News

Advocates push Latino entrepreneurs to urgent action in the face of ‘innovation churn,’ civil rights challenges

By Tommy Felts / August 8, 2025

Latino entrepreneurs are a powerful force in America’s economy, leaders emphasized Thursday from the UnidosUS stage, but systemic barriers continue to keep many from achieving financial freedom, they lamented. “Our superpower is an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Ruby Azurdia-Lee, president and CEO of Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), speaking during the UnidosUS Annual Conference’s closing…

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River Market’s iconic ‘Trolley Tom’ reopening with grab-and-go deli menu, specialty cocktails

By Tommy Felts / August 8, 2025

A new grab-and-go eatery is rolling into River Market, filling a hole left when Donutology shuttered operations inside “Trolley Tom” — the circa 1947 Kansas City streetcar permanently parked at 426 Delaware in the popular retail and entertainment district. Car No. 551 is scheduled to open by mid-September with deli offerings and and drinks by…

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KC on top: Hat maker’s best-seller spotted on ‘GMA,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ as brand shapes its national profile

By Tommy Felts / August 8, 2025

Sandlot Goods wears the spotlight well, said Thomas McIntyre, noting each high-profile media close up of its signature dad hat is another step toward establishing Kansas City’s only hat manufacturer as a national brand. After being featured on the “Made In America Christmas” segment of ABC World News Tonight with David Muir, Sandlot was again…

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Rooftop Cinema Club premieres its open-air movie theater experience in KC’s Crossroads

By Tommy Felts / August 8, 2025

Pink dusk views of the Kansas horizon and a cityscape bathed in sunset only added to the silver screen experience for midweek movie-goers trying out the newly opened Rooftop Cinema Club in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District. “Just the ambiance and what they did with the design is really cute,” said Emily Hendricks of Kansas…

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Kauffman targets $250K grant toward vacant storefront revitalization as World Cup looms

By Tommy Felts / August 7, 2025

Funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is expected to help Kansas City prepare for an influx of visitors cheering on competitors at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — activating vacant storefronts in key areas with retail, artist, and community-focused pop-ups, city leaders said this week. The KCMO-centered initiative — first announced in June and patterned…

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