Anti-nuke activists turned out to protest this morning’s meeting of the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority, whose board voted unanimously to approve a development agreement to build a new weapons facility at Highway 150 and Botts Road. The National Nuclear Security Administration Campus will replace Honeywell’s 60-year-old factory on Bannister Road, which manufactures 85 percent of the non-nuclear parts for nuclear…
America gets blamed for a lot of things, and now we can add to the list 7-Eleven’s decision to produce wine. 7-Eleven and 7-Eleven Japan will stock stores with Yosemite Road Chardonnay and Carbernet Sauvignon. The two vintages, produced by The Wine Group, retail for $3.99 in the United States ($4.99 in Florida). From the release: The winning vintners created…
Oh, CoCoComa — you are so amazing. You had me hooked the instant I put your first 45 on my turntable. Your garage beat is infectious and makes me want to dance all over my living room. So, it makes a certain amount of sense that kiddie dance program Chic-A-Go-Go would have you on to perform/pantomime/lip-sync — whatever — your…
UMKC’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia closes this Sunday, before our next issue goes to press. Because it’s a fine production of a play touched with greatness, we’re running a review here, now. Also, the review doesn’t mention lights or sound or costumes, which all were fine, because, Christ, have you ever tried to summarize Arcadia? Just a year or…
Just over a year ago, friends of musician Abigail Henderson rallied to help her defray the cost of the expensive cancer treatments she was undergoing. And in true Kansas City fashion, that first benefit show, called Apocalypse Meow, rocked. Now Henderson is cancer-free, and it’s time for another round of musical fundraising. Taking place Saturday at Crosstown Station with a…
Everyone has a moment when they grab a meal from the freezer or stare at that half-eaten package of hot dogs and think — am I really going to eat this? According to the BBC, a new study suggests that you’re right to pause because processed foods could be linked to depression. The study involved 3,500 middle-aged civil service workers…
In his chronicle of walking from Kansas City to Helena, Montana, Patrick Dobson proves that in literature, as in life, there’s a fine line between cozy and boring. The premise of Seldom Seen, Dobson’s first book (released in September from the University of Nebraska Press), is promising because it’s at once universal and escapist. We’ve all been — or known…
When Brad Hodgson told me, on a recent First Friday night, that he had left his position as frontman for In the Pines, one my favorite Kansas City bands ever, I would’ve sliced off his ear with a sword cane. But (a) I had no sword cane and (b) I had heard tracks from his awesome new project, Biarchy. Launched…
We’re getting reports of planned alcohol and snack consumption this weekend in honor of two anniversaries: the 150th of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species and the 10th for Kansas Citizens for Science. Among the celebrities expected to show up: Josh Rosenau, the science blogger who distinguished himself as one of the nation’s best (even more impressive: He…
There’s not a lot I can say here that trumps what Saby Reyes-Kulkarni said about Valient Thorr in his show preview: Valient Thorr kicks ass far beyond the dreams of any of those psychedelic-stoner-garage-riff-‘n’-rollers who make careers out of copying Sabbath or Iggy Pop and get drooled on by forgiving fans. However, it’s certainly worth bringing up that the Architects…
Yesterday’s massacre at Fort Hood was a nightmare scenario. A fellow soldier allegedly turns on his own, killing 13 and wounding 31. One of the injured was Keara Bono of Olathe. The 21-year-old was reportedly shot in the shoulder. The Kansas City Star has a chilling story about Keara Bono’s experience. Her family said she was on the phone with…
The rules for burgers haven’t been established, because the burger sits at the uneasy intersection of gourmet food and fast food, and we keep changing the definition of a burger. The veggie burger was just becoming mainstream a decade ago, and since then we’ve seen an explosion of meats and fish turned into “burger” patties. Even Emeril Lagasse is offering…
A city committee exploring the development of a 1,000-room convention hotel decided that it needed to hire a communications professional. The choice? The committee chair’s campaign manager. On Tuesday, the Kansas City Convention Center Hotel Development Steering Committee awarded KC Consulting a contract “to educate and inform constituents regarding the potential development” of the hotel. KC Consulting is run by…
Max Chao is back in the Crossroads Last year, Max Chao was working as general manager for the newly opened Masalas Authentic Indian Diner at 91st and Metcalf in Overland Park. Masalas had opened in the spot where Chao had, for three years, been running a casual dining restaurant called Ohana Hawaiian Grill. But Chao says he was “downsized” by…
Three people have been charged with kidnapping Carol Thomas. Excelsior Springs police say 23-year-old James P. Reardon, 21-year-old Jennifer L. Saling and 29-year-old Erik R. Zimmerman have been charged with felony kidnapping in Clay County. Bond is set at $1 million each. Witnesses told police that Thomas, 23, was beaten, thrown in a trunk and kidnapped by three men on…
When Leonard Cohen’s first-ever Kansas City concert was announced a few months ago, you’d have been forgiven for assuming it was the latest Folly Theater event booked by Bill Shapiro, host of KCUR 89.3’s long-running music show (and pledge-drive workhorse) Cyprus Avenue. Shapiro had often named the Cohen tour as No. 1 on his wish list. In fact, the tour…
The New York Times blog You’re The Boss is back with the second half of its “100 things a restaurant staffer should never do.” And although author Bruce Buschel suggests that these are merely guidelines for his restaurant, the insinuation is that there’s a lesson every server can learn. It’s interesting to watch Buschel’s tone change slightly from what he…
Justin Kendall has the story of two former employees accused of poisoning the salsa at Mi Ranchito in Lenexa over on the Plog. Husband-and-wife duo Arnoldo Bazan, 30, and Yini De La Torre, 19, are accused of mixing a Methomyl-based pesticide into salsa and serving it to customers at Mi Ranchito’s Lenexa location. Court documents allege that Bazan and De…
A Johnson County judge denied bond yesterday for Jill Conaghan, the 19-year-old woman charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence in connection with the hit-and-run death of an Overland Park woman. The Kansas City Star reports that the judge refused to lower Conaghan’s bond due to her history of drug abuse. The judge even said her abuse of…
%{}% Stopping in at Los Corrals brings praise for the tacos and a solid Indiana Jones joke. A photo tour and recap of the Trappist Beer Dinner at McCoy’s Public House. This list of 25 fast-food toy offerings is a nice way to remember when you bought the food in order to get the toys. Food Inc., the documentary about…
If you missed Willie Aames’ turn on VH1’s Broke & Famous last night, clips are now online, including footage of Aames’ Johnson County garage sale (see it below and read about it here and here). The show airs again today at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on VH1. Also, if you need financial advice, who better to advise you than…
