An audit of the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department shows that some of its employees play fast and loose with the rules for trading shifts. The audit concludes that, among other things, firefighters trade shifts with one another in order to pad their annual pay without using accrued sick time. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Legislative Auditor Tom…
After nearly eight years of investigation by federal authorities, Cheryl Womack concluded a criminal case against her by admitting that she lied to a Justice Department attorney during a 2009 deposition. Womack appeared in federal court Tuesday in Kansas City, Missouri, to change her plea and forgo an upcoming trial. As a result of her plea deal, federal prosecutors agreed…
A spiky, tree-borne thing native to South Asia, the jackfruit looks more like your second-favorite loofah — the one you use just for your feet — than it does a produce to crave for lunch. It can weigh up to 100 pounds — roughly the size of an alien pod or a dinosaur egg — and its smell is often…
Some of the best-known performers in jazz today are bassists. Think Esperanza Spaulding. And think Christian McBride, who was a 17-year-old prodigy when he joined Bobby Watson’s ensemble in 1989. Since then, he has added more than 300 recordings and five Grammys to his resume. He has played with musicians ranging from Pat Metheny and Chick Corea to James Brown…
One comic’s last-ditch effort to save his career has become a cultural signpost. Marc Maron’s WTF podcast — among iTunes’ most-downloaded shows — centers on what might be the most insightful interviews in show business. Maron’s conversation with Robin Williams placed the late comedian in a new context, and his train-wreck talk with the watermelon-smashing Gallagher was gripping in its…
“I love to step into another world and make you believe in that world,” Logan Black says, in an e-mail, about performing. The actor, teacher and, now, playwright, does what he loves in Bond: A Soldier and His Dog, a one-man play that he penned and appeared in last summer at the KC Fringe Festival. “Not to be missed,” I…
Nils Lofgren is a guitar-slinging road warrior. In addition to a string of fantastic solo albums and his work with Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Lofgren has been a member of the E Street Band for the last 30 years. Were there any doubt as to his work ethic, he interrupted a tour promoting a live album he made with…
At first listen, hearing songs sung in English and Spanish on Maria the Mexican’s new album, South of the Border Moonlight, might make you feel as though the group is suffering a bit of an identity crisis. In fact, the opposite is true for sisters Maria and Tess Cuevas. The granddaughters of Teresa Cuevas, a member of Topeka’s Estrella Mariachi,…
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Bruce Springsteen’s The River came out in 1980. A few other notable things from that year: Ronald Reagan won the Republican presidency; John Lennon was assassinated; Post-it Notes arrived. The United States was also in the middle of a recession, and Springsteen, being the great American chronicler that he his, let The River…
After an exciting Opening Night game against the New York Mets, the Kansas City Royals will face their World Series foes one more time before turning their attention to American League Central foe, the Minnesota Twins. Kansas City will spend the first week of the season at home before hitting the road to face the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s….
Comedian, writer and actress Sarah Silverman is back on the road. After her intense turn in 2015’s I Smile Back, in which she was great as a mother struggling with mental illness and addiction, it will feel good to see her return to her weird, wonderful stand-up (like the bit queued up after the jump). Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead opens….
Comedian, writer and actress Sarah Silverman is back on the road. After her intense turn in 2015’s I Smile Back, in which she was great as a mother struggling with mental illness and addiction, it will feel good to see her return to her weird, wonderful stand-up (like the bit queued up after the jump). Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead opens….
On March 21, the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office filed, under seal, a lawsuit seeking to shut down a debt-collection operation located in the Chicago suburb of Westmont. A federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois signed off, and law enforcement subsequently raided the offices of the operation, which included several interrelated companies with names…
Ever met someone who wants the earnings tax to go away in Kansas City? I’ve met a few, but they’re few and far between. Their reasoning is often couched as a desire to see City Hall punished for, as they see it, wasting taxpayer money on pet projects for politicians. Every now and then, the Show-Me Institute fires of a…
Sigur Rós last enchanted Kansas City three years ago during a chilly evening at Starlight. This morning, the Icelandic artists announced they are returning in the fall to cozier indoor settings. The band will play Wednesday, October 12, at the Midland, in support of new material. Expect a two-part set (including an intermission), and no supporting act. Tickets go on sale at…
The Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance appears to be forming plans to expand the as-of-yet unopened streetcar line south of downtown, but hasn’t shared those details broadly. Citizens For Responsible Government, a local watchdog group, asked to see those plans under the auspices of the Missouri Sunshine Law, which generally makes public documents available to anyone who asks for them. …
