Archives: July 2025

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Politics

Missouri lawmakers ban controversial reading instruction model as primary method

The new law will expand on efforts by the state’s education department to improve literacy in K-12 schools.
Annelise Hanshaw,

State Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, stands on the House floor in preparation for a day of voting in special session (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Missouri lawmakers have banned educators from leaning on a model of reading instruction called the “three-cueing” method as part of a bipartisan education package signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Wednesday. The law mandates that three cueing,…

Jeff Hiller
Culture

Jeff Hiller’s acting detour through Kansas led to the creation of his memoir, Actress of a Certain Age

Michael Mackie,

Photo by Sandy Morris Bless his heart, actor Jeff Hiller has played every clichéd small, gay role in the Hollywood handbook—waiter, therapist, sassy best friend, maître d’. Once, in 2005, his IMDB credit was literally just “Gay Man.” But here’s the twist: Hiller played them all with such goofy charm and sincerity, he made you care. And then, in a co-starring…
Food & Drink

KC Sipps: $5 cocktails in Martini Corner, books & booze, and a tiki takeover

This week's Kansas City restaurant news.
Sarah Sipple,

KC Sipps logo by Theodore Rosen Life in KC is pretty delicious. In fact, there is often so much going on that it can be hard to decide where to go and what to try. That’s where I come in.  I’ve curated this weekly list of events, openings, deals, and celebrations to keep you in-the-know. Cheers! Something New News Bites: Cliff’s…

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Culture

Smoke Show: Is a software data tech technically a farmer? Worker protections hinge on the answer

Joe Ellett,

Art by Keegan Hudspeth Employees from a local cannabis company could change the shape of national labor law. No one involved saw this coming, but now the stakes have ratcheted up to the highest levels of power—all because of one agricultural conflict.  In September 2023, 17 BeLeaf Medical employees filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to…

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Music

Premiere: Suzannah Johannes continues her return with ‘Colleen Part 1’

Nick Spacek,

Suzannah Johannes. // photo credit Jackie Hosey and Chris Lorenzen It has been a good long moment since we last heard new recordings from Lawrence singer-songwriter Suzannah Johannes. In spring of 2007, Johannes won KJHK’s Farmer’s Ball battle of the bands and with the recording time she received as a prize, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter released a debut self-titled EP the…

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Music

Rudy Love & The Encore: New sound with old soul

Nick Spacek,

Photo Courtesy of Midtopia Wichita’s Rudy Love & The Encore’s new album, 11, is—as the title implies—11 striking songs of soul, funk, R&B, and hip hop sure to make you move, groove, and utterly lose your mind. As anyone who’s seen this six-piece band live can attest, they are a group that acknowledges its history, while also being rooted in…

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Stage

Victoria Montalbano explores aging, escapism through a Whovian lens in Timey Wimey Stuff at KC Fringe

Jake Louraine,

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Elizabeth Larson When Victoria Montalbano steps onstage at the Kansas City Fringe Festival in July, you’ll find that her performance isn’t just another show: it’s bigger on the inside. Timey Wimey Stuff: The Mid Life Crisis of a Time Traveling Space Archaeologist, is a time-traveling exploration of aging, identity, and the disorientation of pandemic-era life. Montalbano…

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Culture

Eat This Edible: Stoner summer is sweeter with Betty’s Eddies Beachtime Betty’s Strawberry Lemonade Chews

Joe Ellett,

Photo Courtesy of Betty’s Eddies Betty’s Eddies—a cannabis brand under Massachusetts-based parent company MariMed—is setting the scene for summer in the Missouri cannabis industry. After reviewing a few of the company’s products in January of this year, The Pitch was excited to hear that there is a new flavor hitting the market. Known as one of the only edible companies…

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Politics

Most immigrants facing deportation in KC receive no legal counsel

Mary Sanchez,

Protesters outside of Kansas City’s immigration court. (Mary Sanchez/The Beacon) Kansas City’s immigration court is on the fifth floor of a nondescript downtown office building. The area is better known for the bustling shops of Crown Center to the south, or nearby Washington Square Park, a potential site for a new Royals stadium. Yet thousands of life-changing decisions for immigrant…

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Music

New Primus drummer John Hoffman celebrates earning the gig of a lifetime

Allison Scavo,

John Hoffman. // photo credit Agent Ogden Last year, rock band Primus made headlines when they announced the sudden departure of longtime drummer Tim Alexander, and stated that they’d be holding open auditions for anyone who wanted to try out. The open call attracted 6200 hopefuls for the position, which the band documented in the behind-the-scenes YouTube series Interstellar Drum…

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Music

Local composers Patrick Meagher and Johnny Marie combine their unfinished work into an unforgettable project

Nick Spacek,

Photo Courtesy of The Real Flower Pots Although they’ve been working together musically since 2000 in projects like Girl for Samson and Lonesome Petunia, Kansas City composers Patrick Meagher and Johnny Marie formed The Real Flower Pots just last year, when the pair were talking about an abundance of partially completed songs they each had. They each shared a dozen…

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Music

Manchester Orchestra bassist Andy Prince on Black Mile and skateparks ahead of Starlight gig with Incubus

“…so far, we really love it, but we're gonna keep working until it's exactly perfect.”
Andrew Dodderidge,

Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Prince. // photo credit Brittany Bossert After joining nearly 20-year-old indie rock group Manchester Orchestra in 2013 to help fill out the collective during the recording process of Cope, bassist Andy Prince has now embarked on a decade-long journey with the band, including their evolution into a more atmospheric edge that began with Andy Hull and Robert…
Food & Drink

Eat This Now: Fried Egg BLT at OurHouseKC

Sarah Sipple,

OurHouseKC // Photo by Sarah Sipple If we had to award a perennial sandwich of the summer here in the Midwest, many would agree on the BLT. July is when locally-grown tomatoes are first ready for harvest, providing a fresh and juicy complement to salty bacon and crisp lettuce.  When I saw the Fried Egg BLT on the menu at…

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Sports

Photos: Professional lacrosse all-star weekend was on full display at CPKC

Tarik Sykes,

PLL All-Star weekend at CPKC Stadium on July 5, 2025. // Photo by Tarik Sykes Fans filed into CPKC Stadium this past weekend as the Current’s home hosted athletes outside of the soccer realm. The Premier Lacrosse League and Women’s Lacrosse League held their all-star weekends at the venue, spreading awareness of the sport in a city where other major…

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Music

Rose Brown on Flooding, Lana del Rey, and the new EP

From window seat to Flooding, Brown is set on constantly expanding her sound to match her interests.
Andrew Dodderidge,

Flooding. // photo credit Fabian Rosales Noise rock group Flooding got their start in Lawrence back in 2021 with the release of their self-titled, slowcore LP, mixed at home by band members Rose Brown, Cole Billings and Zach Cunningham. Four years later, they’re pushing the boundaries of what genres even mean, moving from quiet whispers to intense screamo/post-hardcore, to now…