Archives: February 2023

Politics

Vacancies, turnover leave thousands of jobs unfilled in Missouri state government

Missourians are seeing massive delays receiving services, ranging from call center wait times to court-ordered mental treatment.
Rudi Keller,

An aerial view of the Jay Nixon Forensic Center, the 300-bed maximum security psychiatric unit that opened in 2019 at Fulton State Hospital. The hospital is 400 employees short of full staffing. (Department of Mental Health photo) The Department of Mental Health canceled a $16 million project to renovate a building at Fulton State Hospital for use as a sex…

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Culture

February Events Calendar

THE PITCH STAFF,

Photo by Chris Ortiz. Art by Cassondra Jones. Ongoing/Multiple:  Feb. 2-5 Into the Woods, H&R Block City Stage Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 Open Mic at The Bird, The Bird Comedy Theater Feb. 5, 12, 19 Karaoke at JUST ANOTHER POP-UP TO BURN – TSWIZZLE TRIBUTE BAR, Vignettes Feb. 6, 13, 20 Intelligence Check Trivia, The Black Box Feb. 6,…
Music

Are musicians still the point of music festivals?

Chris Ortiz,

Twenty One Pilots in KC. // Photo by Chris Ortiz Once a new year dawns on all of us, music fans and concert goers tend to start seeing which of their favorite artists will grace their cities with tours. Some may be even looking for the occasional to attend.  However, to some, music festivals are not always about the music…

cannabis displayed on a table
News

Local Cannabis Co. celebrates first week of legal recreational marijuana

Amanda Hadlock,

One of many displays at Local Cannabis Company. // Photo by Amanda Hadlock Recreational cannabis became legally accessible for people aged 21 and over in Missouri over the weekend, and one Kansas City dispensary owner, Lee Hoffman of Local Cannabis Company, talked with The Pitch staff about how the legalization of recreational marijuana will benefit Missourians. Even Gremlins can benefit…

Noor Haideri Headshot 2022
News

Blue Valley junior named winner of eighth annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge

Noor Haideri’s video submission won top honors out of 2,400 submissions.
Sarah Moore,

Noor Haideri, a junior at Blue Valley High School, won top honors for the 2023 Breakthrough Junior Challenge.// Photo by Abbas Haideri Noor Haideri, a high school junior from Overland Park, was named the winner of the eighth annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a science video competition designed to encourage creative thinking and communication skills around…

David Lowery
Music

Musician David Lowery’s contrarian voice comes to the Lawrence Arts Center this week

Nick Spacek,

David Lowery. // photo courtesy facebook.com/DavidLoweryMusic Musician David Lowery is the man behind Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, meaning that if you came of musical age in the late 80s and the early 90s, he’s responsible for numerous earworms stuck in your head. Songs like Cracker’s “Low” and “Teen Angst,” to say nothing of Camper Van Beethoven’s “Take the Skinheads…

Missouri State Capitol
Politics

Doesn’t the Missouri legislature have more important issues to deal with?

Janice Ellis,

Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri. // Getty Images This article was originally published in The Missouri Independent. With just a little more than a month into the new legislative session, there is still time for Missouri lawmakers to change direction and focus on issues that are important to many Missourians.  But, will they? The legislature got off to…

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Culture

Four Inane Questions with drag king Victor Shawn

Michael Mackie,

Courtesy Victor Shawn Victor Shawn pops and locks. He grooves and moves. In this town, the ultra-athletic drag king extraordinaire is known as “Mr. Facial Expression.” He’s also “the love child of Usher and Beyoncé, the ex-boyfriend of Janelle Monáe, and BFFS with Childish Gambino,” as he states on his Facebook profile.  When he’s not busy bringing down the house…

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Politics

Loud Light Kansas Politics Recap: anti-drag, funding private schools, pregnancy centers, flat tax, 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…

Erin Little
Culture

Why has KCTV5’s Erin Little been off-air since Nov. 20?

Sarah Moore,

Erin Little during a KCTV5 Storm Track.// Courtesy of Erin Little Facebook Erin Little, Chief Meteorologist for KCTV5 has been off-air since Nov. 2022, and viewers have noticed.  Little is still leading the Storm Track 5 Weather Team, according to the KCTV5 website. The station reported that she was on medical leave, but fans on social media have been anxious…

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Movies

80 for Brady is a clumsy love letter to Tom Brady, from Tom Brady

Sarah Moore,

Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field star in 80 for Brady. Tom Brady didn’t come out of retirement to play another season of the game he loves. He came back because a true movie star knows that drama sells tickets. If you’re gutted from yesterday’s retirement announcement, go see 80 for Brady tonight. His film doesn’t focus…
Music

Interview with Wynonna: Why she’s ready to rip the roof off T-Mobile Center tonight

Michael Mackie,

The Judds: The Final Tour. // Photo by Nick Stewart Like the talented country superstars that preceded her—Dolly! Reba!—Wynonna is a one-named wonder. Alongside her mother Naomi, she was one half of The Judds, a mother-daughter duo that upended the early 1980s male-dominated country charts with multiple number #1 hits, five Grammy awards, and handfuls of hardware from the CMAs….

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Music

Angel Olsen brings majestic ‘Big Time’ country to Lawrence

Jack Howland, Chris Ortiz,

Angel Olsen. // photo by Chris Ortiz As Angel Olsen paused to tune her guitar on Friday night following the opening song “Dream Thing,” a few fans partook in an age-old concert tradition that invariably happens that first moment the music stops. Shouting distance from a globe-trotting rockstar, they screamed out from the teeming Lawrence crowd, “I love you!” Olsen,…

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Music

Photos: The Lone Bellow at Knuckleheads

Rachael Major,

The Lone Bellow. // Photo by Rachael Major The Lone Bellow Knuckleheads Tuesday, January 31 The Lone Bellow’s lead singer, Zach Williams, told a cute story about how the band took over this old abandoned farmhouse to record and shoot video in, and that it used to be owned by Roy Orbison, and there was a long pause. No one…

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Sports

Cyclists raise spirits, money for KC kids in Tour de Hope this May

Sofia Mongillo,

Courtesy Tour de Hope Facebook On May 7, cyclists will hit the streets of downtown Kansas City to bike for a good cause. The annual charity ride hosted by Tour de Hope aims to support The Hope Center KC, an organization focused on providing asset-based programs, opportunities, and growth for children, youth, and families on KC’s east side. Created by Mike…

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Food & Drink

Four Inane Questions with dessert designer Julie Stockwood

Michael Mackie,

Courtesy Julie Stockwood Julie Stockwood says she thought retirement would be amazing. Well, that is until the pandemic hit just a few months later. The one-two punch left her in “a bad place mentally,” she says. “I’m a very social person. Retirement combined with Covid greatly restricted doing things outside of the house.” So, like any good cooped-up person, Stockwood…
Movies

Knock at the Cabin is M. Night Shyamalan’s best movie since Signs

Abby Olcese,

Knock at the Cabin. // Universal Pictures The strength of M. Night Shyamalan’s concepts are undeniable. The man clearly has the art of the elevator pitch on lockdown. “What if a ghost didn’t know he was a ghost?” “What if a rustic village wasn’t actually a village?” “What if there was a beach that made you old?” You get where…

Purple potato crusted cod, inspired by Gomez and Morticia Addams.
Dining

Chef Dai’Quon Watts of Strang Chef Collective hosts five-course cinematic-themed Valentine’s Day dinner

Amanda Hadlock,

The first course salad, inspired by The Flintstones. // Photo courtesy of Chef Dai’Quon Watts. Strang Chef Collective’s newest chef, Dai’Quon Watts, has conceptualized a five-course Valentine’s Day dinner themed around iconic couples from film and television. The event will take place Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 6-9 p.m. at Strang Chef Collective’s new location, Strang Reserve, a luxury event space…

Denzil Forrester stands in front of some of his paintings in his exhibition "Denzil Forrester: Duppy Conquerer."
Art

Denzil Forrester’s first major U.S. exhibition opens at Kemper Museum

"Duppy Conqueror" explores four themes and spans three decades of Forrester’s work.
Sarah Moore,

Denzil Forrester at the opening of his exhibition “Duppy Conquerer.”// Contributed by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art In his first major U.S. exhibition, Denzil Forrester shares three decades of his work and transports you to the 1980s and 1990s underground London dub scene. The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition is split into four themes: “Dub,” “Homenow,” “Sound Systems,”…