Archives: June 2021

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News

Blue KC sponsoring free health screenings during Heritage Festival

Aubrie Lawrence,

Photo by Mufid Majnun Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC)  is partnering with JuneteenthKC to promote health equity by offering free health screenings at the 10th annual Juneteenth festival. The Juneteenth Festival is a month-long heritage celebration held within the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. The free screenings, provided by nurses from Blue KC’s care…

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Beer & Spirits

Up-Down organizes catch-up “Alliday” party to celebrate all holidays we skipped in 2020

Emily Standlee,

Up-Down has two levels and so many arcade games. // Courtesy Up-Down Since so many people stayed home in the hopes of protecting family and friends last year, Kansas City’s much-loved arcade bar is rewarding us with balloon drops, costume contests, and general revelry. From Friday, June 11 to Sunday, June 13, Up-Down is recreating New Year’s Eve, Halloween, and…

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News

‘Defund the police’ was designed to provoke a response. In Missouri, it worked

Republican lawmakers responded with outrage by moves in Kansas City and St. Louis to reshuffle police funding
Rebecca Rivas,

Photo by Colin Lloyd For years after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists and community leaders have pushed to “re-envision public safety.”  Inspired in part by the Ferguson Commission, which recommended that cities focus more resources on the root causes of crime, organizers across the state echoed these calls.  But they largely fell on deaf ears. After the murder of…

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News

Toby Dorr explains infamous Lansing prison break on Dateline this Friday

Aubrie Lawrence,

Toby Dorr, left, and Andrea Canning. // Photo courtesy of Claudia Meyer-Samargia Set your DVRs (if people still even do that kind of thing) for this Friday night because there is an episode of Dateline you don’t want to miss. On Feb. 1, 2006, Kansas prisoner John Maynard escaped from Lansing Correctional Facility in a van driven by 48-year-old prison volunteer…

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Culture

On Location at True/False film festival 2021

Abby Olcese,

All Light Everywhere The True/False film festival has always been “different” than other fests. The quirky DIY aesthetic and “let’s put on a show” mentality, coupled with top-notch curation and an intimate, communal atmosphere is all refreshingly free of slick overproduction and inaccessibility. Typically held the first weekend of March, the Columbia, Missouri documentary festival gives artists and attendees four…

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Savage Love

Savage Love: sneaking around and ‘yukking my yum’

Dan Savage,

Illustration by Jack Raybuck Dear Dan: I’ve been living with my boyfriend for a year. We met on FetLife and I was honest about being in an open relationship (at the time) and seeking a sexual connection over a relationship. But one nut after another and pretty soon we were professing our love for each other and he shared that…

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Culture

The Proud Pronoun Project reminds us that gender pronouns are vital and gorgeous

Lily Wulfemeyer,

A grid displaying pronoun illustration options offered on the Proud Pronoun Project’s website. // Courtesy of VMLY&R ‘Tis the season for Pride, and thus, the season of corporate rainbow washing. Think: all those corporations not-so-surreptitiously pouring money into anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and politicians, then slapping a rainbow on their profile pictures come June 1 in a bald move to make…

Bike Illustration Copy
News

KC moves hard to reclaim power over our streets

Barbara Shelly,

Illustration by Katelyn Betz One way to look at a street is as a slab of asphalt. Maybe with a painted line in the middle. It’s simple and—mostly—functional. But right now, in the public conversation, streets are so much more. For too long in Kansas City and some of its surrounding communities, streets have been the domain of cars, cops,…

Seraf De Smedt
News

Duvel Moortgat and Boulevard Brewing hire a new president

Savannah Hawley,

Seraf De Smedt. // Courtesy Duvel Moortgat Duvel Moortgat USA, the parent company of Boulevard Brewing Company, announced that Seraf De Smedt will take over as president of the U.S. operation effective immediately. De Smedt previously served as the chief finance and administration officer for Duvel Moortgat since 2013.  In his new role, De Smedt will work with the Duvel…

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Politics

Governor signs bill ending Missouri’s designation as last state without a PDMP

The bill, that advocates say will help prevent opioid abuse, will go into effect Aug. 28 after nearly a decade of failed attempts
Tessa Weinberg,

Flanked by Sen. Holly Rehder (left) and Rep. Travis Smith (right), Gov. Mike Parson signs Senate Bill 63, which will establish a prescription drug monitoring program and end Missouri’s designation as the last state in the nation without one. // Photo courtesy of Missouri Governor’s Office With the swipe of a pen Monday, Missouri will soon become the last state…

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Music

2021’s KC Record Store Day guide to hot wax

Aubrie Lawrence,

Photo by Annie Theby Record Store Day is upon us once again and we couldn’t be happier. COVID-19 restrictions are disappearing with every vaccine shot in the arm, so you’ll be able to shop for those one-day-only exclusives in person. Stop by record stores June 12 and take a look at the variety of different records to choose from. With…

Styx Portrait Shoot
Music

Styx bassist Ricky Phillips on ‘Crash of the Crown’ and the band’s return to the road

Nick Spacek,

Styx (l-r: Chuck Panozzo, Ricky Phillips, Todd Sucherman, Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan) // photo credit Rick Diamond Classic rockers Styx are known for their slew of ’70s and ’80s hits, be it “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” or the number one gold record, “Babe,” but it’s not as though the band…

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Movies

Women-led Etheria Film Festival to thrill us with Screenland Armour residency

Emily Standlee,

A scene from The Gray, directed by Myra Aquino. // Courtesy Etheria Film Festival If there’s anything that can pull us out of these hot, post-pandemic doldrums, it’s some edge-of-your-seat scary time. Science-fiction and horror fans will be pleased to know that Screenland Armour Theatre is hosting the 2021 Etheria Film Festival Saturday, June 26. This year’s lineup features nine…
Food & Drink

The Peanut and its amazing wings are coming to South Kansas City

Jacob Martin,

The Peanut on Main // Courtesy of The Peanut If you’ve missed your fix of bar bites because of restaurant closures, you’re in luck! Kansas City favorite the Peanut is opening a new location. Peanut Midwest, a licensee of The Peanut, is planning on opening this fall at 12921 State Line Road. Along with the South Kansas City location, The…

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Music

Quite Frankly leans in to a new sound with “blue / red”

Their latest single and video shows a more mature side of one of KC’s youngest bands.
Hannah Strader,

Quite Frankly. // Photo by Hannah Strader Like a lot of bands, Quite Frankly has gone through a few different iterations. When balancing paid gigs with homework, band practice, drama rehearsals, and real drama, you tend to go through a few members. “This entity of the band is the most drama-free it has ever been,” says MJ Matthews, a proud…

Resist Books
Culture

Resisting Amazon: An interview with author and bookstore owner Danny Caine

Local businesses must tell their stories and build community, then explain: "Amazon puts all that at risk."
Miriam Ellis,

‘Shop Local’ sign posted in front of independent business. // Photo courtesy of Near Media There is strength in numbers on Main Street. Where there’s strength of vision the pervasive fog that is Amazon can be pierced, offering glimpses of an America that wants to shop differently. The numbers say there was a 100%+ increase of “available near me” Google searches…

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Sports

Runner’s High: For some, running is a form of activism

Elliott Lee Scott,

Photo by Isaac Wendland Around this time last year, evenings were eerily quiet. With restaurants closed, little to no traffic, and everyone working from home, people in my neighborhood spent those twilit hours outside. Parents pulled kids in wagons, runners wove around other pedestrians and walkers chatted softly with each other. It became a shared ritual, something we could do…

The Grisly Hand
Music

The triumphant return of the Grisly Hand

Nick Spacek,

  After nearly five years since their last album, Hearts & Stars, Kansas City’s country-tinged rock ‘n’ roll outfit the Grisly Hand returned at the beginning of May with a new single, “Now That You Know,” a track which is slow, soulful number, with a bit of a sway in the musicality. The band’s always been known for walking the…
News

Leawood based AMC Theaters issues warning ahead of new stock sell

Jacob Martin,

AMC Ward Parkway // Courtesy of AMC AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.—based out of Leawood—made a peculiar announcement Thursday, warning investors they could potentially lose money ahead of a decision by the cinema giant to sell 11 million shares of their stock. “We believe that the recent volatility and our current market prices reflect market and trading dynamics unrelated to our…