Archives: December 2024

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Politics

Tyson Foods cut contracts with Missouri farmers and is working to silence their legal fight

Missouri poultry farmers accuse Tyson of colluding to keep competitors from buying shuttered plant, leaving them stranded with millions in debt.
Egan Ward,

A farm near Sikeston on April 17 where the owner raised chickens before market changes (photo by Daniel Byrd, for Investigate Midwest) This story was produced by the Watchdog Writers Group in collaboration with Investigate Midwest.  DEXTER – On an early August morning in 2023, Shawn Hinkle received a call from one of his technicians at Tyson Foods who, through…
Food & Drink

Dish & Drink KC: Warming up at Blue Bird Bistro and KC Craft Ramen

Tiffany Watts,

Blue Bird Bistro // Photo By Tiffany Watts Blue Bird Bistro In Kansas City’s eclectic food scene, Blue Bird Bistro stands out as a neighborhood gem dedicated to local and organic fare. It’s the kind of place where wholesome ingredients meet creative flavors, and recently, it served as the perfect spot for a little team bonding with the Pitch team….

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Sports

Photos: Five-game winning streak snapped as KC Mavs fall to Savannah

Eli Ralls,

Kansas City Mavericks versus Savannah Ghost Pirates on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at Cable Dahmer Arena. // Photo by Eli Ralls Lightsabers and hockey sticks were clashing on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Cable Dahmer Arena as the Kansas City Mavericks faced off against the Savannah Ghost Pirates during the team’s Star Wars night. While various Star Wars characters roamed around the concourse,…

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Music

Alone With Everyone puts shoegazers Doubledrag on the map

Andrew Dodderidge,

Photo Courtesy of Doubledrag Seismologists have data on how regularly local shoegaze band Doubledrag have served as an epicenter for tsunamis of noise. Chances are good you’ve encountered their members in innumerable regional acts over the years, but their legacy is currently being cemented by their most recent LP, Alone With Everyone—an eight-song collective that works like gangbusters both in…

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Music

The Allman Betts Band rambles through Uptown, paying tribute to their rock & roll fathers

Joe Ellett, Allison Scavo,

The Allman Betts Family Revival at Uptown Theater on Dec. 15, 2024. // Photo by Allison Scavo The Allman Betts Family Revival is nothing short of an amazing conglomeration of wildly talented musicians paying homage to all-time great rock and rollers, The Allman Brothers Band.  On Sunday, Dec. 15, The Allman Betts Band—consisting of Gregg Allman’s and Dickie Betts’ sons…

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Politics

Missouri lawmakers file bills enacting new regulations on intoxicating hemp products

Three bills are backed by hemp industry leaders, while one has the support of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association.
Rebecca Rivas,

Year after year, hemp business owners and distributors have asked the state to impose age restrictions and testing requirements, rather than ban the products outright (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent). Every time Missouri lawmakers have proposed legislation to essentially ban intoxicating-hemp products in the last few years, the hemp industry has mounted a united opposition to stop them. Products like Delta-8 THC…

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Politics

Kansas Board of Education accepts policy report recommending phone bans, sends to local districts

Anna Kaminski,

Courtesy Adobe TOPEKA — School districts across Kansas will receive a 20-page report containing guidance on cell phones that recommends daytime cell phone bans, mental health awareness and bolstered parental oversight. The Kansas State Board of Education hasn’t mandated digital device policies, instead deferring to local districts and schools to create their own. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to accept…

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Politics

Kansas abortions rise 58% in 2023 amid tight restrictions in nearby states

Nonresidents represent three-fourths of 19,467 abortions in Kansas.
Tim Carpenter,

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the number of abortions performed in Kansas during 2023 climbed to 19,467, which was 58% greater than the 12,319 total in 2022. Three-fourths of last year’s abortion patients lived in other states and traveled to Kansas for the procedure. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Demand for abortion in Kansas skyrocketed by 58%…

One Nation/one Project: Kansas City, Mo
Culture

KC Cares: Rebel Song Academy is streamlining students to the center stage

Beth Lipoff,

Photo Courtesy of Rebel Song Academy Writing a song and performing it yourself in front of an audience can seem daunting, but the kids in Art as Mentorship’s Rebel Song Academy have plenty of stepping stones to help them strut to the stage. In the academy, it doesn’t matter if you’re 9 or 19—You’re getting guidance on the process of…

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Politics

Campaign committee controlled by KC mayor requested poll he denied involvement in

Newly obtained documents cast doubt on Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ claims that he had no knowledge of who paid for a poll undermining efforts to lure the Royals to the Northland.
Allison Kite,

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, center, participates in a meeting with regional leaders and Gov. Mike Parson in 2019. Lucas claimed not to know who paid for a poll seemingly designed to sink an effort to place a Kansas City Royals baseball stadium in North Kansas City, but documents show his campaign requested it. (photo courtesy of the Missouri Governor’s…

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Movies

Queer uses Daniel Craig for a lonely and introspective look at William S. Burroughs

Abby Olcese,

Courtesy A24 You’re not supposed to like William Lee. The main character of William S. Burroughs’ novels Junkie, Queer and Naked Lunch is a literary alter-ego for Burroughs himself. In film, the character first appeared in David Cronenberg’s adaptation of Naked Lunch, where he was played by Peter Weller. Now, in Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes’s adaptation of Queer, he’s…

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Movies

Kraven the Hunter is yet another forgettable Sony superhero misfire

Adrian Torres,

This has been a big (read: long) year for Sony Spider-Man offshoots. The year began with the meme-friendly Madame Web, and continued with a lackluster third entry in the Venom trilogy. The latest (and hopefully last) outing in this experiment in intellectual property ownership, director J.C. Chandor’s Kraven the Hunter, is one of the better entries, but that’s not saying…
Culture

Keep Them Coming: Pleasure by Design

Sex furniture can unlock new avenues of erotic pleasure this holiday season
Kristen Thomas,

Illustration by Shelby Phelps As a friend daydreamed aloud during our walk, she said, “I would love to have a St. Andrew’s cross, but we can’t have that in our room with the kids around.” She trailed off disappointed, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “Why not?” I asked without hesitation, since challenging people’s notions is second nature…
Food & Drink

Pink Pony Christmas pop-up at Vignettes is less holiday and more pop glitz

Sarah Sipple,

Pink Pony Christmas at Vignettes // Photo by Sarah Sipple Vignettes, North KC’s rotating-theme bar, has donned all the gay apparel for a Chappell Roan-inspired pop-up. Pink Pony Christmas is open now and runs through January 11.  Though “Christmas” is in the pop-up’s title, this theme is 98% Chappell Roan and 2% Christmas. The only holiday elements I observed were…
Food & Drink

Eat This Now: Tortilla Soup at Ixtapa Fine Mexican Cuisine

Sarah Sipple,

Tortilla Soup at Ixtapa Fine Mexican Cuisine // Photo by Sarah Sipple Ixtapa is one of those restaurants that I stumbled upon one day in the Northland. After a simple dinner, I was ready to tell everyone I knew about it. Then I exited through the breezeway and noticed what was on the wall: Plaques and framed headlines covered the…

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Politics

Business groups file legal challenge to voter-approved minimum wage hike, sick leave

Clara Bates,

The Supreme Court of Missouri in Jefferson City, as photographed on May 24, 2023 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent) Missouri’s new law boosting the minimum wage and providing paid sick leave for workers should be thrown out because it violated constitutional rules on ballot initiatives, a coalition of business advocacy groups argued in a lawsuit filed Friday. Proposition A, a ballot measure…

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Culture

Four Inane Questions with local etiquette expert Janis Kliethermes

Michael Mackie,

Photo Courtesy of Janis Kliethermes In her 15-plus years as an etiquette expert, Janis Kliethermes has seen every awkward faux pas known to man. Undaunted, she’s been on a one-woman crusade to nip each and every one of ’em in the bud through her business, Etiquette Kansas City. (Loud chewers, we’re talking to you!) “I specialize in helping individuals and teams build…