Archives: March 2011

Kansas lawmakers debate whether to require prescriptions for cold meds with pseudoephedrine

Meth addicts could be screwing over Kansas allergy sufferers. Kansas lawmakers are debating whether to require a prescription for allergy meds such as Claritin-D and Zyrtec-D as well as Advil Cold & Sinus, according to the Wichita Eagle. All of this is an effort to stop Kansas’ meth cooks from getting the key ingredient pseudoephedrine. Thanks a lot, you toothless…

Missouri Senate proves voters’ voices don’t count, moves to gut puppy mill bill

The Missouri Senate cares more about dog breeders than dogs. We’ve established that. But Tuesday, the Missouri Senate pushed forward on gutting the voter-approved Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Just because you voted for it doesn’t mean Missouri lawmakers are going to let it happen. What do you think this is, a democracy? Even…

There’s a show at El Torreon — yes, El Torreon! — tomorrow night

These days, many people know El Torreon — formerly the Cowtown Ballroom — as the Cowtown Mallroom, a gathering of vintage oddities that’s hosted every Sunday afternoon. But it looks like El Torreon is still hosting concerts. In fact, there’s one this Thursday. We caught up with R.L. Brooks of Maps for Travelers about the show. The Pitch: Hasn’t it…

Bierocks for everyone, Runza will open in Mission

Get ready to bierock, Mission. Runza — a bierock and hamburger chain founded in Lincoln, Nebraska — will open its second location in Kansas. The Star’s Joyce Smith reports that the fast-food chain, which currently has a franchise in Lawrence (2700 Iowa), is in the process of renovating the former Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen space (6751 Johnson Drive). The new…

Poll: McDonald’s or Subway, which is No. 1 in your book?

Update your Trivial Pursuit sets because the answer to the question of which restaurant is the largest fast-food chain in the world has changed. Subway has officially passed McDonald’s for the most restaurants, although McDonald’s still retains the crown for highest overall revenue ($24 billion to $15.2 billion). Subway now has 33,749 locations, compared with the 32,737 McDonald’s in the…

Slideshow: Top of the Bottom’s Fat Tuesday Parade

A bunch of Mardi Gras die-hards woke early on Tuesday morning in Kansas City. They were part of the Fat Tuesday parade that began at 5:45 a.m. and ended at YJ’s Snack Bar. “There were a few leaders yelling and singing Mardi Gras songs into a microphone, and everyone was dancing to the beats of the drums. I left at…

Grunauer Restaurant starts Sunday brunch this month

Nicholas Grunauer says that his father, chef Peter Grunauer, was ready to start serving a Sunday brunch soon after the Viennese restaurant opened in the Crossroads last year. “But we needed to get a Sunday liquor license first,” Nicholas says. “Once we had that, we had the menu ready and just needed to finalize our plans.” Categories: Dining, Food &…

Kevin Smith invites Fred Phelps and his kin to see Red State in Kansas City

Filmmaker Kevin Smith is bringing his latest film, the Westboro Baptist Church-inspired Red State, to Kansas City Saturday night. But the directer behind Clerks may be able to avoid the inevitable “God hates ” picket: Smith says the Phelps family has an “open invitation” anytime to see his latest film, including Saturday at the Midland. “Just get in touch with us,”…

The Atlantic talks ambition, new music and how age can be deceiving

The Atlantic is a fresh-faced band out of Overland Park, but you wouldn’t suspect it from the way they rock. We caught up with the young band about the Atlantic’s ambitions, its forthcoming EP, and how they think underage kids can still slay the bar scene. Who are some of the musicians you try to emulate? We all listen to…

Sluggerrr, Royals mascot, takes stand in Case of the Errant Wiener

With the costume he used to wear on the floor by his feet, the man who played Sluggerrr for 13 years testified about the arcs and velocities of the hot dogs that he tossed to fans at Kauffman Stadium. Byron Shores estimated that he threw thousands of foil-wrapped hot dogs into the crowd in his time as the Royals mascot….

Fat Tuesday Parade

The annual mardi gras parade on Fat Tuesday brought out plenty of characters. Photos by Brooke Vandever.

Stretch, owner of Grinders, gets to host a Spike TV show

The restaurateur, artist and unlikely TIF commissioner known as Stretch has a deal to host a show on cable channel Spike TV, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. Stretch, or (as his birth certificate knows him), Jeff Rumaner, didn’t elaborate on the deal. “I can’t say anything about the concept, only that I’ve signed a deal,” Stretch told the…

Red Riding Hood

In a wintry woodland in an unspecified time long, long ago, teen beauty Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is arranged to marry brooding, hunky, rich dude Henry (Max Irons), but she’s plotting to run away with brooding, hunky peasant Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Then — bummer! — Valerie’s sister is eaten by the werewolf that besieges their village, thus forcing our heroine to…

Battle: Los Angeles

The shaky cam is coming, the shaky cam is coming! Jonathan Liebesman directs his alien-invasion saga Battle: Los Angeles as if he were having a violent seizure, wedding whiplash faux-war-documentary aesthetics to a Michael Bay cocktail of ooh-rah military romanticism, quick-stroke melodrama and seesawing CG mayhem. Called into duty after news reports of extraterrestrial warfare devour the airwaves, a John…