Archives: April 2020

Kansas Republicans overturn governor’s order, allow for large Easter gatherings

Governor Laura Kelly’s order limiting religious gatherings to 10 people has been struck down by Kansas Republicans. While medical professionals advise against gatherings that could further spread COVID-19, the GOP saw this limitation as an attack on religious liberty. This afternoon, representatives congregated and voted to overturn the directive. The votes feel straight down the party lines, with Republicans outnumbering…

Are you looking for a job? KC Career Network has 5,000

Courtesy of TeamKC More than 40 Kansas City companies have listed thousands of open positions on KC Career Network to help those displaced by coronavirus. TeamKC, a talent attraction initiative of the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC), is leveraging KC Career Network to list more than 5,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal positions available in industries including technology, professional services and health care….

Photos that prove KC is doing a great job staying home

Photo by Alyssa Orr We’ve been asking members of the KC community to submit stories about life under house arrest. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration. Illustration by Jack Raybuck History is happening right before our eyes as we are in the middle of this pandemic. As a photographer here, I…

In our new hellworld, BBQ comes from vending machines

Jones Bar-B-Q vending machine. // Photo courtesy Jones Bar-B-Q Jones Bar-B-Q has opened a vending machine for distributing BBQ. No, I didn’t expect to ever live in a world with meat machines, but here we are. At least it’s one of our favorite meat destinations in town. Anything that allows me access to that burnt-ends sandwich is a welcome release…

“Super Pink Moon” glows over Kansas City

Supermoon observation. // Photos by Luke Searles The “Super Pink Moon” that appeared over the Kansas City horizon last night was nothing short of spectacular. It gets its unique name for being closer to Earth than any other time this year and adopting a flushed glow. Clearly the moon isn’t as concerned with social distancing as we are. While the…

Coronavirus reveals the best and the worst in human connections

Why Don’t We Talk Anymore?

Illustration by Jack Raybuck We’ve been asking members of the KC community to submit stories about life under house arrest. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration. Today, G.G. DeMarco talks about dating and disconnects. Our friend Ericka Cherry did a piece on Dating in the Time of Coronavirus, and this…

Can a Democrat win the U.S. Senate in Kansas?

Photo by Kelcie McKenney, Emily Park When asked why she left the Republican Party to register as a Democrat, she lets out a sigh. “The Republican Party left me,” says Elaine S., a Wichita area resident who asked to withhold her last name to protect her anonymity. Elaine has a list of reasons why. She talks about America’s duty to…

The KC Online Live Music Series is keeping the music alive

Scotty McBee performs on a livestream as part of the KC Online Live Music Series. If you’re getting restless without regular evening outings to bars and clubs, or even if you’d always rather stay in your pajamas and lounge in your living room, artists from all over Kansas City have your evenings covered.  The bonus is that while they’re entertaining…

Enterprising Women of the Year Award given to six KC business owners

The award logo // Photo courtesy WDS Marketing & PR Six Kansas City area women business owners have been recently chosen to receive a national “2020 Enterprising Women of the Year Award” by Enterprising Women Magazine. The publication is the nation’s only women-owned magazine publishing for female business owners. The 2020 Enterprising Women Award winners are placed in categories based on…

Powell Gardens launches new digital content to bring the gardens to your home

Powell Gardens finding a way through. // Courtesy Powell Gardens Home garden Q&As with horticulture staff, weekly educational activities for kids, and beautiful updates from the Gardens to remind KC that spring is not cancelled. This week, Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, is launching a series of new digital content initiatives to stay connected with its community while approximately…

Want to support local theaters? Rent Bacurau.

The Brazilian thriller is available to rent through Screenland’s online screening room

Sonia Braga as Domingas Victor Jucá // Courtesy Kino Lorber The Brazilian action thriller Bacurau started making the rounds at festivals and gaining critical support late last year. As one of several arthouse releases available to rent through Screenland Armour’s virtual screening room service, Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s film can get the kind of international distribution it’s been…

KC Tenants launch hotline, plans digital campaigns to protect renters

KC Tenants digital rally // Courtesy KC Tenants Missouri is experiencing a public health crisis. COVID-19 affects and will affect people of color, and our poor and working-class community members the most, only exacerbating the state of emergency they endure every day. People who are housing-insecure or currently homeless are at a higher risk of being exposed to the virus,…

Orphans of Doom’s newest is a sprinting, chomping bringer of death

Orphans of Doom II (The Company) There’s a point about halfway through the third track on Orphans of Doom’s sophomore album that really emphasizes where the band now finds itself. At the midpoint of “Swans,” the song goes from a slow pummeling into an outright barrage. It’s the auditory equivalent of a friendly sparring session turning into a beatdown, and…

Coronavirus quarantine photos of an abandoned KC

Abandoned grocery store shelves during lockdown // Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden from pilsenphotocoop.com Our friends Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden from pilsenphotocoop.com were out in the world. As smart, cool photographers, they grabbed a bunch of shots that capture our city’s transition from metropolis to post-apocalypse. They brought their cameras with them while doing last minute trips to the…

Domestic violence on the rise during COVID-19 quarantine

Breaking: Domestic violence calls to police are up 22% in Kansas City since the stay-at-home order was issued.  As stay-at-home orders intensify and coronavirus cases in Missouri continue to climb, quarantine hasn’t been easy for anyone. But for those facing domestic violence, the situation presents a unique, all-encompassing terror.  While self-isolating with your immediate household remains the most recommended precaution…

Trabon Group pivots to new business as face shield manufacturer

Employees of USA Shields. // Photo by Tony Trabon Tony Trabon of local business the Trabon Group was in the business of printing restaurant menus. Since restaurants are (at best) curbside order only right now, he was looking for a way to prevent furloughing or laying-off a hundred employees. So. They changed their business. Now known as USA Shields, they…

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the escapist fantasy of community kindness we need now

More than just a relaxing life sim, Nintendo's latest game invites us to a world where everyone cares

Animal Crossing // Screengrab by Reb Valentine Last week, while on an ill-timed annual leave from my job, I invited seven of my friends to fly out with me to the quaint island town of Lettercozy to have a party on the beach. Together, we went shopping for clothing and furniture at local haunts, shared tastes of the island’s native…

Single Wing Creative donates toward Crossroads Community Kitchen

  Single Wing Creative has just launched an extensive line of clothing called the Support KC Industry Collection, and 100% of the proceeds are going towards Kansas City hospitality industry beneficiaries. The first beneficiary is the Crossroads Community Kitchen, which has fed literally thousands of people out of the kitchen of the Rieger in the last two weeks. SWC plans…

KC has a freeze warning tonight, so leave your taps on

A tree blossoming while also harboring some surprise icicles // Photo by Brock Wilbur The National Weather Service announced Friday afternoon the Kansas City area is under a Freeze Warning, which runs 3 to 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. With windchill it dropped to 23 degrees today. The National Weather Service says that on Tuesday we’ll have a high temperature…