Archives: July 2023

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Politics

Time limits resume for federal food assistance, potentially impacting 26,000 Missourians

Adult SNAP participants without children must prove they are meeting work requirements or will lose benefits after just three months.
Clara Bates,

The Missouri Department of Social Services resource center located in Columbia (Clara Bates/Missouri Independent). Following the end of the federal public health emergency, around 26,000 Missourians receiving food assistance are once again subject to work requirements to maintain their benefits. If the state does not receive the proper paperwork from participants, many could lose benefits beginning in October for the…
Politics

Kansans woke up to dozens of new state laws delving into crime, gender, guns and food

More than 75 laws surviving 2023 legislative gauntlet take root.
Tim Carpenter,

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican-led Kansas Legislature tangled over many issues in 2023 session — there were more than a dozen veto showdowns — and led to implementation Saturday of 77 new state laws, including a measure altering criminal and civil procedure in sex abuse cases. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Jay Schumacher was locked up at the Ellis…
Politics

Kansas hemp advocates eager to widen cultivation of plant with wild variety of uses

Momentum growing to allow hemp seed to be component in animal feed.
Tim Carpenter,

Kelly Rippel, cofounder of Kansans for Hemp and a member of the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s hemp advisory panel, tells the Kansas Reflector podcast that changes in state and federal policies could help build a more vibrant market for growing hemp in Kansas for industrial purposes. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Industrial hemp champion Kelly Rippel wants to light a…

Dj Fresh
Music

50 Years of Hip-Hop in KC: A history of our first half-century from house parties to Hammer Time to Tech N9ne

No Coast rap culture runs deep.
Shawn Edwards,

Gary “DJ Fresh” Edwin. // Courtesy Fresh Productions This summer marks the 50-year anniversary of hip-hop. The culture was “born” August 11, 1973, in the South Bronx, when Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell, the man known for creating the breakbeat, threw a back-to-school party for his sister. As the world takes time this summer to reflect on the complicated, beautiful,…
Culture

Actress Cynthia Kaye McWilliams on Average Joe, true crime, and her KC roots

Jacqulyn Seyferth,

Courtesy of Cynthia Kaye McWilliams Kansas City-raised actress Cynthia Kaye McWilliams’ portfolio ranges from voice acting in Marvel animations to dramatic performances with Samuel L. Jackson. She is known for being a series regular on Real Husbands of Hollywood alongside Kevin Hart, as well as her recurring role in Prison Break. McWilliams has also starred in Netflix’s Prince of Peoria. …

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News

Haley Haar named 2023 Kansas City Woman of Impact Award winner

Sofia Mongillo,

President and owner of AlphaGraphics Kansas City, Haley Haar, has been recognized by the American Heart Association as the 2023 Kansas City Woman of Impact Award Winner. Working to fight the number one killer worldwide, heart disease, the American Heart Association nominates a group of female leaders in various regions surrounding Women’s Health Month each spring. This year, eight local…

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News

The Pitch nominated for two Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards in 2023

Chase Castor and Brock Wilbur are nominated for excellence in journalism at this year's AAN conference in Dallas.
THE PITCH STAFF,

The Pitch staff at deadline on the May issue. // Photo by Brock Wilbur The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is pleased to announce this year’s finalists for the 2023 AAN Awards. Celebrating excellence in local journalism, these awards recognize outstanding reporting, writing, photography, and multimedia storytelling across various categories. This year’s finalists represent a group of journalists, publications, and collaborations who…
Politics

Despite $8 billion surplus, Missouri governor vetoes $550 million in state spending

Gov. Mike Parson vetoed items large and small that were outside the budget he laid out to lawmakers in January.
Rudi Keller,

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson during his State of the State address on Jan. 19, 2022 (photo by Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). From the $8,000 set aside so the Lone Jack Police Department could buy rifles to $46 million for an allied health building at St. Louis Community College, Gov. Mike Parson’s veto ax fell heavily on earmarked spending as he…
Movies

Mockumentary Maximum Truth lets Ike Barinholtz pull Jacob Wohl over your eyes

For the terminally online, the new comedy is a chance to relive the dumbest of Trump-era grifters.
Brock Wilbur,

Maximum Truth. // Courtesy Momentum Pictures Directed by David Stassen, the new political comedy Maximum Truth lampoons some of the dumbest Trump-era grifters. As a small mockumentary affair, do you need to rush to a theater to catch this? Probably not. Is it worth 90 minutes of your time at home via VOD, where it is already available? That’s gonna…