Courtesy photo After 30 years, seamstress extraordinaire Fatma Konyalioglu—who owns Fatma’s Alterations in Overland Park—is hanging up her pinking shears. And her tailor’s chalk, pin cushions, and stitch rippers. The Turkish-born seamstress—who’s known simply as Fatma—is closing up shop and retiring at the end of the month. “I’m like Cher—does anybody even know Cher’s last name?” the one-named wonder jokes….
Churn and featured novel illustration. // Courtesy Chloe Chun Seim Kansan author Chloe Chun Seim releases her realism and supernatural fused novel Churn this November. Unique from other novels, short stories intertwine in order to craft Churn’s overall narrative and features additional illustrations created with watercolor, graphite, charcoal, and more. With Churn receiving the 2022 George Garret Fiction Prize,…
Gov. Laura Kelly, the second-term Democrat, said on the Kansas Reflector podcast she formed a political action committee to support moderate Republican and Democratic candidates for the Legislature in 2024. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly launched a political action committee Monday to support election of moderate Republican and Democratic candidates to the Kansas Legislature and loosen…
Courtesy photo Taylor Petrehn humbly balances three businesses, including the esteemed James Beard-nominated 1900 Barker Bakery (now with two locations) and Taylor’s Donuts (another gorgeous laundromat remodel), while also parenting his sprinkle-loving daughter Opal who is often behind the donut counter. Petrehn lets us in on industry diversification, bad bread, and a love for crossiants. The Pitch: Were you a…
Bully // courtesy Sophia Matinazad Passionately gritty alt-rock soloist Bully performs August 12 at Lawrence’ s Bottleneck. Having opened for The Pixies, The Breeders, and more, Alicia Bognanno packs her newest album Lucky For You with raw emotions and vulnerability. Bognanno has never been one for slow songs, channeling her jagged vocals and ambient electric guitar to create dynamic tracks….
Fountain City Con 2023. // Photo by Orrin Grey Those who have lived in the Kansas City area for a while may remember when our own Planet Comicon was not such a massive undertaking as it is today. Years ago, the event was tucked into what was then the Overland Park Convention Center. Inside a large, empty room was a…
Courtesy of Drew Ressler Chinese American producer, artist, and songwriter Elephante will be hitting up the Mosaic Ultra Lounge on August 11. Elephante has been on a roll so far in 2023, collaborating with fellow AAPI artists such as BEAUZ, Mark Tuan, Stephanie Poetri, and Zhang Yanqi. With a Harvard degree and a stable corporate job, Elephante looked at his…
Photo by Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent One in four Missouri nursing homes hasn’t had a standard inspection in two or more years, according to recently-updated federal data. Federal law requires states conduct an unannounced comprehensive inspection for each long-term care facility at least every 15 months to assess compliance with federal health and safety rules. During those visits, inspectors generally spend…
Johnny’s Tavern in North Lawrence. // Photo by Brooke Tramel Since its opening in 1953, Johnny’s Tavern has been the go-to spot in Kansas City. Whether you’re looking to watch a basketball game, grab a beer, or catch up with friends, Johnny’s is the first on the list for a lot of locals. This year, they’re celebrating their 70th anniversary…
Photo by Brooke Tramel The Front Bottoms w/ Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band Grinders August 2, 2023 The Front Bottoms rolled through KC on their “you are who you hang out with tour” featuring support from Kevin Devin & The Godamn Band over at Grinders. We spoke to the band earlier in the week, and you can check out…
Judge Jon Beetem is shown at the bench during a hearing in his Cole County courtroom (pool photo courtesy of Julie Smith/News Tribune) A Cole County judge promised Thursday he would rule quickly after a Sept. 11 trial over the language voters will see when they consider an initiative petition to reinstate the right to an abortion. At a hearing…
REVEILLE. // courtesy of Millennial PR The award-winning Missouri-filmed WWII movie Reveille releases today on Amazon for viewing. Inspired by a true story, a skirmish breaks out between an American squad and German soldiers. The Americans seek safety from artillery shells but are required to protect their new war prisoners. Confined within the close proximity of a cave, the soldiers…
Rows of flowers and candles in front of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, following the shooting on Oct. 24, 2022 that left two dead and several others wounded (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent) The top priority of many Missouri parents and educators is school safety, according to a survey presented at the latest State Board of Education…
Photo by Nick Spacek At the end of May, my dad texted me: “If/when you have 15-20 minutes to spare, give me a call. I have something to ask you about that is too involved for texting. Thanks!” Rather than call him later that night, I opted instead to call him the next morning when I got up. He answered…
Kansas City Monarchs infielder Justin Wylie celebrates after hitting a home run in the Monarchs’ game with the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 from Legends Field. Photo: Quinci Cartmell / Kansas City Monarchs KC Monarchs Update is our weekly look at what’s happening with hometown baseball heroes, both at Legends Field and on the road. Check out their…
Kansas. // photo by Chris Ortiz On a Thursday night, July 27, in Kansas City, Missouri, a momentous event was to unfold that, at the time, no one would have imagined. To start with, as my time in Kansas City started to end, Thursday being my last day in the Metro and my next to last day in the State…
Jagged Little Pill touring production. // Photo by Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022 In the overly crowded field of mediocre jukebox musicals—where a bare-bones story is grafted onto the discography of a band or artist just so they can charge full Broadway prices for a night of greatest hits song-and-dance singalongs—does Alanis Morissette need to have her own…
Courtesy the artist After taking a brief hiatus from touring to focus on new music, Ruben Zarate and his band Dante Elephante are hitting the road again and prepping their indie-disco-R&B tunes for a Crown Center gig this Saturday, August 5, 2023. Formed in 2010 with the help of some Craigslist ads, the L.A.-based band has since released four albums…
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said in a new federal court filing that a 2019 consent decree didn’t hold it was unconstitutional for the Kansas Legislature to require issuance of birth certificates displaying a person’s sex as male or female at birth. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Attorney General Kris Kobach asserted in a new legal filing that a federal…
Photo by Jay Sanders Staying at the forefront of cocktail creativity can be tough. If anyone in Kansas City can do it, it’s Jay Sanders. Not only was Drastic Measures a recent finalist for the “Outstanding Bar” James Beard Award (an honor only five bars in the country receive each year), but his latest concept, Wild Child, is aiming for…
Art by Cassondra Jones Looking for delicious plans? Whether you want to impress a date, show your fam the best of KC, or just get out of the house, we’ve got you covered… all while supporting local. Here is your weekly roundup of the best food and drink offerings around Kansas City. Cheers! Something New Kimchi and Bap: As of…
Public domain photo As heat waves sweep across the Midwest, incarcerated people in Missouri are increasingly afraid of the rising temperatures inside prisons. They live in concrete buildings that retain heat. People share close quarters, making cooling all the more difficult. As Earth’s temperatures reach their hottest recorded numbers this summer, people incarcerated in Missouri’s prisons describe conditions as similar…
Glenn and Avery high-five in front of a Pikachu and Eevee backdrop // courtesy Amanda Vehlewald Pokémon North America International Championship winner Avery Vehlewald attends the 2023 World Competition next week in Japan at only seven years old. The Oak Park competitor secured his victory in early July and soon battles on Nintendo Switch against the world’s top Pokémon players….
In the spring of 1991, activist Ron Casanova started the Kansas City Union of the Homeless. Of the homeless, not for them, he emphasizes in his memoir: “The language is important.” Originally published in 1996, Casanova’s autobiography Each One Teach One is a story of redemption up and out of poverty after growing up mostly houseless in Manhattan. Though he…
