News

Boulevardia cancels 2021 music, maker festival; awaiting full COVID comeback before summer party’s return

By Tommy Felts / March 16, 2021

One of Kansas City’s premier summertime events — and the first major local festival canceled because of the pandemic in 2020 — won’t be back this June after all, organizers announced Tuesday. “When the decision was made last year to cancel Boulevardia, we said, ‘The comeback is always stronger than the setback.’ This statement has been…

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Isaac Hodges, Messenger Coffee Company

Plaza plus Prairiefire: How a conversation over coffee tripled Messenger’s expansion plans

By Tommy Felts / March 13, 2021

A new, slow-roasted Johnson County location for Messenger Coffee Co. is expected to anchor the Kansas City brand south of I-435 with sprawling windows, copious light, leafy plants, open baking and the familiar wafting scents of coffee and pastries. But for those whose thirst for the roaster’s expansion can’t wait until the new store’s spring…

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Is that pothole getting fixed? City launches myKCMO app to connect residents to services, answers faster

By Tommy Felts / March 12, 2021

Kansas City, Missouri, residents have a new tool for reporting potholes, illegal dumping, missed trash pickups and other concerns impacting their neighborhoods — and it’s likely already in their pockets, city officials said this week, announcing the debut of the myKCMO app. “This cutting edge new app will enable residents and visitors to more conveniently…

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KC Cajun chef brings plans for east side restaurant to a boil with help of $22K grant

By Tommy Felts / March 11, 2021

Opening a restaurant doesn’t happen overnight; it takes planning, hours of hard work, a good team, and solid funding, said Esra England — the head chef and founder of KC Cajun.  “I knew opening a restaurant was a strategic move, and everything needed to be calculated,” explained England, who increased his business’ sales by 500…

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LaRonda LaNear, We Got It Covered

We Got It Covered: LaRonda LaNear feeds her soul (and yours) in a world catered to men

By Tommy Felts / March 11, 2021

LaRonda LaNear was tired of the working world’s status quo.  “I’ve always hated authority and it’s always been men in power, telling me what to do — and it never made sense,” she joked, shedding light on a real problem that robbed her of joy nearly every shift at every job she held.  “I took that…

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