Archives: March 2022

Wreaths Across America Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 1
News

60 years after mysterious disappearance, a memorial event honors those lost on a secret mission in Vietnam

Four Missourians were aboard Flying Tiger Line Flight 739
Michael Cripe,

Wreaths lean on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. // Courtesy Wreaths Across America On March 16, 1962 a total of 93 United States Army soldiers, a civilian crew of 11, and three South Vietnamese soldiers boarded the Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 (FTLF 739) to carry out a secret reconnaissance mission in Vietnam—but they never arrived at their…

A collection of green Starbucks Workers United buttons are spread on a grey table on top of unionization paperwork
News, Politics

A third metro area Starbucks votes to unionize

"We just want to be treated fairly, to be treated equally, and to have a voice in what we're doing."
Savannah Hawley,

Employees at a Starbucks in Independence (18710 E. 39th St Independence, MO, 64057) became the third store in the Kansas City metro to file for unionization. They join employees at the Country Club Plaza and Overland Park locations in the fight for a union. // Photo by Libby March/Getty Images Employees at an Independence Starbucks ​​(18710 E. 39th St Independence,…
Politics

Northland Parent Association takes a censorship approach to education

Barbara Shelly,

Screenshots from NPA videos and videos of board meetings they attended. // Illustration by Miroslav Pavlovic In the summer, angry parents began commandeering the public comment periods of school board meetings in the Northland. They loudly objected to mask orders, read passages from books in school libraries and called them pornographic, and accused schools of indoctrinating their kids. Some claimed…

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Politics

Loud Light’s weekly Kansas politics recap: lawsuits, constitutional amendments, voter suppression, trans kids, and more

Davis Hammet,

The Pitch has partnered with a local political awareness organization called Loud Light. Their goal is to engage and empower individuals from underrepresented populations to build community power. And impact decision-makers. Each week of the year that the Kansas statehouse is in session, they release a short video recapping what the legislature is up to. Knowing the nitty-gritty of what’s happening with your…
Sports

Chick Evans Scholarship sends four local high school caddies to college

Adam Wilbers,

Evans on March 1, 1915. // Courtesy WikiMedia Commons Four local students have been awarded the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship, a full housing and tuition scholarship valued at an estimated $120,000 over four years. Recipients include Jaisen Guier of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic, Savannah Gentry of St. Teresa’s Academy, Cooper Goss of Rockhurst HS, and Paige Bruce…
Politics

Change to bill cutting Missouri sales tax on food transformed it into massive tax hike

The proposal as originally drafted would reduce school funding by up to $160 per pupil.
Rudi Keller,

Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, Chair of the House Children and Families Committee speaks during a hearing Oct. 5, 2021. // Photo by of Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications With a change of just a few words, a bill to expand the sales tax exemption for food purchases became a bill virtually ending the exemption, infuriating its sponsor and forcing a…

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Culture

American Royal hosts traveling dino exhibit March 4-6

Jurassic Quest offers family friendly fun for both tricera-tots and the young at heart.
Thomas White,

Kid riding a dino. // Photo by Kimberly Stoilis A cavalcade of nearly 20 big-rig 18-wheelers rolled up to Hale Arena Wednesday, carrying a payload of to-scale photo-realistic dinosaurs, games, rides, souvenirs, fossils, and exhibits. Jurassic Quest—North America’s largest interactive dinosaur exhibit—is ideal for children of all ages and millennial parents who extoll the virtues of the original Jurassic Park…
News, Politics

Dozens gather outside Plaza Starbucks to support unionization efforts

Crowds chanted "Get up, get down, Kansas City's a union town" in support of the workers.
Savannah Hawley,

Posters read “Union busting is disgusting” and “Coffee’s the game, union strong’s the name.” // Photo by Savannah Hawley Dozens of people, including Starbucks workers, workers with Stand Up KC, faith and civil rights leaders, and community allies gathered Thursday outside the Country Club Plaza Starbucks to support workers at the Plaza and Overland Park Convention Center storefronts who have…

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Culture

Letter From the Editor: Chaos goblins of change

Brock Wilbur,

Welcome to the March issue of The Pitch. Our theme this time around is Changemakers. Many of these “changemakers” are positive influences on this community. Some of them are “positive,” perhaps, but iffy based on your perspective of the world. The one thing we wanted to tackle out of the gate here is the changemakers that are difficult to define…

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Politics

Why Starbucks is unionizing in KC and the conditions that make it necessary

A change that's long overdue
Allison Harris,

Members of the Plaza Starbucks union organizing team. From L-R: Chris Fielder, Addy Wright, Cali Sacramento. // Photo by Allison Harris Kansas City’s plaza Starbucks is no stranger to the concept of unionization. When I worked there, from summer 2019 to spring 2021, employees would speak in the back openly about how things needed to change, eyes darting around before…

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Culture

Creature Feature: It’s time for Miss Kitty and Franny to go home

THE PITCH STAFF,

Miss Kitty is a sweet old soul. // Courtesy of Scott Poore and Great Plains SPCA This week’s “Creature Feature” is all thanks to Scott at the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City  as well as Chain of Hope and Great Plains SPCA—one of the largest no-kill animal shelters in the Kansas City metro. Meet Miss Kitty, a 10-year-old domestic…
News

Independence in negotiations for new gas turbines despite environmental concerns

The turbines are projected to cost $69.4 million, which will likely be the most the city will have ever spent on a project.
Savannah Hawley,

Independence Power and Light’s Blue Valley power plant At a meeting Monday night, Independence City Council voted to approve a letter of intent to negotiate a contract for the purchase of two 84 megawatt aeroderivative gas turbines, which use a combination of a fossil fuel mostly composed of methane and air to produce electricity. The new turbines would generate energy…

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Food & Drink

Dish & Drink KC: A new Crossroads location for Café Corazón, tropical tacos and cocktails, and a burger joint to debut in Parlor

Life is short. Order the thing with the rainbow sprinkles.
Liz Goodwin,

Café Corazón’s new location in the Crossroads. // Photo by Liz Goodwin Café Corazón opens second spot on Southwest Boulevard A new tenant in the Crossroads is offering the people of KC a taste of unique Latin flavors. Café Corazón has opened a second location on Southwest Boulevard, a sister venue to its original café in Old Westport. The coffeehouse…

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Politics

Photos: Ukrainian Club of Kansas City hosts rally on the Plaza

Jim Nimmo,

Rally for Ukraine on the Plaza. // Photo by Jim Nimmo On Saturday, February 26, the Ukrainian Club of Kansas City hosted a rally in support of their home country at Mill Creek Park on the Country Club Plaza. With only two days to prepare, the organizers had hoped for 150 people, but an overwhelming 500 participants showed up to…

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Culture

Whitney Manney is making moves with her fresh prints

Local fashion designer featured on Peacock's Bel-Air looks to scale up business.
Thomas White,

Courtesy of Whitney Manney Whitney Manney’s Westside studio swells with energy, creativity, and in-process projects. Her most recent pelt on the wall comes from Peacock’s Fresh Prince reboot Bel-Air, which featured some of her looks. Manney made scarves, earrings, shirts, dresses, bags, and bottoms primarily for the Ashley Banks character. Some of her items popped up on Will’s love interest Lisa…

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Culture

Mean Girls brings its burn book to the Music Hall from March 15-20

Savannah Hawley,

(L-R): Danielle Wade (Cady Heron), Megan Masako Haley (Gretchen Wieners), Nadina Hassan (Regina George), and Jonalyn Saxer (Karen Smith). // Photo by Jenny Anderson Mean Girls is coming to the Kansas City Music Hall March 15-20 for the first national tour of the production. The award-winning musical is based on the 2004 movie of the same name written by Tina…
Politics

Missouri has only met minority participation goal for contracts four times in 30 years

University of Missouri-Kansas City will be paid by the state to study whether disparity exists in how contracts are awarded
Rebecca Rivas,

Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, a Democrat from Kansas City, speaks at a press conference in 2020. // Courtesy Ben Peters/House Communications Every year, Missouri makes what it calls a “feasible effort” at spending 10% of state agencies’ expenditures with minority-owned businesses. In the past three decades, the state has only reached that goal four times. In fiscal year 2021, minority…

Steve Potter
News

Steven Potter of Mid-Continent Public Library closes chapter as director and CEO

Adam Wilbers,

Steve Potter of MCPL. // Photo Courtesy of Mid-Continent Public Library Steven V. Potter—CEO and director of the Mid-Continent Public Library—has announced he will be retiring this summer. After 34 years at the library, Potter will be closing this chapter. Potter has served Mid-Continent in many ways since his joining in 1988—from shelving books to managing day branch operations, cataloging…