Archives: September 2020

Trump2020
Politics

The Post-Mark of the Beast: How to vote in these trying times

Joseph Hernandez,

Notes left where mailboxes have been torn from the ground. // Photo courtesy Bridget Egan Remember when Steve (later Joe and Josh) from Blue’s Clues would get so excited about the mail they’d sing about it? “Here’s the mail, it never fails. It makes me want to wag my tail. When it comes I want to wail – Mail!” Now…

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Culture

The Pitch needs your help

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Please, we like to exist. Help! // Illustration by Katelyn Betz In the pre-COVID times, there was nothing I loved more than walking into a local business and seeing you read The Pitch “in the wild,” as I call it.  I’d spot you in coffee shops or bars, restaurants and parks—usually with a beverage or a snack nearby. I could…

Dwayne
Politics

Moving from punishment to rehabilitation trickles down to save our community

Quinton Lucas,

Mayor Quinton Lucas meets Dwayne Wright, the first person he pardoned under his Mayoral Marijuana Pardon Program. // Photo by Morgan Said Alpho-David. Alfuh-Davit. Alpha-Davit? It took him awhile to get it right—not because he couldn’t pronounce the word, but because he couldn’t read it. When he finally got it, we were both proud. Affidavit. It’s entirely possible that this…

Dia Main
Movies

Fantasia Fest: Dinner in America is a mosh-pit of charm

The indie rom-com gets off to a rough start, but ultimately aims to please.
Adrian Torres,

Dinner in America. // Courtesy Fantasia Fest PR Quirk for the sake of quirk can try anyone’s patience. Punk for the sake of seeming tough and edgy can do the same. Slam the two together and you’re bound to get chaotic results. The two elements clash in Dinner In America, but rather than being a mess, they make for a…
Culture

New direct flight from KC to Cancun will be connecting ASAP

Kansas City International Airport is now offering direct flights from KC to Cancun amidst a pandemic.
Abbey Higginbotham,

The proposed new terminal outline. Kansas City international airport has now added direct flights from Kansas City to Cancun amid a global pandemic. Back in March, at the beginning of the Pandemic, the travel industry took an exponentially substantial financial hit with flights dropping 77% back in April. As people try and revert to their everyday lives as much as…

Jonah Stein & Maskeraids
News

Local boy making mask aids to support Jewish Family Services Food Pantry

Joseph Hernandez,

Turns out there are some good things still happening in the world. Local middle schooler Jonah Stein began a service project connected to his bar mitzvah to aid the Jewish Family Services Food Pantry. With a little help from his family, he created MASKerAIDs—colorful beaded necklaces that connect to a person’s mask.  Stein smashed through the $1,800 goal he set,…

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News

Kansas City Public Library launches “Internet To Go” program

Joseph Hernandez,

Not being online during this time means losing out on nearly everything. News, work, family, friends, and entertainment, just to name a few things, are all accessible with the swipe of a finger. The internet is one of the most important tools to have during the pandemic. It’s a necessity, sharing that space with food and water. The Kansas City…

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News

In The Red: Chief Medical Officers discuss the reality of COVID; fears for the region

Urgent COVID Briefing From Chief Medical Officers
Abbey Higginbotham, Lucia Verzola,

In an online panel held by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce yesterday, the region’s chief medical officers came together to discuss where the Kansas City area finds itself as it continues to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Both Kansas and Missouri have entered the red zone, exceeding the infected population’s required rate of staying under 10%. Today, Kansas is at…

Matt W Shut It Down Msnbc Screenshot
Politics

Top economists call on Gov. Parson to “shut down, start over” to contain COVID-19

Joseph Hernandez,

Matt Wellington, U.S. PIRG’s Public Health Campaigns Director, asks leaders to shut down and restart. // Screengrab via MSNBC Twenty-two top economists from 17 leading universities and colleges released a letter on Thursday, urging Missouri Governor Mike Parson to “shut down, start over, and do it right” to contain COVID-19. The letter serves as a companion piece to the original…

Kenneth Branagh Tenet
Movies

Tenet review: Christopher Nolan’s lack of worlds left to conquer

Dan Lybarger,

Tenet. // Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. It’s occasionally easier to admire writer-director Christopher Nolan’s movies than it is to enjoy them. With Interstellar, Inception, Memento, and The Prestige, Nolan pulls off some narrative sleight of hand that’s often hard to appreciate on an initial viewing.  With The Prestige, for example, the film’s final reveal has more impact after the movie…

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Savage Love

My husband is cheating but won’t let me have an affair.

Dan Savage,

Dear Dan: I’ve been married for thirty years to the same man. I have dealt with his tantrums, his screaming, and his fits. He’s always had anger management issues. He strangled me once a few months after our son was born and never did it again. I would have left otherwise. He’s had relationships with other women but always swore…

Jazz
A&E

Kansas City awarded $80,000 from U.S. Regional Arts Resilience Fund

Allison Harris,

The American Jazz Museum, recipient of a $50,000 grant. // Photo courtesy of the American Jazz Museum Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum and the Black Archives of Mid-America are new recipients of the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s U.S. Regional Arts Resilience Fund. The American Jazz Museum will be receiving $50,000 and the Black Archives of Mid-America will be receiving $30,000. The…

Vinyl Nation 4k Image 008 (credit Sherri Kauk)
Music

Two new documentaries examine the changing face of physical music media

Nick Spacek,

Mills Record Company // photo credit Sherri Kauk Within two hours on Monday evening, I got screener links for two separate record store documentaries, and while they’re both quite different in their respective perspectives, the ultimate takeaway from each film is celebratory in its own way. Vinyl Nation, from co-directors Kevin Smokler and Christopher Boone, is described by Smokler as…

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Food & Drink

Dish & Drink KC: Your new favorite wine shop is in the Crossroads, Ravenous (at last) opens Friday, and this week’s can’t-miss dish

April Fleming,

Check it out: Big Mood Natural Wines Photo by April Fleming You’ll be easily and quickly forgiven at Big Mood Natural Wines (2020 Baltimore Avenue, Ste 102) if you don’t know what natural wines are. The brand-new Crossroads wine shop, which is owned and operated by industry veterans Richard Garcia, Liz Zoeller, and Jamie Zoeller, specializes in the stuff (truly—it’s…

Givinggrove
News

Kansas City nonprofit Giving Grove opens affiliate in Louisville

Allison Harris,

Giving Grove orchard in action. // Courtesy of Giving Grove Facebook page. Giving Grove, a Kansas City-based nonprofit, opened its fifth national affiliate location in Louisville, Kentucky on August 10th, 2020. Giving Grove is responsible for 241 orchards nationwide that provide community members in need with free organically grown fruits and nuts, including 188 in Kansas City. On a mission…

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Food & Drink

Kingsford Charcoal setting up $5k charity tab at Jones Bar-B-Q for this Saturday

Allison Harris,

Jones Bar-B-Q’s famous ribs. // Photo courtesy of CurrentGlobal On Saturday, September 5th, Kingsford Charcoal will be opening a $5,000 tab at KCK’s family-owned Jones Bar-B-Q. This tab will be offering free barbecue first come, first served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This tab is part of Kingsford’s initiative to support locally owned barbecue restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic….

Dw Family

Letter from the Editor: Here’s Your Future

Brock Wilbur,

Christopher Washington (left) with the rest of the team, reopening The Drunken Worm on 39th Street. // Photo by Krown Concepts The Portland indie-punk trio The Thermals has an album called The Body, The Blood, The Machine which is a concept album about Christianity. While containing plenty of tracks that seem to spit in the eye of God, or at…