, each and every member of the hospitality community has a crucial role to play in making Kansas City shine.” While many World Cup logistics remain uncertain, Kansas City is relying on hospitality professionals to step up and ensure every visitor has a positive experience.

Three sessions will be led by experienced hospitality consultants and protocol trainers. Whether you want to represent Kansas City well or earn extra tips, this training aims to “empower hospitality professionals to deliver outstanding service with confidence.” Session information is listed below:

Session 1: Heart, Passion, & Pride

When: Tuesday, April 7: 8-10 a.m. or 3-5 p.m.

Where: National WWI Museum and Memorial

This session is for hospitality or attraction leaders. It helps guide teams to deliver adequate service, regardless of cultural background. The framework covers personality styles and universal human expectations. Training is held in person.

Session 2: The Playbook 

When: Tuesday, April 14: 10-11:15 a.m.

Thursday, April 16: 3-4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21: 12-1:15 p.m.

April 23: 10-11:15 a.m.

Where: Online

While this session was quick to sell out, there is hope that other directions will be provided by VisitKC. This session is the only online session and aims to provide cultural awareness to supervisors and managers. [New session added due to demand.]

Session 3: Boots on the Ground

When: Wednesday, May 13: 8:30-10 a.m or 10:30 a.m – 12 p.m.

Where: Kauffman Foundation Conference Center

A month before the World Cup festivities, this in-person training will provide hands-on examples of service across various cultures. Any customer-facing staff is encouraged to sign up.

Seven amendments to the 2027 budget were adopted during the finance committee meeting on March 24, including increased funding for bus routes, additional funds for KCPD, and clarified funding allocations.

Amendment four, presented by Councilmember Crispin Rae, proposed diverting about $5.4 million from KCPD’s legal fund to fund buses. The Kansas City Transportation Authority (KCTA) stated earlier last month that the existing budget would result in bus route cuts, even with the reinstatement of bus fares.

During three public hearings on the proposed budget, the overwhelming majority fully supported funding buses. Many attendees raised concerns about $14 million allocated for lighting and street resurfacing, as well as increases to the KCPD budget. This follows criticism of KCPD for high taxpayer costs, including payments over $11 million to settle lawsuits.

Amendments during the March 24 council meeting were proposed to increase the KCPD budget by $26 million above the required 25 percent, but many councilmembers pushed back on the allocation of overages. District 1 Councilmember Nathan Willet objected to the term ‘overage.’ He stated, “We’re over the state-mandated twenty-five percent, but we’re still not funding the police fully as requested to be able to do what they need to do.”

As amendments were listed sequentially, Mayor Quinton Lucas stated, “I’ve heard that there’s general consensus around at least $6 million more for KCATA, and I’ve heard consensus around $8.5 million more for roads… what I would suggest is a recommendation that we use TIF surplus plus the general fund to address amendment one and amendment three.”

Councilmember Bough noted that TIF surpluses have typically been used for general fund purposes. While the council agreed this money should be used for street resurfacing, tensions arose over where funds are generated and where they are allocated. The council members from District 2 emphasized that over half of the TIF surplus was generated in their district; however, other districts still felt underrepresented.

“We talk about this pretty candidly when we’re just off camera,” Councilmember Melissa Robinson began in reference to the council recording. “But, I think we do need to consider that the fourth district carries too much of our citywide assets… The amenities will never spread out; you will keep having the infrastructure problems that will be unaffordable for you.”

The agreement was reached to fund additional street resurfacing with TIFF Funds, but disagreements over how to allocate the funds remained unresolved.

Regarding amendment four, which aimed to divert funding from the KCPD overage fund to bus services, the amendment was proposed but ultimately not adopted.

Soon after, Council member Willett stood—an unusual occurrence for the council—to address his support for the police budget over KCTA funding. He advocated for reinstating fares to supplement revenue, stating, “It’s outrageous. I have never been more disappointed that that is even a conversation and an amendment.” Willett also supported police presence during the World Cup and emphasized protecting bus drivers’ safety through fare reinstatement. During this exchange, Councilmember Paterson Hazley excused herself and returned with a noticeable glare.

Councilmember Robinson was eager to respond and also decided to take a stand. “I do think it is problematic when we pit one service against another service,” Robinson began. She highlighted a resolution she previously proposed. $26 million in online sales revenue intended for our bus system is being diverted to the general fund. I wanted to go on record to say that we would not be in this position had we planned for this last year.”

As Mayor Lucas encouraged healthy debate, the adoption did not include amendment four, which would have diverted additional police funding. Instead, the council approved $10.6 million for a police budget increase—including overtime pay—and $6 million for bus services using TIF surplus. Proposals for more significant changes to the KCPD budget, such as Amendment 4, did not pass.

During Robinson’s response regarding police budget amendments, Councilmember Willet had time to hit the 6-7 (while she spoke on amendments 6 and 7).

Councilmember Wes Rogers emphasized the need for law enforcement during the World Cup, citing extended bar operating hours. He even took a dig at the entire country of England, “I feel bad even saying this because my heritage is mostly English, but they’ve got a reputation for drinking and fighting.”

Ultimately, $1.5 million was approved to fund KCPD overtime pay.

Later, an ordinance on violence prevention, led by Mayor Pro Tem Parks-Shaw, was passed, directing the city manager to allocate $6 million to the violence protection fund for the next two years. Mayor Pro Tem highlighted that for every dollar invested in the program, a cost-benefit analysis shows a return of $6-$14. “I would like to be direct and not play any games around these funds because they are making an impact.” The ordinance passed with no objections.

Additional amendments were approved, including fully funding ArtsKC to its $325,000 operating budget and partially funding Unhoused Solutions. However, an amendment to add full-time employees for Civil Rights & Equal Opportunity compliance was rejected; instead, $150,000 was later allocated for job-site compliance tracking.

The council met on Thursday, March 26, and officially adopted the FY2026-2027 budget. The full budget is expected to be posted within the next month; however, the budget prior to any amendments is available here.

Soccer fans react to the official FIFA World Cup host city announcement on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City. (Zachary Linhares/The Beacon)

The VisitKC Foundation is hosting a free Culture & Hospitality Training Series for restaurant, hospitality, and other customer-facing workers. Facilitated by The Protocol School of Washington, the training will help staff best accommodate thousands of expected international travelers for the World Cup.

The website states, “With an unprecedented number of international and domestic visitors expected this summer, each and every member of the hospitality community has a crucial role to play in making Kansas City shine.” While many World Cup logistics remain uncertain, Kansas City is relying on hospitality professionals to step up and ensure every visitor has a positive experience.

Three sessions will be led by experienced hospitality consultants and protocol trainers. Whether you want to represent Kansas City well or earn extra tips, this training aims to “empower hospitality professionals to deliver outstanding service with confidence.” Session information is listed below:

Session 1: Heart, Passion, & Pride

When: Tuesday, April 7: 8-10 a.m. or 3-5 p.m.

Where: National WWI Museum and Memorial

This session is for hospitality or attraction leaders. It helps guide teams to deliver adequate service, regardless of cultural background. The framework covers personality styles and universal human expectations. Training is held in person.

Session 2: The Playbook – SOLD OUT

When: Tuesday, April 14: 10-11:15 a.m.

Thursday, April 16: 3-4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21: 12-1:15 p.m.

Where: Online

While this session was quick to sell out, there is hope that other directions will be provided by VisitKC. This session is the only online session and aims to provide cultural awareness to supervisors and managers.

Session 3: Boots on the Ground

When: Wednesday, May 13: 8:30-10 a.m or 10:30 a.m – 12 p.m.

Where: Kauffman Foundation Conference Center

A month before the World Cup festivities, this in-person training will provide hands-on examples of service across various cultures. Any customer-facing staff is encouraged to sign up.

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, call, text or chat 988. 

It was nearly 3 a.m.

Lauren Ross awoke to spiking anxiety, the result of stress from the holidays, work and the general state of affairs in the world finally catching up to her.

Ross went through her usual coping mechanisms that she had learned in therapy to try calming down. None worked. 

So, she texted the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The trained crisis counselor on the other end first asked if she had thoughts of hurting herself or others and made sure she was in a safe place. After confirming Ross wasn’t in immediate danger, the counselor talked with her for the next half hour about why she felt anxious and asked if there was anything she enjoyed doing to help her get through that moment.

For Ross, that outlet is mental health coloring books. She flipped through the pages before landing on one she had been skipping before. It had the words “You Matter” on it.

After coloring in those words, she felt calm enough to take a hot shower and eventually fall back to sleep.

Without that conversation, Ross likely would have gone to the hospital for care instead. Having the 988 lifeline available meant Ross knew she wasn’t alone at that moment.

“I knew that there was someone on the other end of the phone that cared and was willing to help me through what I was going through,” Ross said. “To help me get to the right people that could help me, or just help me get through that moment and then continue on.”

Since the official designation of 988 as the lifeline number in 2020 and its launch in November 2022, the number of 988 calls across the country has risen from about 3 million to more than 7 million calls in 2025.

However, funding for the service was uncertain after a leaked budget draft from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed cuts to the lifeline. While the official budget proposal maintained funding at $520 million for fiscal year 2026, the proposed cuts raised questions about the long-term stability of funding for the service and what role individual states should play.

In search of stable funding

People had long been able to call a 10-digit number to access a national suicide line. But the National Hotline Designation Act in 2020 simplified it to 988 in an effort to reach more people and make it easier to access.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the nation, with 1,143 Missourians dying by suicide in 2023.

Missouri had been making significant investments in its behavioral health crisis networks in recent years even before the federal law was passed with the expansion of its mobile crisis response units and behavioral health crisis centers. Now, they work in tandem with 988 call centers.

Another facet of the 2020 law was that it also authorized states to pass a telecommunications fee to fund the 988 lifeline in a similar manner to 911. Only 11 states and the Virgin Islands have done so.

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While Missouri did not immediately opt for a telecom fee, it instead funds 988 with money from general revenue. For the 2027 fiscal year, the Missouri House of Representatives proposed more than $18.5 million for 988 and more than $22.3 million for associated crisis services from general revenue primarily.

However, the funding still needs to be reappropriated every year, meaning the threat that it isn’t renewed persists while the state continues to grapple with a budget crunch. 

Jonathan Purtle, an associate professor of public health policy and management at New York University, specializes in mental health research and has been examining how state financing for 988 affects mental health outcomes.

Purtle’s research so far has found that states with telecom fees budget on average twice the amount of money for suicide prevention and crisis services than states without such fees. More importantly, a telecom fee represents a stable source of funding.

“It’s a bunch of money which really helps them address needs,” Purtle said. “It’s less sensitive to political turmoil. It is less sensitive to economic downturns when funding gets tight, and it’s also a flexible funding source. They have a good bit of wiggle room in terms of how they can spend that money to best enhance 988 capacity and crisis system capacity.”

Several bills to create a 65 cent telecom charge on the monthly cellphone bills of Missouri residents were introduced in both the Missouri House and Senate this legislative session.

The charge would fund 988, which is and would remain free. And the legislation would allow for appropriations, gifts, grants and donations to also be placed in a “988 Crisis Continuum Fund.”

Ross, who is the public policy and advocacy chair for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, has been advocating for the bills. Having a state fund ensures that the components that make up the service have the support they need, she said.

“Each state still needs to have a fund for it so that each state can have the call centers, the resources that are needed to support 988, even if the line itself is funded federally,” Ross said. 

Brent McGinty is the CEO of the Missouri Behavioral Health Council, which works with the Missouri Department of Mental Health and behavioral health organizations to provide services, advocate and educate people on behavioral health.

He echoed those sentiments, saying that having a source of state funding would allow for expansion into areas without crisis centers or in areas where the centers are underfunded.

“The biggest thing that that would allow us to do is not only protect and continue what we’re doing now, but it would provide us a little bit of growth,” McGinty said. “In those few geographic areas in rural Missouri, it would be really nice if we could get some additional crisis center funding to go to those rural areas.”

However, none of the bills have been heard since January.

Challenges moving forward

Ross hasn’t given up hope that the bills might still progress, but she plans to continue educating people on what 988 is and what it does in the meantime.

“There are people struggling that we don’t even know that a simple (988) pin sitting on a counter somewhere could be the difference in them being here tomorrow or not,” Ross said.

The bills or similar legislation will likely be filed again next year, but the conversation could change drastically if a proposal that would gradually eliminate the state’s income tax and grant the General Assembly the power to create new sales taxes on goods and services is placed on the ballot and passed in November.

“We could look at a bunch of different things to make it more palatable, whether that may be adopting the fund this year and then working with our legislative partners next year,” McGinty said. “If the income tax legislation passes the vote of the people, at that point, the game changes, because we’ve got to do something.”

Creating a state fund sustained by telecom fees doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story either. Even in states that have authorized telecom fees, barriers remain when it comes to training and retaining the workforce necessary to staff 988 services. 

“You can’t just throw money at something to fix it,” Purtle said. “There’s still all these complexities … like being able to hire and pay quality staff a pretty decent wage. It’s really hard work. It’s tough hours. It can be emotionally exhausting work. It’s high-stakes work.”

That’s where officials are hoping the Rural Health Transformation Fund can help span some of the gaps. 

Missouri is set to receive $216 million during the 2026 fiscal year, with some of the funds going toward workforce development initiatives. 

“As proud as I am of what we’ve done in this state, we know there’s more to do,” McGinty said.
“But we really do hope that with Rural Health Transformation, we can help find some pipeline things and do some things to grow our own workforce. And if we can get that workforce right, then we can really get going on things.”

With the Rural Health Transformation funds still being implemented, for now, Ross plans to continue advocating for the long-term survival of 988 services so that it can help others like her.

“Just knowing that there is a resource out there that can help people who are going through a crisis, that can can get them through that moment and get them the help that they need…,” Ross said. “We all deserve to be here. We all deserve everything that comes our way. It would mean so much to know that the help is still there.”

This article first appeared on Beacon: Missouri and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Missouri Seeks Stable Funding for 988 Mental Health Helpline first appeared on Flatland.

Over the past five years, Kansas legislators have handed out billions of dollars in tax cuts. Now they face an impending budget crunch. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

The Kansas Legislature is in the midst of making a historic mistake, one whose potential danger is only surpassed by its stupidity.

Elected lawmakers have handed out repeated, enormous tax cuts to giant corporations and the richest among us. Now the state faces an impending — and entirely predictable — budget catastrophe. In the final days of the 2026 session, cries of angst echoed along the marble hallways.

“We’re deficit spending in this budget, in the red by $700 million last I looked,” said Sen. Joe Claeys, R-Wichita, in the midst of a diatribe against public media.

“Look at the numbers and realize the spending in the state of Kansas over the last six years, and even before that, is ridiculous,” said Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, a prominent fiscal hawk. “We cannot continue spending like this.”

Excuse me while I roll my eyes and stifle a snort. What could have possibly caused this situation?

Many subjects in government can be difficult to explain or understand. As someone who has written and edited pieces about state legislatures for the past quarter century, I’ve wrangled my share of perplexing policy. But comprehending why Kansas experienced budgetary catastrophe under former Gov. Sam Brownback shouldn’t stump anyone.

The 2012 tax “experiment” cut too much, too fast. Lawmakers didn’t adjust spending levels to match the decreased revenue. The entire state suffered, and a new crop of legislators were elected in 2016 with the express goal of reversing the damage.

Lawmakers repealed much of the experiment in 2017, and Gov. Laura Kelly’s election in 2018 enhanced fiscal stability. An experienced technocrat, Kelly painstakingly rebuilt state government.

But within a few years, legislators wanted to cut taxes again. The COVID-19 pandemic swelled state coffers across the nation, as the U.S. Congress rushed out federal funds. Sure, Kansas could have used those funds responsibly and budgeted for a rainy day. But where’s the fun in that?

In 2021, lawmakers overrode Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 50, which cost $300 million over three years and slashed taxes for multinational corporations.

In 2022, the Legislature passed and Kelly signed House Bill 2239, which bundled provisions from 29 different tax proposals. It cost $91 million for the first year alone, and even more for subsequent years.

In 2024, lawmakers and the governor compromised on a tax-cut package squashing the state’s three tax brackets into a mere two. Senate Bill 1 was projected to cost $5 billion over five years.

Finally, the 2025 session saw the emergence of a flat tax bill that passed over Kelly’s objections and promised to eventually level a flat 4% individual and corporate income tax. According to Kelly, Senate Bill 269 would cost up to $1.3 billion annually.

After multiple rounds of slashing revenue, no wonder Kansas officials now wonder about their next steps.

By next summer, the state will have blown through $1.1 billion in reserves over three years. We have about $2 billion in a rainy day fund at present.

Analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy showed that Kansas was among the top five state cutting millionaires’ taxes last year. Once the law was fully implemented, the average tax savings for the Kochs among us would be $51,260 per person. Kansas joined such illustrious peers as Ohio (only a $19,010 cut) and Mississippi (a whopping $140,580). The two other state included were Missouri and Oklahoma.

This situation is a choice. It is not an accident. It is not a trick. It is not an unforeseen sequence of legislative tomfoolery leading to a shocking result. Lawmakers knew the risks and the history.

Republicans suggest things will be different this time around. Leaders called for spending restraint this session, but they steered clear of declaring an emergency. They have elections to run this fall.

This year’s budget “helps chart a better future for Kansas,” said Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican.

“We can go home and tell our constituents that we are providing stability for Kansas,” said Sen. Chase Blasi, R-Wichita.

The infamous tax “experiment” received national publicity. Brownback was more than happy to take credit for those 2012 and 2013 bills. That meant that when things went wrong, voters knew who to blame.

What’s happening now is gradual, an accumulation of sins against the people of Kansas, committed by lawmakers greedy for public approval. So far, they have escaped judgment for their actions. We’ll see how long that lasts, especially when the time comes for draconian cuts to public schools.

Waymaster has already said his party plans to target K-12 education. You cannot hope to close budget holes without reducing spending on teachers, students and programs to educate the next generation.

Simultaneously, shadowy conservative interests advocate a constitutional amendment that would shred the Kansas Supreme Court. Right now, justices are appointed and then face public retention votes. Hardcore right-wingers want direct election of justices so they can buy the court. Then, they believe, the new justices will allow bans on abortion and school funding cuts.

“The solution in Kansas is that Supreme Court election,” Senate president (and gubernatorial candidate) Ty Masterson told activists in Marion. “But you can’t go out there and say it because they’ll say that if you elect your Supreme Court, you won’t have any right to abortion anymore.”

He added: “If we elect our Supreme Court, they won’t force you to spend money on schools.”

Thanks for saying the quiet part out loud, Ty!

The Kansas Supreme Court was one of the few obstacles standing in the way of lawmakers who wanted to proverbially drown government in the bathtub. Change its composition, and lawmakers can dodge the consequences of their disastrous tax cuts.

The rest of us, on the other hand, will pay an all-too-real price: the future of Kansas.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.

MC d’Jawnz // Photo Courtesy of Artist

404 Day celebrates the culture of live beat makers, producers, and emcees within the Roland SP-404 community. Throughout the world, 404 days showcase the music and community on April 4. Event co-producers Stacy “d’Jawnz” Smith and Clarence “Vertigon” Draper bring the celebration to the Kansas City scene for the first time.

Various local producers and MCs grace each event. The matinee show is 3pm at miniBar, followed by a 9pm-to-close show at Lawrence’s Replay Lounge. Cover is less than the cost of any modern beverage, at a mere $5. 

The original Roland SP-404 was released in 2005, providing a versatile new tool to the sampling community. Its lightweight and instant workflow contributed to a new and streamlined way of producing music live and without digital software. The device is in its fourth iteration, with the recent model MK II, now containing an OLED digital display showing simple waveforms. 

The year before the first Roland SP-404 came out, Stacy Smith, co-organizer of 404 Day, released his first album, Joys, Disappointments and the In-Betweens, under the moniker Reach. He’s created many albums since and now emcees as d’Jawnz in the city. 

Smith says he’s newer to the Roland 404 community with five years of experience using the device. With his foray and continued production of live performance sets, he sought a solution to bulky technology such as his digital turntable. The 404 gave him flexibility and versatility. 

“I wanted something more portable—something that gave me more opportunities to manipulate the sound with different effects. And so the 404 is just perfect for that. It’s something you can hold in your hands. It’s battery-powered—you can take it wherever you need to go. The portability and the capability of it really opened up a lot of possibilities for me as a performer,” Smith says. 

Culture built around the Roland SP-404 across the years. “There’s a very rich history,” Smith says. “It’s been a little bit like trading baseball cards. My co-organizer, he bought the original device. He traded it. Three other people owned it and it eventually came back to him.” 

Clarence “Vertigon” Draper // Photo courtesy Stacy Smith

Vertigon // Photo courtesy Stacy Smith

Co-organizer Clarence Draper, aka Vertigon, part of hip-hop trio The Delazers, speaks to the communal nature of the event. It encompasses an experience for those new to the Roland 404 and those immersed in it. He says, “It’s a sign of culture that’s been building in real time…We as musicians are just waiting to be experienced. 404 Day is about community, discovery, and giving the music a place to actually live.”

Smith uses the device as a live performance piece to manipulate existing songs and sounds. Other artists create beats on the spot. One artist he tells me about builds out drums live with the fifteen buttons allotted — just as a start. To an outsider, it looks like a giant calculator, but to the minds who know how to influence it, it contains multitudes. Smith says, “That’s one of the beautiful things about 404, there’s so many different ways you can use it.” 

Draper and Smith hope to highlight the interconnectedness between the Kansas City and Lawrence music scenes as well as showcase a unique way to create music outside typical bands and DJs. With a global, worldwide celebration brought to the KC, showcasing homegrown talent, Smith says, “Our event is really just one of a broad spectrum of things that will happen in a lot of different places and so we’re just excited to be one place where we showcase the talent of different producers that use this piece of equipment.” 

KC Sipps logo by Theodore Rosen

Life in KC is pretty delicious. In fact, there is often so much going on that it can be hard to decide where to go and what to try.

That’s where I come in. 

I’ve curated this weekly list of events, openings, deals, and celebrations to keep you in-the-know. Cheers!

Something New

News Bites: The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for this year’s restaurant, chef, bar, and other award categories. From the six semifinalists in KC that were announced in January, only one made the next round. Congratulations to Anjin for being up for Best New Restaurant among nine others for the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards! Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 15. 

Now that spring has officially sprung, restaurants are slowly getting back to full operation after having to adjust to consumers’ winter behaviors. Jim’s Alley Bar in Crossroads is now open for lunch Thursdays through Mondays, as well as weekend brunch, which is not to be overlooked! The indoor/outdoor combo of Varsity Club and Disco Burger in River Market added lunch service to Fridays, and sweetened the pot by offering happy hour specials all the way from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. for a cool weekend kickoff. 

To continue the patio vibe, Blanc Champagne Bar in Midtown has opened its rooftop Sun Club, and reservations are available now. Affäre in Crossroads is now open an extra day, with dinner service on Tuesdays; plus they’re debuting a new fútbol food collab at Casual Animal Brewing during First Friday (April 3). And last but not least for this week’s access update, Dear Donna has expanded their operating days mere weeks after opening. Dear Donna in Columbus Park is now open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., in addition to Thursdays through Sundays. 

Opening

Rock Island Bridge: The long-anticipated opening of Rock Island Bridge has arrived. The new, over-water venue has a little bit of everything, including a few dining options. Rock Island Eats walkup window is open daily from 11 a.m.  – 10 p.m. for grab and go sodas, beer, and “all-American eats.” River House Restaurant is a more traditional indoor restaurant and bar on the bridge’s main deck, and is open daily from 3 – 10 p.m. Last but not least is The Royal Bar on the upper deck, paying homage to the American Royal. No admission or purchase is required to access the bridge, and more public access and facilities are planned to open this year. Guests can utilize free street parking or the West Bottoms Garage for a fee, and the east entrance, on the Hy-Vee Arena side, is the only way to enter the Bridge.

Closing

Squishington’s: The candy store on Mass Street in Lawrence has announced closure as of March 31. Squishington’s was full of personality and will be missed, as will its sister business, Jungle House, which also closed. Squishington’s opened in late 2023 in the former Liberty Hall Video space. 

April 4

Eat Local and Organic Expo: As an unofficial kickoff to farmers market season in the Midwest, more than 30 KC Food Circle farmers will be at Lenexa Old Town Activity Center from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., selling their greens, herbs, meats, eggs, and more.  This is also an opportunity to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for weekly shares of locally-grown produce. 

Neighbors Coffee: At the Marlborough Heights neighborhood coffee shop, Neighbors, Fullproof Donuts will pop up from 10 a.m. to sell out. Fulllproof is a microbakery that offers $5 filled sourdough donuts. This month, the menu features flavors like mango pineapple, brown sugar cinnamon, and more, including a savory option. 

Plan Ahead

Bay Boy Specialty Sandwiches: On Monday, April 6, Bay Boy is celebrating its 8th birthday. To bring us all in on the fun of the milestone, they’re offering sandwiches from the original menu at original menu prices! The deals will run from April 6 – 8.

Jonathan India hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, powering the Kansas City Royals to a 13-9 victory over Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night, April 1.

Our photographer Tarik Sykes was there to capture the game:

bbno$. // photo by Tommy Vean

On Friday, March 27, Canadian rapper bbno$ brough his “Internet Explorer” tour to the Uptown Theater for a sold-out show. Our photographer Tommy Vean was there to capture it all.

bbno$ setlist
Bag TF up
Come to Brazil
yezzir
C’est La Vie
Bad Boy
it boy
round and round
gigolo
lil’ freak
i see London i see France
ADD
meant to be
antidepressants
edamame
hot topic
help herself
bing bong
Pump it
two
take a trip
boom
eat slay love
check
pogo
—
top gun
why am I like this

A rendering of the Fan Fest’s premium Legacy Lounge // Courtesy of KC2026

In the spirit of Kansas City’s Midwestern cultural exchange, we might just see a “dad bod contest” organized by local World Cup planning group KC2026.

That’s simply a new suggestion on their proverbial whiteboard; yet to be determined, among other logistics, in the now 69 days before the FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, after launching themed Fest days and a 65-foot heart sculpture at its previous briefing in February, KC2026 has reemerged with updates that truly highlight the city’s ambition.

A rendered overview of Fan Fest grounds // Courtesy of KC2026

A luxury Legacy Lounge

Today, KC2026 introduced a Fan Fest upgrade in the form of the Legacy Lounge—a two-story building with climate-controlled restrooms, a trophy display from KC sports teams, and a rooftop view of the grounds. It’s set to begin construction on the week of May 11.

That means a one-month sprint to the beginning of the biggest World Cup watch party in the city.

“We’ve been working on logistics for over a year now,” says Fan Festival and Events Director Mallory Cage. “It’s started from ‘How far out do we need to start moving in?’ ‘What does every day look like?’ ‘How do we work with our local union to get the labor here that we need?’ Over a month, it’s going to be a six-day work week at a minimum, and we’re going to make it happen.”

What’s definitely been settled, at least, is that Lounge passes are now on sale for $225 per Fest day.

Beautiful music for the beautiful game

Nearly two weeks ago, FIFA released the first song of the official 2026 World Cup soundtrack: “Lighter” by Jelly Roll and Carín León.

If you haven’t heard it yet, a YouTube comment with 20 thousand likes summarizes all you need to know: “put it in 2x [speed], it doesn’t sound better but it ends faster.”

Thankfully, KC2026 intends to put on a different kind of soundtrack at the Fest with live musical acts.

“That’s a chance to showcase jazz and everything else in Kansas City, from a music standpoint or from an art standpoint,” CEO Pam Kramer explains. “Mallory and her team have done a great job working with our arts, culture, and heritage working group to make sure we’re reaching out to artists.”

While the acts in question have yet to be announced, Kramer says concerts, headliners, and artists will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Getting there

To make your way to the fun, KC2026 has already announced the ConnectKC26 transit plan to shuttle guests and locals around the region, Fan Fest grounds, and stadium. All ConnectKC26 services will require passes, which Kramer says will roll out in “a few weeks.”

You can sign up for updates here.

ConnectKC26 routes span across the metro // Courtesy of KC2026

Along with ConnectKC26, the KC2026 website encourages visitors to use the City’s RideKC bus system and the KC Streetcar.

This comes at a time in which the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority projects cuts to nearly one third of its routes and an estimated 97 layoffs for union bus drivers amid a need for over $100 million in funds from the City, per recent reportage from KCUR.

On the bright side, RideKC opened its Legends Loop circulator route on April 1. It will take guests across Kansas City, Kansas’ Legends area, from the Great Wolf Lodge to Margaritaville to Hollywood Casino.

As for the Streetcar? Service closures during the March 28 No Kings protests, and restrictions on sign-carrying protestors, continue to raise questions on the City’s World Cup readiness.

“We do have that whole World Cup thing happening in a few months, and those folks tend to travel in groups, carry signs and occasionally get rowdy. It would be nice to know the city is ready for it,” writes David Hudnall, Kansas City Star columnist (and previous editor of The Pitch).

Everything said, KC2026 continues to have faith in its work and the spirit of the city as it approaches that work.

“We feel like the secret sauce in Kansas City is the heart, and the attitude that we bring to this is, perhaps, uniquely Kansas City and that we have to lock arms here to get things done,” says Kramer.

Secret sauce, indeed.

Taj Bradley pitched six innings of five-hit ball, Minnesota homered three times in the ninth inning to break open a close game, and the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Thursday to avoid a three-game series sweep.

Our photographer Tarik Sykes was there to cover everything:

Natalie Jane. // photo by Daniel Fuchs

Natalie Jane
with colby!
The Truman
Saturday, March 28

Returning to The Truman in support of her newest album, the world i didn’t want, indie-pop artist Natalie Jane made one of her final North American stops at Kansas City on Saturday, March 28, to a full venue of enthusiastic fans.

The show opened with a performance by colby!, an alt-pop singer from Texas who, along with her older brother RJ on the drums, captured the attention of the audience with her melodic upbeat vocals and vivid imagery.

After an energetic start to her setlist carried by her impressive vocal range, colby! showcased one of her newer releases, “small town sins,” an invigorating anthem about the fear of your hometown holding you back.

Despite the darker subject matter throughout most of her discography, colby! kept the audience alive and engaged throughout the entire setlist, and ended it with a powerful performance of “Don’t Know What To Say,” her most popular song, my personal favorite, and a hard-hitting, emotional piece.

As quickly as the audience had been captivated by the intense highs and lows of the opener, colby! soon left the stage to make room for headliner Natalie Jane.

Natalie Jane. // photo by Daniel Fuchs

Natalie Jane is most known for her debut album, Where Am I?, released in 2023, mostly led by the popularity of her song “AVA,” which garnered online attention around that same time on the social media platform TikTok.

Jane didn’t leave much time to feel the absence of music as she quickly strutted onstage in full black to start the set with the first song on her new album, “any1 but myself,” a high-energy yet piercing number that set the precedent for the rest of the show.

Framed by a backdrop of neon lights and fog, Jane quickly ran through most of her new introspective album, with breaks to include some of her vividly catchy standalone singles such as, “UH OH!” and “Tattoos.”

During a short break in the set, Jane shared that the inspiration for her album is the feeling of taking that chance to leave a bad relationship, “This album takes place after you take that leap,” she continued, “it’s so worth it. It’s so frightening, but it’s so worth it.”

Jane’s polished sound quickly returned for her songs “butterflies” and “how u been?” which brought out the anger lying beneath most of her projects, and was quickly picked up on by the crowd. As the show slowed to an end she decided to finish it out with a couple of her more popular tracks, such as “Seven,” and “AVA,” the angry pop power anthems that influenced her earlier musical career.

Jane strutted offstage shortly, only to be called back to sing an encore fit for the modern pop sensation, “I’m Her,” leaving the crowd to disperse abuzz with the excitement the night had brought.

All photos by Daniel Fuchs

Natalie Jane

Natalie Jane setlist
any1 but myself
never gonna c u again
everything 2 nothing
finding u
Waiting 4 U
UH OH!
r u gonna love me?
Girls will b girls
Tattoos
breaking me
gone
Somebody to Someone (I Just Wanna Fall in Love)
Butterflies
how u been?
Happy Birthday
Intrusive Thoughts
Dancing Queen (ABBA cover)
sabotage
Seven
fallin
AVA
any1 but myself
I’m Her

colby!

colby! setlist
To Each Their Own
Small Town Sins
Rich Neighborhood
Someone Like You (Adele cover)
You
Doing What I Can
Don’t Know What To Say

The Accountant

You probably know who Ray McKinnon is, even if you don’t know his name.

Randy & The Mob

McKinnon is a ubiquitous character actor who’s worked steadily since 1989 in everything from single-episode stints on NYPD Blue to memorable ensemble roles in Apollo 13 and O Brother, Where Art Thou? to beloved recurring characters on shows like Deadwood.

Like many of his fellow “that guys,” once you’ve seen McKinnon show up somewhere, you can’t stop noticing him.

McKinnon is also a decorated writer-director, with a Peabody award for his series Rectify, which ran on SundanceTV between 2013-16, and an Oscar for his 2001 short film The Accountant (no relation to the Ben Affleck movie). That film and a 2007 feature, Randy and the Mob, co-starred and were co-produced with McKinnon’s friend, fellow southerner and current Fallout star Walton Goggins under their production company Ginny Mule Pictures.

Randy and the Mob and The Accountant are now getting the Blu-ray treatment from Lightyear Entertainment, releasing April 7.

Both are surprising pleasures of 2000s independent cinema. The Accountant, about a pair of brothers (Goggins and Eddie King) who hire an unorthodox book-cooker (McKinnon) to save their family farm, is a darkly funny examination of the corporate exploitation of farmworkers and rural culture. You can feel the influence of Billy Bob Thornton’s Sling Blade and Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe running through it.

Randy and the Mob, conversely, is a sweet, big-hearted comedy about a small-town entrepreneur (McKinnon) whose troubles with the IRS and mob loan sharks result in a visit from an unlikely fixer (Goggins) who helps McKinnon’s Randy Pearson become solvent and reconnect with his wife (Lisa Blount) and estranged twin brother (McKinnon again). Released the same year as Adrienne Shelley’s Waitress and two years after the Amy Adams breakout indie Junebug, Randy and the Mob is a throwback to an earlier era of independent filmmaking—one primarily concerned with character, setting, and gentle humanism rather than high concept.

McKinnon spoke with The Pitch about the two restored films, his friendship with Goggins, and telling stories that invite people in.

The Pitch: How long have you and Walton Goggins known each other? How did your creative partnership start?

Ray McKinnon: Walton was 15, and I was 28, and we both got cast in a movie in Atlanta (the 1990 TV movie Murder in Mississippi). I was playing “Lyle’s Father.” My character didn’t even have a name. We were reading the screenplay with the producers and directors, and a kid (Goggins) came up to me and said “I’m Lyle, are you Lyle’s father?” He was 15 and just fearless, and really good. We played fellow crack dealers together on In the Heat of the Night. We kept up as friends.

When he came back into my life later in his late 20s, he’d grown up so much. He came over and had dinner with Lisa (Blount) and I. I said, “Buddy I wrote this short film,” and he asked “Can I be in it?” He was already a regular on The Shield by then, I didn’t think he’d want to do it. He was hands-on and a problem solver. That’s how it started. We saw a lot of things similarly.

Randy & The Mob

Randy and the Mob was released in 2007, and it really feels like a product of that era of independent filmmaking. It reminds me of other movies from that period, like Junebug or Waitress, where characters and a sense of place play a big role. What was the atmosphere like when you made that film? What’s changed in the years since?

I’d made a much darker film, Chrystal, kind of a hillbilly art film, right before making Randy and The Mob. After that movie, I wanted to make more of a fable, one that felt like an old-fashioned movie, and that was part of the tonal inspiration. Like, yes there are troubles, yes, there are gonna be trials, but it was gonna end up all right. There’s nothing wrong with making a movie like that, where people aren’t always full of tension that it could all go wrong.

I wanted to make films and tell stories about what my experience is where I’m from. I’d seen so many films about the south where it’s treated like the lowest common denominator. It feels like the only population group where it’s considered okay to have a two-dimensional character. Back then, I just wanted to reflect my world back to other people.

When Billy Bob Thornton made Sling Blade, I didn’t know where he was from at the time. I just remember watching it and thinking, “I don’t know who this guy is, but if he’s not southern…” That was truly an independent film. That era, it felt like you had a chance to get your film seen. People still went to the theaters in the ways that they went. I guess the thing that hasn’t changed is that people still want to make films and they’re gonna find a way to make a film no matter what. They’re gonna get seen at a festival, and some might break through. That’s still the same, and that’s the only part that matters.

The Accountant

Something I thought was so interesting about The Accountant was how, in 2001, it brought up all these ideas about the commodification and fetishization of southern culture and “country” living, right around the time that became a big patriotic aesthetic after 9-11. Where did you see that happening when you made the film? Do you still see it now?

(Laughs) What’s that place, Bucc-ee’s? I have a Tesla that I’ve had forever, and whenever I travel, I go to Bucc-ee’s because they have Tesla superchargers. It’s that ultra commodification of culture but also the capitalistic ideal of consumption.

If I made The Accountant these days, I think I’d talk more about late-stage capitalism and how it affects the world. People of that culture are not even aware anymore of the irony of what’s happening. They partake in it. It’s like Monsanto doing commercials where there’s good music, and they’re rebranding themselves as a wholesome family-forward company. It doesn’t matter what people do. It doesn’t matter what their actions are. They just rebrand it and pretend it’s not true.

I grew up in small towns. I saw a farmer lose his farm. I’ve been interested in growing food and food production, how farms work and what was happening to farms over the last 30-40 years and how many have gone, and it’s a corporate thing now. I wanted to comment on that, but I also wanted to entertain. That character got to say a lot of things that maybe he feels more strongly than me in some cases. I don’t hate people if they eat sweet cornbread, like he might.

I know a playwright who’s from Georgia, like you, but a different part of the state, and she said that until recently she felt like she had to reduce her sense of identity — her southern-ness, her rural-ness — in her work in order for it to be accepted by outside audiences. From what I’ve seen of your own work, that identity is something you put front and center. Has that caused issues for you?

My lack of broad commercial success may prove that decision to be wrong, but I’ve tried to write something more commercial. I just couldn’t do it. I don’t want to be seen as just seen as a southerner, but I’d like to be seen, I say this jokingly, as a mammal first, then go down to a human. But I really consider myself a humanist first. That’s anybody in the world, I would love to have a connection with.

That southern aspect is also very deep, but there are aspects of that culture that trouble me, and probably has helped fuel my writing and parts of the culture that I love and that’s fueled my writing, and the outside culture’s derision and superficial exploration of that culture that’s definitely fueled me over the years.

It wasn’t until I was 15 and saw The Last Picture Show that I saw a movie that reminded me of where I was from. There’s a place for everyone to reflect back their experience. And what’s happening now, in filmmaking, It’s not just southern white boys. The South is a very colorful place now, and you’re seeing reflections of all kinds of people.

Randy & The Mob

In all your work as a writer/director that I’ve seen, it feels like observation is an important quality, especially in your writing. In Randy and the Mob, there are a lot of characters who could easily become caricatures, but it’s so refreshing that none of them are the butt of the joke ever. How do you craft a story that retains that humor without punching down? Why is that important to you?

I don’t think of them as characters, just like … you’re interacting with humans here. There’s usually more layers than what you first see. When I talk to people, that’s the way it is. Right now, I’m living on a hill in Tennessee, which is different from living next to Hancock Park in LA. I meet different kinds of people, and some may have different viewpoints than I do about certain things. I try to see the humanist side that we all have. That’s how I approach characters.

Like, you look at the Coen brothers. People in the south love, and I mean love the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?. They watch it every year at least once. They’re laughing at themselves, and it’s pretty broadly done, but also in a Coen Brothers way which is broadly smart. The Coen Brothers, I think they love those characters, and that’s what comes through in their writing, the love, even if the character is despicable. I love my characters, too, every one of them.

T-shirts promoting an amendment that would ban nearly all abortions, with exceptions for rape and incest survivors and for medical emergencies, are laid out on a table during an event promoting Amendment 3 (Photo provided by Big Lake Studio)

Three months before Missourians narrowly voted to legalize abortion, a small group led by Tom Estes gathered in a living room and came up with a plan to rally voters against the amendment.

The effort that emerged — MO Protects — was improvised, underfunded and, by its own telling, forced to make up for a fractured statewide campaign with volunteer labor and little money.

That narrow defeat is now shaping a much more organized rematch. Estes and the activists who tried and failed to defeat the 2024 abortion-rights amendment have regrouped under a new PAC, called “Her Health, Her Future,” betting that more time, tighter coordination and earlier backing from top Missouri Republicans can help them succeed in 2026.

“So far, we are very, very happy about how unified the campaign is and how just eager everybody is to work together,” said Estes, a mid-Missouri pastor and chief of staff to state Sen. Rick Brattin. “And look, it also makes it easier for everybody to want to work together when we just lost when we were working separately. So everybody’s very motivated and very unified.”

State Sen. Rick Brattin, left, and his chief of staff, Tom Estes, asking questions in January 2025 of the state’s commissioner of education (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)

In 2024, Luke Schrandt, who served on MO Protects’ leadership team, said he put 15,000 miles on a borrowed truck delivering yard signs and fliers urging voters to reject the abortion-rights amendment.

“None of us got paid a single dime,” said Schrandt, who also serves as policy director for state Sen. Mike Moon. “We knew we were fighting a probably insurmountable challenge.”

By Election Day, anti-abortion groups had been outspent 10 to 1. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign behind the reproductive-rights amendment, raised more than $31 million. The amendment passed with just under 52% of the vote.

To Schrandt and Estes, that result was less proof the fight was unwinnable than evidence their side had come together too late.

“I think if some of the larger Pro-Life donors would have known how close it would have been, we would have gotten some of the bigger checks, but we didn’t get any of the bigger checks,”  Schrandt said. “Because a lot of people thought that it was going to be impossible, that we were going to lose by a lot. And it was sad to lose. It was even sadder to lose knowing that, had we had some more resources, we probably could have won.”

Estes said the biggest advantage this year is time. Legal battles over the 2024 measure, he said, kept abortion-rights opponents from knowing until August that it would even be on the ballot, leaving only a few months to mount a statewide campaign.

He has since folded MO Protects into Her Health, Her Future, a PAC launched in September that is now trying to serve as that central hub. The campaign’s website features endorsements from a roster of prominent Republican officeholders and anti-abortion groups in Missouri. So far, Her Health, Her Future has raised about $105,000.

That still trails the opposition. Stop the Ban, the campaign seeking to preserve the current abortion-rights amendment, has raised more than $1 million this election cycle. A spokesperson for the campaign — which includes Planned Parenthood, the ACLU of Missouri and Abortion Action Missouri — declined to comment for this story.

But anti-abortion organizers say donors are more likely to give now that the effort looks less scattered.

“It was hard for donors to get a lot of confidence to give their funds last time when the campaign was just so segmented.” Estes said, noting the lack of a central command structure two years ago.

The proposed ban, which was approved by the legislature in May 2025 and will appear on the November ballot, would outlaw all abortions with exceptions for medical emergencies and for survivors of rape and incenst who seek out an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Like 2024’s abortion-rights amendment, the abortion ban amendment will also be listed on the ballot as Amendment 3.

One notable difference this time around is the involvement of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office from the outset.

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly who helped draft the proposed abortion ban last spring, said while former Gov. Mike Parson publicly opposed abortion rights ahead of the 2024 election, he did not play as active a role in the campaign.

“But you know, you have to not just be against it, you have to plant your name, and lend your bully pulpit to that, and this governor and his wife appear to be taking a more active lead,” Lewis said.

Last year, Her Health, Her Future PAC announced Missouri First Lady Claudia Kehoe would serve as campaign treasurer, attaching the governor’s name to the cause.

At that point, the governor’s office had been involved in the amendment effort for months, as lawmakers proposed and then approved the abortion ban for the statewide ballot.

As negotiations over which version of an abortion ban to move forward with were underway last session, Kehoe dropped by state Sen. Adam Schnelting’s office on several occasions asking for updates on the drafted amendment.

Sherry Kuttenkuler, who now serves as Schnelting’s chief of staff, said the governor’s involvement is one of the biggest advantages she sees this time around. The lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, attorney general, along with Senate and House leadership, all lined up behind him.

“That doesn’t happen,” Kuttenkuler said. “I’ve never been part of an effort like this one where just out of clear blue sky, Kehoe drops in and says, ‘how’s it going?’”

In the days after winning the gubernatorial race, Kehoe told St. Louis Public Radio that he believed in some abortion exceptions, and that he hoped lawmakers would take the election results as a sign to re-consider exceptions for rape and incest.

In June 2022, Missouri became the first state to outlaw nearly all abortions, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion. Then in November 2024, Missouri became the first state to overturn an abortion ban through a statewide vote. That reproductive rights amendment protects the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability.

While abortion is legal in Missouri, only procedural abortions, which take place in clinics, are available. Medication abortion, which is increasingly the most common way to end a pregnancy, is not available due to several abortion regulations that remain on the books. A lawsuit attempting to strike down these regulations is ongoing, with a decision expected to come down in the coming months.

In her spare time, Kuttenkuler travels around the state giving presentations on the abortion ban amendment, at times encountering Missourians who voted in favor of President Donald Trump and the abortion rights amendment.

“They really do believe that it’s more compassionate and loving to allow a victim of rape and incest to get an abortion than it is to ask them to carry that baby to term and give it up for adoption,” she said.

There are 500 4-by-8-foot “Yes on 3” yard signs stacked in Kuttenkuler’s garage next to her BMW. As soon as the legislative session concludes in mid-May, she said it will be “all hands on deck” to distribute them around the state.

That ground game in 2024 was led in large part by Missouri Right to Life, the state’s leading anti-abortion group.

Stickers saying “repeal and replace Amendment 3” are distributed during Missouri Right to Life advocacy day at the Missouri State Capitol on March 26, 2025 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)

Last fall, the Missouri Right to Life PAC formally announced a partnership with the Missouri GOP and the hiring of political strategist Jessica Flanagain to help lead their campaign efforts.

“With their organizational strength and our expansive pro-life infrastructure, we are building an unstoppable coalition,” Missouri Right to Life president Steve Rupp said during an event in St. Charles whose speaker line-up included Laura Trump.

Flanagain helped lead Nebraska’s anti-abortion movement to success at the polls in 2024 when voters, faced with two opposing abortion proposals on the ballot, approved an abortion-restrictions amendment and rejected an abortion-rights amendment.

She recently stepped down as political consultant for Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen a day after law enforcement announced an investigation into a state contract led by Pillen, the Nebraska Examiner reported.

Leadership with Missouri Right to Life declined comment. But Schrandt of MO Protects said the group’s membership and organizing capacity could make it one of the most valuable pieces of the 2026 effort.

“They have a lot of members. 
They’ve got a lot of people that are willing to go out and go to work,” Schrandt said. “A lot of the Missouri Right to Life folks were the ones that were going and doing the ground game, and I believe that’s where Missouri Right to Life will be effective in the next campaign.”

With the 2024 result so close — and with polling suggesting another tight contest could be ahead — organizers on both sides are treating every vote as consequential.

Schrandt, through his work in Moon’s Senate office, said he is familiar with abortion abolitionists, or those who don’t believe any exceptions should be allowed. He said while he believes these activists have good intentions, he’s not worried that those divisions will damage the November effort.

“I’ll do what I can to convince my peers, and the people that I know in my community, to vote for life,” he said. “
And past that, I’m going to leave it up to the Lord, just like I did the last one.”

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

Restaurant staff at Triune // Photo by Zach Bauman

Calling all servers, cooks, baristas, dishwashers, drivers, housekeepers, and side-hustlers…

Later this month, Kansas City restaurant, hotel, and attraction-based employers want to meet you and join forces to prepare for the influx of visitors this summer. Hiring plans are underway for all levels and roles in the service industry, and there is a need for all ages and experience levels.

“This job fair is about making sure our hotels, restaurants, and attractions are fully staffed and ready to welcome the world for the 2026 World Cup, but it’s also about something bigger. It’s about championing hospitality year-round and connecting people to meaningful, long-term careers in an industry that thrives on people, service, and possibility,” says Andrea O’Hara, Executive Director for the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City.

The Hospitality Career Fair is the result of local collaboration between The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (GKCRA), Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City (HLA), Greater Kansas City Area Attractions Association, and Summit Technical Academy’s (STA) Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Management class.

The event will take place at Hy-Vee Arena on April 22 at 9  – 11 a.m. for high school and college students at least 18 years old (must register to attend) and 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. for the public.

Over 40 hotels, restaurants, and attractions are registered to table at the event, including Sheraton, Margaritaville Hotel Kansas City, Worlds of Fun, Ruby Jean’s Juicery, Culver’s, and many more.

“Restaurants are the heart of Kansas City’s hospitality scene. We’re not just serving meals; we’re creating experiences that define what our city is known for warmth, creativity, and community,” says Trey Meyers, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. “This job fair gives aspiring professionals the chance to join that story, learn core hospitality skills, and take the first steps toward a rewarding career in a field that feeds both people and passion.”

Students over the age of 18 and enrolled in high school, college, and training programs have their own time slot. This is designed specifically to support the new generation entering the workforce, and was created in part by hospitality and tourism students at Summit Technical Academy.

Restaurant staff at Triune // Photo by Zach Bauman

Restaurant or hospitality experience is not required, according to Meyers. Two things that may help candidates stand out are fluency in more than one language and broader availability, since many establishments may extend their hours of service.

“We, absolutely, will take people who’ve never had a single hour of experience in a restaurant, hotel, or attraction, because, quite frankly, our industry is very trainable,” says Meyers. In fact, with a majority of area establishments fully staffed, Meyers is hoping this event will not only capitalize on standard hospitality turnover rates but capture those outside the industry.

“Many of our restaurants are opening up new locations prior to the World Cup, for example, I know Third Street Social is opening up a new location in Olathe, and Q39 has opened up a new one in Lawrence. But the other reason why we did this is that we have seen massive layoffs across multiple industries. For example, Oracle just laid off 30,000 people nationwide, and 500 of them were here in Kansas City. So most people, when they get laid off or are looking to make ends meet, they turn to hospitality.”

What happens when that familiar fallback or dream career comes with targeted attacks?

Service industry workers themselves are taking charge with workshops, and the GKCRA has provided guidance for restaurants on what to do if ICE approaches their establishments, stressing the signed judicial warrant requirement and the protection of private spaces.

“Our industry got impacted the most from all these ICE raids,” says Meyers. “But for an event like this, our operators are still hiring people who are of legal status. Essentially, as long as you have a visa, work permit, or you’re a citizen, we are not a discriminatory entity whatsoever. I mean, if you look at many of our restaurants, we take pride in our cultures. Asian cuisine, Southern cuisine, that’s the best thing about Kansas City – you can get a taste of everything all over the globe.”

Admission is free and open to all, but students must register for the morning session. Attendees are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes and to wear professional attire. Employers looking to hire and have a free table at this career fair, registration is available here.

The post Nick’s Picks | Taxes, Elections, AI and More … first appeared on Flatland.

As a teenager, she sometimes would just walk.

Often, it was to escape the chaos and loneliness of being one of 11 children in her family.

“We had moved to the suburbs of Chicago, and we didn’t fit in,” Evelyn Vogel-Leutung said on a recent morning, standing on a perch overlooking the Blue River in South Kansas City. 

“I was bullied and lonely. And so I just walked anyplace I could. There was a lot of undeveloped land there, and I remember finding a willow tree by a pond.

“And I would just sit there, reflecting as a 14-year-old.”

Years later, as a college student, she discovered an unlikely kindred spirit. That was the son of a Concord, Massachusetts, pencil factory operator who, some 130 years before, had found his own pond and built a cabin near it.

Ken Burns’ Three-Part Documentary on Henry David Thoreau Premiers Monday and Tuesday

Go here for more information about the documentary

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The book about that experience, “Walden,” published in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau, reminded readers of the calm that could come by shedding the fatigue of their workaday existence for the benefits of being among trees, birds, and water.

“And I remember being really struck by ‘Oh, someone else knows the importance of finding that solitude.’”

So began a path that led Vogel-Leutung to a career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She spent much of her time promoting community-based environmental initiatives. 

She helped institute what’s now called the Blue River Urban Waters Federal Partnership, “bettering urban rivers and working directly with communities to bring people back to those rivers on their own terms.”

Following her 2017 retirement, Vogel-Leutung has maintained her connection with the Blue River. 

She has joined organized cleanups along the river corridor; the 36th Project Blue River Rescue is scheduled for April 4. 

More often, she returns by herself to one of several favorite places along the river. If the conditions are just so, she walks down to the river’s exposed gravel bars.

“Sometimes I’ll take naps on the rocks,” she said. “It’s quiet and rejuvenating.”

Out East, Thoreau’s celebrated Walden Pond still exists. 

The Concord, Massachusetts, preserve attracts visitors who inspect a replica of Thoreau’s cabin before hiking in the woods or swimming in the pond.

But no one has to drive to Walden Pond to discover what Thoreau found there, said Bill Graham, a retired Missouri Department of Conservation media specialist. 

“Thoreau took time to look, admire, and think about what he saw, heard, smelled, and touched,” Graham said. “The beauty made him look more deeply, and he was moved in soul as well as mind.

“Anyone can do this, anywhere in nature. Nature is always in motion through the season’s changes, and there is so much diversity in shape, texture, and color — plus creatures — in any wild place.”

Kansas City history can claim several in sympathy with Thoreau’s sentiments.

Among them: George Kessler, designer of Kansas City’s park and boulevard system.

Escaping the ‘unnatural life’

Dona Boley, co-founder of the Kessler Society of Kansas City, can remember no specific Kessler reference to Thoreau.

But Kessler’s connection to Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. — considered the patriarch of American landscape architecture — is documented, as is Olmsted’s connection to Thoreau. 

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Blue River Cleanup Targets Trash, Invasive Species

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In 1858, Olmsted was named chief architect of New York’s Central Park.

This was soon after Olmsted had served as an editor of “Putnam’s Monthly Magazine,” where he solicited work from prominent writers, Thoreau included.

Fast forward 25 years.

In 1882, Kessler wrote Olmsted seeking work. In a reply, Olmsted mentioned the president of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad Co., who was looking for someone to design a Merriam, Kansas, amusement park.

Kessler took that position.

In the same letter, Olmsted directed Kessler to “educate yourself about nature,” adding how “a day’s walk along the rolling of any stream or any of the foothills of any mountain range would be much more to you than a year in the park.”

Ten years later, the Kansas City Board of Park and Boulevard Commissioners hired Kessler to design a park and boulevard plan; Kessler submitted it in 1893.

“Life in cities is an unnatural life,” the plan read. 

The document articulated the challenge faced by “…the man and woman who by daily and unremitting toil only can supply the most necessary wants of the family,” and added it was the “city’s duty” to offer an “opportunity to temper the daily recurring struggle for existence” by providing acreage set aside for relief.

Following the 1896 donation of more than 1,300 acres by real estate investor Thomas Swope, Kessler built — not a pond — but two lakes in what became Swope Park.

The nine-acre Lake of the Woods and the 25-acre Lagoon were in place by 1909.

 Gathering weeds, writing poetry

Working at the same time as Kessler, but with a lower profile, was Benjamin Franklin Bush.

In 1892, he collected specimens for display in the Missouri forestry exhibit at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Bush built his reputation as a botanist while running a general store and post office in Courtney, a farming district near the Missouri River in eastern Jackson County. There, he documented the vast number of flowers and plants surrounding it.

“Most of the people of Courtney thought his gathering weeds was a strange thing to do,” said Gloria Smith of Independence, Bush’s great-granddaughter.

“I love his story,” she added. “A simple old country storekeeper and postmaster who corresponded with scientists all over the world.”

Bush died in 1937.

Smith today serves as archivist of his papers, the bulk of which consist of highly technical letters.

But there are also examples of verse.

One 1879 poem appeared in the Jackson Sentinel.

“Old Father Time with horologe in hand/

Has ushered in October days/

A soft and golden sun shines o’er the land/

In the place of melting blaze.”

Smith said it’s possible Bush’s walks into the woods were not always in pursuit of the technical but — to reference Thoreau — the transcendent.

“My guess is his journeys were more for scientific discovery than self-reflection,” said Smith.

“But who knows?”

Kansas City’s Bird Man

 In 1920, not everyone was pleased with George Kessler’s work.

Albert Shirling, a Kansas City educator and member of the American Ornithologists Union, that year noted how Kessler’s Lagoon had affected the park’s winged residents.

The conditions there, he wrote, “are now quite artificial,” with few places for birds to nest. 

The remark comes from Shirling’s book, “Birds of Swope Park.”

It includes the story of how he built a fire and began monitoring the birds heard there, beginning at 3 a.m.

“The morning’s chorus was opened at 3:34 by a scolding Blue Jay, which made a rather discordant beginning,” Shirling wrote. He soon heard the Yellow-Breasted Chat. The bird’s “sudden broken outbursts could scarcely be called musical,” nor could, Shirling added, “the caw of the Crow” noted moments later.

Shirling’s career began in 1905 at what would become Manual High School. But over a 40-year career, the classroom could not contain him.

A 1914 Kansas City Post article described a public lecture during which Shirling projected slides of various birds while imitating their signature calls.

In 1919, he helped establish Kansas City’s Burroughs Nature Club. That year, in a Kansas City Star story, he reminded readers to be alert to the birds of spring.

“Be on the watch for the first meadow lark and the first towhee,” he wrote. “You should be able to hear them now any morning. Look and listen and learn to recognize them instantly. 

“They will add to your joy of living.”

Shirling died in 1947.

Today, what is now the Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City maintains a nature center and bird sanctuary at Lake Jacomo in Blue Springs, Missouri.

“Even if he never directly mentioned Thoreau, Shirling did have much in common with him,” said longtime society member Elizabeth Stoakes.

There’s a passage in “Birds of Swope Park” in which Shirling laments “the discomforts and fatigue” of getting up at 4 a.m. and heading out to Swope Park,  only to learn again how he would be “repaid” upon arrival.

“To see the morning mist hang lazily over the green treetops along the Blue River,” Shirling wrote, “to see the sun rise in indescribable glory over the rolling jumble of tree-clad hills, and to feel that I was part of the great plan of nature — all this was worth twice the discomforts and efforts.”

That seems, Stoakes said, “a very Thoreau-like statement to me.”

Shortswords and shoe leather

And, then, there’s Thoreau’s connection to radical abolitionist John Brown.

In Osawatomie, Kansas, an hour south of Kansas City, there’s a replica of a shortsword used in the Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856.

Brown organized the nighttime raid, during which he and a small band killed five pro-slavery men of Kansas Territory.

Some were hacked to death by just such a blade, constructed of sharp-edged steel, measuring perhaps a foot long — and heavy. 

As demonstrated by Grady Atwater, John Brown Memorial Park and Museum State Historic Site superintendent, the blade’s weight — when swung from above — contributed to the devastation caused when it met flesh and bone.

Less than a year later, Brown was in Concord sharing a meal at the Thoreau family home.

Thoreau would be among those, such as fellow transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, who — after hearing Brown denounce slavery in Concord’s town hall — contributed money to Brown’s abolitionist activities. 

That included Brown’s unsuccessful 1859 raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, in what’s now West Virginia.

Ten years earlier, Thoreau had published “Civil Disobedience,” his essay asserting how individuals should follow a higher authority when confronted with governmental wrongdoing, and demonstrate nonviolent resistance in the face of it.

At the same time, Thoreau had grown ever more agitated over slavery, Atwater said.

“He had grown frustrated, feeling that somebody had to do something,” he said.

“And one reason people like Thoreau backed John Brown was that he was somebody who was actually doing something.

“John Brown, Thoreau believed, was actually putting shoe leather to use.”

Seeking the ‘Thoreauvian’ experience

Thoreau’s earnest testimony on behalf of nature, perhaps time-worn to those content with communicating by text and email, may be more timely than ever today, said Kathryn Dolan, professor and chair of the department of English and technical communication at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, and a co-editor of “Henry David Thoreau and the Nick of Time: Temporality and Agency in Thoreau’s Era and Ours,” published last year.

Thoreau’s resolution “to front only the essential facts of life” represented not only an explanation to his readers but also an invitation to peers back in Concord to ponder whether they, too, could leave the tedium of their everyday tasks and slow down their inner clocks.

For anyone joining Thoreau in the woods, Dolan said, “the time scales found in nature would just be so different.”

Consider how different, Dolan said, “the time scale of a tree would be compared to the time scales of whatever their factory or farming jobs might have been — the ‘lives of quiet desperation,’ in the famous quote. 

“So much of what we do in modernity today is sped up that having this other idea of time might be more relevant now.”

And if the meditative time spent in the woods was not rewarding enough, Dolan said, there was the contentment of returning to one’s daily tasks a little less desperate than before.

“The beauty is when you return to your regular life, you’ve had this moment of transcendence,” Dolan said. “It helps you deal with all the mundanity in a much more healthy way.”

A former board member of the national Thoreau Society, Dolan has made the pilgrimage to Walden Pond.

In addition to the replica of Thoreau’s cabin, there’s a cairn where the original cabin once stood. There are hiking trails, a gift shop, and the pond itself.

“It’s mostly people in swimsuits hanging out at the beach,” Dolan said.

Dolan isn’t suggesting the curious not seek out Walden Pond. But Concord is rich in places green and accessible, where visitors might find reasonable facsimiles of Walden Pond’s repose.

“The fun part of it is how, when you leave, you think, ‘Well, this looked very ordinary. It’s just people hanging out and having barbecue. Is this very Thoreauvian?’ 

“If you want the true quiet Thoreau experience, maybe you would just go to a different pond.”

The post From Concord to Kansas City: Henry David Thoreau’s Influence Ripples Throughout the Region first appeared on Flatland.

Do you know the details of how Kansas City’s past public policies and actions created a community with a long history of segregation that led to the racial disparities of today?

Mayor Quinton Lucas says a primary purpose of his Mayor’s Commission on Reparations will be to teach you that history and to help you realize why reparations are an important answer to what he calls “the story of the segregation we faced and a lot of the oppression that we Blacks in Kansas City experienced.”

The commission’s chair, Terri Barnes, says the commission’s report is due in February of 2027, with a first draft available in August of this year.

But so far, it’s unclear what kind of remedies the report will propose and whether there will be the political will in our majority-white city to support reparations, no matter how they might be structured.

Lucas assured me that, “I think we’ll get there, though it won’t be as fast as we want, perhaps.”

But neither Barnes nor Janay Reliford, who chairs the Reparations Coalition, which pushed to have a commission and tries to support that commission’s work, is wildly optimistic that this process will result in a more equitable city in which Blacks feel welcome and can see a thriving future for themselves, though both hope so.

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Barnes, for instance, says that “because Kansas City is so small that you can get your arms around it and we all know each other, it’s devastating that we haven’t done better by our community and we haven’t had better partnerships across the aisle with white people. Devastating.”

So the future seems unclear to her.

As for Reliford, she told me this: “My biggest surprise is that people from all backgrounds don’t get it. And I know the reason there is apathy and rejection of it (reparations) is because they don’t get it. I thought people would be tripping over themselves about reparations, especially Black people. I would have thought we’d be like dancing in the streets, but I’m not seeing that level of excitement. I know it’s because too many don’t believe it’ll ever be accomplished. There just isn’t the buzz that should be around it, and if there is a buzz, it’s more negative than positive.”

Much will depend, therefore, on how well the report outlines the city’s iniquitous history and failures — from the time of slavery until today — to create conditions that allow Blacks to live safely and equitably and to find futures in which they can thrive as well as most white people have. (The commission’s mandate is to focus on the Black community, not Indigenous people.)

The researchers gathering the necessary historical information to tell this history are still working. You can help by going online and filling out a relatively brief survey. You also may share your experiences and stories with the commission at this site.

Barnes is hopeful that when the final report is released, it will be “simple enough and concise enough and powerful enough that people will look at it and it will be a George Floyd moment. People will say, ‘We knew that happened, but we didn’t recognize the impact, the breadth of the impact.’ I hope there will be people who will say, ‘What can we do to make it right?’”

That’s a lofty — though understandable — hope. But is it too lofty?

As Barnes herself told me, “If there’s a disappointment, it’s that people haven’t said, ‘I want to be a part of this.’” But it’s not yet clear whether the final report will motivate Kansas Citians to implement the report’s recommendations.

Plus, it’s not easy to grasp the depth of our city’s racial history.

As Reliford says, “My hopes and dreams are that the public will come to a better understanding of the social construct of race and really understand that reparations is not a Black people’s issue or problem, but it’s a societal issue and problem, and that the claim is not just about the era of chattel slavery. It also includes the legacy harms, which come all the way up to today.

“And I just feel like this is an opportunity for people to be more educated. It’s kind of unbelievable, for example, that there isn’t more understanding around J.C. Nichols’ development and how that has shaped how we live today.”

Beyond that, neither Barnes nor Reliford feels the reparations work here has had enough support from Lucas.

Barnes told me this: “I’m irritated with your mayor. When we first talked about this commission, he said, ‘We’re going to do kind of a dog and pony show and go to these corporations and get these CEOs to understand so they could help their people understand.’” But she says there’s been little of that.

And Reliford put it this way: “I don’t understand why Mayor Lucas doesn’t speak on it more. We’re doing the best we can to try to engage the public and try to educate the public on it. But the city has way more capacity than we do to make sure residents are aware and informed. That hasn’t been happening from a city standpoint.”

When I asked Lucas about those complaints, he replied: “Look, I appoint a lot of boards and commissions, and I tend to get flak for engagement with any of them, whether it’s the Port Authority or this one.

“I think the true value is in the fact that we appointed a commission of Kansas Citians, and I think my engagement has been where it was expected. We are proud of the research they are doing, and I think I’ll continue to be an ally. I’m basically awaiting their report.”

Some cities, such as Evanston, Illinois, and Detroit have completed their reparations reports and have begun to create ways to work against the racism that has been part of their histories. Kansas City is moving in that direction, but no one knows whether the report will be cheered or jeered or whether the centers of power in the city will get behind the recommendations.

What is clear is that a famous Missourian, Mark Twain, once paid what author Ron Chernow in his 2025 biography of the humorist called “his own form of reparations.”

Twain paid the “entire board for the remaining year and a half at law school” of a Black student at Yale Law School. As Chernow writes, this student later edited a Black newspaper in Kansas City, Kansas, and, after moving to Baltimore, became friends with future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

What is clear is that much of what happened to Blacks across Kansas City’s history was hateful, unnecessary, and powerful. And it’s long past time for all citizens of all ethnicities to work together to fix what was broken and still is unrepaired.

Bill Tammeus, an award-winning columnist formerly with The Kansas City Star, writes the “Faith Matters” blog (https://substack.com/@billtammeus429970) for The Star’s website. His latest book is Love, Loss and Endurance: A 9/11 Story of Resilience and Hope in an Age of Anxiety. Email him at wtammeus@gmail.com.

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