2024 Missouri Senate Debate. // Photo Courtesy of Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent Missouri U.S. Senate candidates met for a forum Friday afternoon in Springfield—sponsored by the Missouri Press Association. Present onstage were Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce, Better Party candidate Jared Young, and Green Party candidate Nathan Kline. Here are the takeaways from the debate—which was…
Photo Courtesy of Jenny Wells Kansas City saw its deadliest year in 2023 due to a rise in gun violence. The city saw 185 homicides with 160 of those involving firearms. Over 30% of the victims were under the age of 25. Recent Pew Research Center gun statistics showed about four-in-ten U.S adults live in a household with firearms and…
Plain White T’s // Photo by Tommy Vean Plain White T’s The Midland Monday, September 23 Emo rockers Plain White T’s played The Midland on Monday, as part of a tour opening for their contemporaries in The Used. While we weren’t able to get photos of the Used’s headlining set, our photographer Tommy Vean was there to capture Plain White…
Descendents // Photo by Nick Spacek Descendents w/ Buzzcocks and Grumpster Liberty Hall Tuesday, Sept. 24 Over the past 25+ years, California pop punk legends Descendents have played Liberty Hall so often that frontman Milo Aukerman joked that they’re basically “the house band” as the long-running group took the stage on Tuesday night. Despite the fact that the band comes…
Dom Irrera// Courtesy of Dom Irrera Emmy award-winning comedian and entertainer Dom Irrera is joining his friend and local comedian Mike Saccone Sept. 27 and 28 at the Comedy Club of Kansas City. The jokester pair will be joined by other fellow comedians as Irrera answers questions about his long-spanning career, while Saccone and comedians Kate Quigley and Billiam Cornell…
The Wild Robot. // Courtesy Fantastic Fest 2024 The Wild Robot starts screening at Kansas City area theaters tomorrow. Fans of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon are in for a treat with The Wild Robot, directed by Dragon co-director and co-writer, Chris Sanders. Like the studio’s emotionally impactful fantasy series, the new film offers heartstring-tugging and inspiration in equal measures….
Marcellus Williams, photographed in prison (photo submitted) Just a few hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal, Missouri officials executed Marcellus Williams Tuesday at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre. Williams, who was backed in his appeals for clemency by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, left only a single sentence —…
Photo by Tyrionna Clardy The third annual GloWild Lantern Festival at The Kansas City Zoo brings an entirely new theme this year: “Legends & Lore.” The event, in collaboration with LEKTRIK Art, brings a variety of illuminated designs by 151 artisans. Each display is made with over 34 tons of steel and nearly 90,000 feet of fabric. Walking through this…
Rozanna’s Flowers // Photo By Tiffany Watts Rozanna’s Flowers Kansas City is home to plenty of farmers’ markets, but if you haven’t visited Rozanna’s Flowers, you’re missing out on one of the city’s best-kept secrets. While known for its stunning mums and breathtaking garden display, Rozanna’s is more than just a flower shop—it’s essentially the farmer’s market you didn’t know…
Courtesy Lionsgate On a recent episode of the movie podcast Random Number Generator Horror Podcast Number 9, hosts Joseph Fink and Cecil Baldwin discussed determining “good” vs. “bad” art in relation to the movie Phantasm, a cult classic that notably eschews that kind of pigeonholing. Baldwin brought up the form of evaluation he learned in drama school, defining specific choices…
Photo Courtesy of The Coterie’s Instagram In collaboration with The Coterie Theatre, the American Royal is celebrating its 125th year anniversary with a one-of-a-kind production, Horse Power—written by award-winning playwright Michelle Tyrene Johnson and directed by Teresa Leggard about the life of Tom Bass, one of their co-founders. The organization, formerly known as The National Hereford Show, was founded in…
Photo Courtesy of Pattie Mansur’s Instagram The Missouri House of Representatives District 25 stretches along the Missouri-Kansas state border from the south end of the Country Club Plaza to Interstate 435. Since 2021, the state representative office of District 25 has been held by registered nurse and Democrat Patty Lewis. Lewis is currently running for state Senate in District 7,…
Photo Courtesy of 18th & Vine Art Festival The second 18th & Vine Arts Festival is set to arrive in Kansas City from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29 to provide a weekend of art, music, food, and fun. Located in the historic 18th & Vine District, the festival is a three-day celebration of black culture, history, and community. The festival…
BRGR // Photo by Tyrionna Clardy BRGR Kitchen + Bar has kicked off its Oktoberfest event, offering a diverse menu of traditional German food. The casual restaurant is tucked away in the quiet suburbs of Prairie Village, a stark contrast to its bustling counterpart in the Power & Light District. I recently visited to sample some of their popular menu…
The Get Up Kids. // photo by Whitney YoungThe Get Up Kids with Smoking Popes recordBar Friday, September 13 Celebrating of 25 years of their iconic Something to Write Home About, KC natives the Get Up Kids kicked off three nights of sold out local shows Friday, September 13, at recordBar. In additioon to performing said album in its entirety,…
Courtesy of Kathryn & Traveis Photography Louisiana librarian Amanda Jones, recipient of the 2020 School Librarian of the Year and the 2021 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year, is headed to the Kansas City Public Library Sept. 25 to discuss her memoir That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America. The public event comes as Jones is preparing…
Courtesy Fantastic Fest 2024 This is part of our coverage from Fantastic Fest 2024 in Austin, TX where genre films are debuting before they get wider release. Check out all of our coverage here. Clowns. Some people love them. Some people hate them. Some people love to hate them. Other people, like Terrifier filmmaker Damien Leone, want to build the…
Courtesy Fantastic Fest This is part of our coverage from Fantastic Fest 2024 in Austin, TX where genre films are debuting before they get wider release. Check out all of our coverage here. For the last several years, Japanese film fans have been delighted by the delirious writer/director Yugo Sakamoto’s entertaining and enthralling Baby Assassins films. Following the antics of…
Photo Courtesy of Michael Johnson’s Instagram Representative Michael Johnson, born and raised in Kansas City, has lived in District 23—which encompasses parts of the northeast side of town—for most of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s beyond proud of his district and the people he’s represented since 2021. “I would do it for free, and…
Photo Courtesy of Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent. Missouri gubernatorial candidates met for forums Friday, Sept. 20, in Springfield, sponsored by the Missouri Press Association. Present onstage were Republican and current Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, Democrat and current House minority leader Crystal Quade, libertarian and business owner Bill Slantz, and Green Party candidate Paul Lehmann, a retired farmer and minister. Here…
Arkansauce. // photo by Allison Scavo Arkansauce recordBar Friday, September 20 Arkansauce is a progressive newgrass jam band with a blend of traditional slap-grass known to headline festivals. The improvisional string quartet came through Kansas City on their tour where they play a myriad of songs from their vast repertoire. The venue was packed in shoulder-to-shoulder as Saucers stomped the…
The microbusiness program was sold to Missouri voters as a way to help victims of the war on drugs get a toehold in this burgeoning industry (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent) Destiny Brown thought she had been recruited last year to own and operate a small-scale Missouri cannabis dispensary — and get paid $200,000 to do it. Cannabis investor Michael Halow told…
Pizza at Orange By Devoured // Photo By Tiffany Watts Kansas City’s Martini Corner, known for its vibrant energy and eclectic mix of dining and nightlife options, just got a new neighbor—Orange By: Devoured. Opened on August 15, 2024, this fresh, creative pizzeria is the latest venture by Jhy Coulter, an entrepreneur, chef, and visionary whose love for food, travel,…
The String Cheese Incident. // photo by Allison Scavo The String Cheese Incident The Midland Thursday, September 19 Since 1993, the String Cheese Incident has been combining a love for all music lovers into one mega genre. Much like the food, String Cheese Incident pulls one part into several others – one note can extend into reggae, yacht rock, jazz,…
