Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway at an event in St. Louis on Nov. 24 (photo courtesy of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office) No one has ever accused Jay Ashcroft of being a lefty. The former Republican secretary of state was a regular source of ire for Democrats during his eight years in office, whether it was how he crafted ballot…
Chef and restaurateur Todd Schulte is the low-key culinary wizard who has been quietly shaping KC’s food scene for more than twenty years. This is the guy who turned an old sundries shop into Happy Gillis, the brunch spot that went national with a Thrillist shoutout. Then he waved his spatula and transformed a vintage gas station into Genessee Royale Bistro, the…
On Aug. 17, Nikolette Kilz was crowned Miss Gay City of Fountains 2026 after competing against Nadine Darling from Columbia, Mo. Her talent performance of “Good Morning Baltimore” from the musical Hairspray wowed the judges with props and backup dancers from Haus of Galactica. Now, the real work begins to carry the legacy of the crown, Kilz said. “Most of…
Photo by Geri Kodey At five Kansas City schools, students are about to get a taste of what it takes to put on a show, courtesy of Starlight Theatre and Disney. The point of the Disney Musicals in Schools program, facilitated locally by Starlight with a $150,000 grant, is to provide an artistic outlet for kids at elementary schools that…
Leslie Odom Jr. With the Kansas City Symphony Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Friday, December 12 “Is anybody here with their family tonight?” Hamilton alum Leslie Odom Jr. asks the audience at his sold-out Kauffman Center show. The resulting applause is cut short only by a second question: “Is anybody here avoiding their family tonight?” Through cheers, Odom jokes,…
Voting members of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) have selected nominees in 16 different categories recognizing the best in what cinema had to offer during 2025. Four films dominated the nominations with “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” having nine nominations each, “Frankenstein” with seven, and “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” with five. A final…
West Plaza Bodega and Blackhole Bakery owner Jason Provo // Photo by Jordan Baranowski As highlighted in my perfect day of eating, Blackhole Bakery is one of the top spots for pastries in Kansas City. Their combination of classic baking techniques with innovative, unapologetically bombastic flavors is tough to top. If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy the…
Theresa Mercado. // photo courtesy Vinegar Syndrome A screening of Vinegar Syndrome’s restoration of Blood Beat shows at Liberty Hall on Monday, December 15, with a pop-up shop in the lobby before the screening. from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Details on those events here. If you are at all a fan of genre cinema–be it horror, action, Italian gialli,…
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:…
Lukas Haas Thanks to Turkey Day coming right at the end of November, this year’s holiday season is truncated into five incredibly packed weeks. With Christmas-themed concerts, performances, pop-ups, and film screenings happening seemingly every night from now until New Year’s Eve, it can feel difficult to get into the holiday spirit if you can’t make it out of…
Prairie Band LLC entered a nearly $30 million contract to help design detention centers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (New Frontiers via Kansas News Service) A Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation-owned business landed a federal contract to assist facility design for immigration detention centers. The tribe said the project does not align with its values. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation…
Text of the bill. TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate’s first piece of proposed legislation for 2026 seeks to honor Charlie Kirk. The Republican resolution proposes establishing “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day” on Oct. 14, the late right-wing political activist’s birthday. Kirk was shot and killed in September while speaking at a Utah college campus. The Senate’s resolution is rooted in…
Waifs of the Week is a collaboration between The Pitch and the local animal shelter Wayside Waifs. Over at 3901 Martha Truman Road, this ‘no kill’ shelter is constantly working to find loving homes for animals, including dogs, cats, and a host of other intriguing additions to your family. If you’re not in a position to adopt but want to help out…
Thanks to Turkey Day coming right at the end of November, this year’s holiday season is truncated into five incredibly-packed weeks. With Christmas-themed concerts, performances, pop-ups, and film screenings happening seemingly every night from now until New Year’s Eve, it can feel difficult to get into the holiday spirit if you can’t make it out of the house. Thankfully, as…
Missouri Capitol Police officers conduct security checks Tuesday on the 691 boxes of petitions filed by People Not Politicians to force a referendum on the gerrymandered Congressional district map passed by lawmakers in September. Of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the Missouri ballot, voters have rejected the General Assembly’s actions all but twice (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)…
Dish & Drink KC logo by Theodore Rosen Last year’s event set the bar high, and this year’s Oh Hey, Agave! at The Guild brought that same excitement back to Kansas City. This time with even more agave-fueled flair. I only made it to the first night, but what a night it was. Presented by Mike’s Wine & Spirits and…
Courtesy A24 2025 marks the 99th anniversary of the formation of the International Table Tennis Federation, a group that, in seeking to advance the sport of table tennis, has come to serve as an unofficial diplomatic outreach group for disputed territories. Traces of this diplomacy are on display in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, if one can tear their eyes away…
Scott Peterson (center), Leavenworth city manager, said CoreCivic and city officials spent about four months working on the company’s special use permit application late last year before the company dropped the process and sought to reopen its private prison facility without the permit. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — CoreCivic gave up its fight to avoid following the city…
Chappell Roan. // photo by Daniel Fuchs Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2025. We’ll…
In Good Company // Photo By Tiffany Watts Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2025….
Are you looking for a fun date night beyond the standard “dinner and drinks?” Have someone on your shopping list that prefers “experiences” to “stuff?” Or maybe you just want to get out and support something new from what Kansas City has to offer? A cooking class might be just what you need to get you out of the house…
Photo by Sophia Lail Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2025. We’ll be publishing these…
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway at an event in St. Louis on Nov. 24 (photo courtesy of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office) Before the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade, a lot of women and girls died trying to end their pregnancies themselves. How many is impossible to know. Since our current court…
Former Kansas Young Republican vice chair William Hendrix holds up a sign at the Kansas State Fair on Sept. 10, 2022, in Hutchinson. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) The Kansas Republican Party has pickled itself in a brackish brine of racism, homophobia and intolerance. Officials can dissemble all they want, but the party can’t hope to represent everyday Kansans while tasting so…
