Archives: July 2015

Asphalt plant wins court dispute against environmentalists and city of Grandview

Long-running litigation between Ideker Inc. and an environmental group and Grandview officials may have reached its conclusion, with a Missouri court’s blessing that it can continue operating. The Missouri Court of Appeals on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit, filed in 2013, that sought to keep Ideker from obtaining a permit to run an asphalt plant in Kansas City, due to concerns…

Crane Brewing Co. co-hosts a beer fest September 5

Crane Brewing Co. is going to have a busy first year.  Besides opening a 15-barrel brewhouse in Raytown, Michael Crane and his team is hosting a beer fest Labor Day weekend.  The Festival of the Lost Township takes place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, September 5, at 62nd and Raytown Road. Slated to pour:  * Big Rip Brewing Co.  *…

Cafe Noble set to roast coffee (but not pour it quite yet)

Chase Scroggins has been putting out a few fires lately. Not long after the 25-year-old coffee roaster launched the website for his fledgling business, Cafe Noble — which sounds like a coffeehouse but isn’t — he began getting comments from coffee lovers who discovered the site. A typical response: “That photo of you was taken at Pirate’s Bone Coffee. Are…

Summer Kamp Fest 2015 lineup announced

Summer Kamp Fest is back! The second-annual punk-rock festival is taking over three venues and one weekend in August: Friday, August 14 through Sunday, August 16.  Fest organizer Britt Adair says there is at least one more band to be announced, which will bring the grand total of acts up to just over 20. The current lineup features acts both…

Sad Missouri county to fly flags at below half-mast over gay marriage ruling

UPDATE: The commissioners have decided to reassess their vote.  Dent County is a place in southeast Missouri where about 15,000 people live. Today, the County Commission there voted unanimously — unanimously! — to fly the flags at the courthouse and judicial building below half-mast on the 26th day of every single month between now and June 2016.  Why the 26th?…

Despite owner calling them ‘crud,’ Plaza-area Nelle Peters apartments gets historic recommendation by panel

To hear Doug Price describe three apartment buildings he bought near the Country Club Plaza, and the Plaza area in general, he’s a property owner in a declining part of town. Price, whose family is the namesake of Price Brothers Development, wanted to make the case last Friday to the Kansas City Historic Preservation Commission that three Nelle Peters-designed apartment…

Midland announces incoming fall concerts: Godsmack, Awolnation, Diana Krall

It’s a big morning for the Midland with a slew of fall concert announcements. Pull out your planner, kids.   Massachusetts metal band Godsmack has a show on Tuesday, September 29. The group is currently on tour promoting last year’s full-length, 1000hp. Details on that show here.  Aaron Bruno’s eletro-rock project Awolnation stops through on Sunday, November 8. For those…

Morton’s Grille closes on the Country Club Plaza

Last night was the final night of business for the nine-month-old Morton’s Grille restaurant on the Country Club Plaza. Today the managers are in the process of closing down the lesser-priced spinoff of the national Morton’s: the Steakhouse chain (owned by Houston-based Landry’s Inc.). A manager confirmed today that the restaurant — which The Pitch reviewed last February — is…

Swoon Cookie founder takes job with Green Dirt Farm

Sofia Varanka Hudson, the owner and co-founder of Swoon Cookie Crafters, the catering operation she started in 2007, has joined Green Dirt Farm as director of sales and marketing. But she’s keeping a finger in the cookie business. Hudson is in the process of closing her 12-year-old furniture store in the Crossroads, Hudson Home. She says she was looking for…

Jen Kirkman answers a few questions ahead of her Saturday-night RecordBar show

Like a lot of comics who have been working since before your friends were attempting to curate your laughter with Facebook, Jen Kirkman is everywhere — once you know where to look. Her most recent standup video hit Netflix in May (it’s very funny); she published a best-selling book last year (another one is on the way); she kills it as a podcaster;…

Take a road trip this weekend to the 80/35 Music Festival in Des Moines, featuring Wilco, Weezer and more

You wanna get out of town? This weekend, Des Moines is offering Midwestern music lovers the perfect excuse. The 80/35 Music Festival, now in its eighth year, kicks off tomorrow, Friday, July 10, with a dreamy lineup — including headlining spots from Wilco and Jenny Lewis. On Saturday, the fun continues with Weezer, Run the Jewels and the Orwells ……

Historic Kansas City hosts “Legacy series” happy hour at Twin City Tavern tonight

One of the oldest saloons in Kansas City — the Twin City Tavern, at 1815 Westport Road — is the setting tonight for the third “Legacy Bars & Restaurants” networking event. It’s casual and open to the public and is hosted by KC Modern and Young Preservationists KC, both affiliate groups of Historic Kansas City. Today’s 5:30 p.m. gathering is, according…

The Felony Lane Gang has descended on Kansas City (maybe)

A criminal group known as the Felony Lane Gang is causing trouble in Lee’s Summit, local news media are reporting. The group is said to be expert at vehicle smash-and-grabs — locating purses in cars, breaking the windows, skidding off to a bank and quickly cashing checks. What a skill set! Their name is derived from the drive-thru lane they…

Brenda Wood, local businesswoman already under indictment, faces new charges

Brenda Wood, a woman who rose to short-lived infamy during a botched attempt to buy the New York Life building in downtown Kansas City, faces a series of new federal charges. Wood, a 47-year-old from Leavenworth, is accused by a federal grand jury in Kansas of carrying out a check-kiting scheme, misappropriating someone else’s Social Security number to open a…

Throwback Thursday: Listen to Smoke’s rare ’70s disco funk, unearthed at 7th Heaven’s Vinyl Underground

The dangerous part of following the Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven’s Facebook page is the near-constant barrage of vinyl treasures threatening to drain your wallet. The upside is the simultaenously near-constant stream of intriguing local releases. The shop’s really good at cluing customers into vintage local stuff, and last week, this gem popped up. Smoke’s Risin’ was released on Kansas…