Archives: October 2023

Politics

GOP, Democrat strategists decry epidemic of distrust in politics, plead for new era of respect

Pollster advises politicians not to engage in food fights with Trump.
Tim Carpenter,

Republican strategist Ed Goeas joined Democratic pollster Celinda Lake at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University Kansas to delve into why the U.S. political system was mired in disrespect and how the system could be changed for the better. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Dole Institute’s YouTube channel) TOPEKA — Two prominent Republican and Democratic strategists who worked…
Politics

Former Kansas lawmaker with a history of abusing people is running for a school board seat

Aaron Coleman was arrested twice in office and was accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend. He spent one term in the Kansas House, but wants another shot in office.
Blaise Mesa,

Aaron Coleman speaking in a campaign video. He is running for a school board seat a year after losing his Statehouse reelection race. // Screenshot from campaign video TOPEKA, Kansas — Former Kansas state legislator Aaron Coleman, who lost reelection after accusations of abuse by a former girlfriend and an arrest for assaulting his brother, is trying to revive his political…

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News

Southwest Airlines announces nonstop service to Burbank out of MCI

Zoe Strohm,

Southwest Airlines announces non stop service from the Kansas City International Airport to Burbank, California in newly announced summer flight schedule. Starting June 4, 2023, Southwest will launch a new daily, nonstop service to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), as well as Sunday-only nonstop service to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH). Additionally, the carrier will increase service by six daily…
Politics

Negotiated $7 million deal resolves fallout from Cerner’s exit from Wyandotte County

Kansas economic incentives bind taxpayers, Cerner and Sporting KC.
Tim Carpenter,

TOPEKA — The state of Kansas reached a $7 million settlement with the parent company of Sporting Kansas City to resolve a dispute about repayment of taxpayer-funded economic development incentives relied upon to build Cerner Corp.’s office complex in Wyandotte County, officials said Friday. OnGoal, the parent company of the professional soccer franchise, pledged to complete the settlement payments in…
Culture

The Unicorn’s MACBITCHES is a clever perspective on the internal politics of The Scottish Play

Hayden Kalp,

The “MACBITCHES” performing a scene // Courtesy of Unicorn Theatre. Unicorn Theatre’s latest showing MACBITCHES is an all-female ensemble piece written by New York-based playwright Sophie McIntosh. The plot centers around five collegiate-level actresses as they comedically struggle with the turmoil of not getting roles, negative experiences with directors, and their own personal and interpersonal struggles. The plot centers around freshman…

Goodyear Wingfoot Express At Aths
Culture

Trucking trailblazers inducted into the ATIL Hall of Fame

Joe Ellett,

Members of the trucking community gather for the 2023 ATHS Ceremony. // Photo by Joe Ellett On Oct. 25, members of the industry traveled far and wide to see six pioneers of the trucking industry inducted into the American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame. The inductees included the first president of the American Trucking Associations Ted Rogers Sr.,…
Movies

Chicago Film Festival 2023: The Boy and the Heron is (another) moving capstone to Miyazaki’s career

Abby Monteil,

Courtesy Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki has never been good at saying goodbye. The legendary Japanese animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder has “retired” no less than four times, always returning with more fantastical, increasingly self-reflective work. Before the 82-year-old’s new film The Boy and the Heron had even screened for non-Japanese audiences, Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka was on the red carpet…

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Culture

Creature Feature: Jameson is on the rocks

Scott Poore,

Jameson the good ol’ boi. // Courtesy photo Jameson Jameson was spotted being dumped from a vehicle and brought to Great Plains SPCA shortly after. Despite the circumstances, he is affectionate, dog-friendly, and wants nothing more than to be loved. He’s even besties with Scott Poore, the founder of On A Mission KC and weekly writer of Creature Feature. Is…

KC Sipps neon sign logo
Food & Drink

KC Sipps: Three new spots, themed events, and a Yolli Tortilleria/Big Rip Brewing collab

Your Kansas City dining guide.
Sarah Sipple,

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 (mostly) local.  Here is your weekly roundup of the best food and drink offerings around Kansas City. Cheers! Something New Nacho & Taco Week:…

Vincente Perez
Culture

Poet Vincente Perez discusses new collection Other Stories to Tell Ourselves and poetry as a means of preservation

Mar'Che Boggess,

Courtesy photo Born and bred in the small town of Argentine in Kansas City, KS, Vincente Perez is a performance poet, scholar, and writer whose work lives at the intersection of poetry, hip-hop, and digital culture. Perez was a 2021-2022 Poetry and the Senses fellow at UC Berkley Arts and Research Center. They are also a current PhD candidate in…

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Music

Kansas City small businesses to host 1989 (Taylor’s Version) release party

Joe Ellett,

Photo from Nashville’s Swift Education Center. // Courtesy Adobe Love it or hate it, Taylor Swift continues to generate different avenues of commerce within the Kansas City economy.  On Friday, Oct. 27, a congregation of local business owners will be hosting a Taylor Swift-themed shop crawl, at Zona Rosa Town Center.  The event will act as an opportunity for Kansas…

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Movies

Chicago Film Festival 2023: May December is Persona for the true crime set

Todd Haynes classes up the joint with his melodramatic dark comedy.
Abby Monteil,

May December. // Courtesy Netflix From Persona to Mulholland Drive and beyond, stories about women whose roles and identities become enmeshed have endured over decades of cinema. Todd Haynes’ new film May December is a worthy addition to this subgenre. It’s an All About Eve-style satire of Hollywood opportunism whose acerbic dark comedy reads like a culmination of the director’s overarching…

Nikki Glaser
Culture

Nikki Glaser on reality shows vs. actual reality and the empathy she brings to FBoy Island

Comedian returns to her alma mater this Sunday with a show at the Lied Center.
Nick Spacek,

Nikki Glaser. // photo courtesy the artist Comedian Nikki Glaser is omnipresent. Be it her specials for Comedy Central, Netflix, and HBO, stints on her own reality show, Welcome Home, Nikki Glaser? and  as the host for the hilarious FBoy Island, she is everywhere, and everywhere she is, she’s amazing. Seriously. Did you see her kill it on The Masked…

Kpr Live Day
Music

KPR’s Live Day brings live classical music to the public all day Wednesday

Nick Spacek,

This Wednesday, October 25, Kansas Public Radio brings back their popular annual event, KPR Live Day, which sees the station broadcasting live performances from both their in-house performance studio and from the Lied Center Pavilion. The latter half of that equation means that at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m., listeners can attend free performances in person at the Lied…

Mahali Photo
News

America’s oldest Masai giraffe dies in Kansas City Zoo at 29

Mar'Che Boggess,

Mahali, the oldest Masai giraffe in America. // Courtesy KC Zoo The Kansas City Zoo announced today that Mahali, the oldest Masai giraffe in America, died on October 19 at the age of 29. She was euthanized due to chronic conditions. Mahali was born at the Los Angeles Zoo in July 1994 and arrived to the Kansas City Zoo in…

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Music

Nicole Springer’s self-titled debut album tells the story of growing up and finding a place in the world

Zoe Strohm,

Courtesy image by Scott Bosworth Award-winning singer-songwriter Nicole Springer releases her first solo full-length album, Nicole Springer, today (October 24). Springer has been playing music in Kansas City for the last decade. From being a front person for The Clementines and The Good Hearts to singing on the Melissa Etheridge stage at Camp Leavenworth Festival to sailing the world performing…

Staticx 6
Music

Photos: Machine Killer Tour hits the Midland with intensity

Barry Meitler,

Static-X. // photo by Barry Meitler Machine Killer Tour with Static-X, Sevendust, Dope, and Lines of Loyalty The Midland Monday, October 23 On Monday night, it was 1999 all over again when longtime friends Static-X, Sevendust, and Dope hit the Midland with new friends Lines of Loyalty. With both headliners celebrating new releases (Sevendust’s Truth Killer and Static-X’s Project: Regeneration…

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Culture

Four Inane Questions with artist Maria Vasquez Boyd

Michael Mackie,

Maria Vasquez Boyd. // Courtesy photo If we tried to list all of Maria Vasquez Boyd’s artistic achievements/endeavors/accolades, we’d have a short novella on our hands.  Not only is she a founding member of the Latino Writers Collective, but she’s also a well-known storyteller, poet, artist, designer, and painter. Her newest poetry book, The Weight of Recognition, was published late…

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Politics

Records show Dean Plocher charged the state for travel already paid for by his campaign

The top lawmaker in the Missouri House filed false expense reports numerous times since 2018 and began paying back the money he received last week.
Jason Hancock,

House Speaker Dean Plocher calls the chamber to order during the legislature’s annual veto session on Sept. 13, 2023 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). Weeks after his return from a conference in Hawaii, Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher was trying to convince legislative staff to reimburse him for the cost of his trip. He’d filed an expense report that included $1,199.60…