Austin Barnes

Recent Articles by Austin Barnes

Speak easy and SprinkleSumSalt: Podcaster passes the mic to KC’s underground arts scene

October 29, 2024

Untold stories of creative talent and entrepreneurial spirit are raging beneath the surface of Kansas City’s mainstream, said Bump Jonas, who finds vibrant inspiration in musicians, chefs, and small business owners angling to reach a broader audience. “I wanted to bring something unique to Kansas City, a space where artists and entrepreneurs can connect and…

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Social studies to social venture: Missouri teen’s micro business helps students across the globe

October 29, 2024

Editor’s note: The following story was produced through a paid partnership with MOSourceLink, which boasts a mission to help entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state of Missouri grow and succeed by providing free, easy access to the help they need — when they need it. [divide] ST. LOUIS — It wasn’t an entrepreneurship course…

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Small biz in Africa needs capital to grow; here’s how C2FO, World Bank member are bringing ‘much-needed liquidity’

October 29, 2024

A new strategic partnership between Kansas City-built C2FO and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is expected to enhance financing for local enterprises in Africa — bolstering job growth and economic prosperity in an underserved segment of the global market. “C2FO is honored and delighted to collaborate with IFC to broaden the global…

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KC-brewed FairWave chases aromas east, adding Baltimore-area roaster to its coffee collective

October 29, 2024

Working with a larger, experienced leadership team and collaborating with new specialty coffee friends throughout the FairWave coffee collective will be a total game changer for Maryland-based Ceremony Coffee Roasters, said Ronnie Haas. Ceremony on Monday announced it had joined the family of brands under FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective, which is headquartered in Kansas City…

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Don’t sleep on Kansas City: How this Killa collab draws out KC’s ‘Little Villains’ at just the right season

October 26, 2024

Drafted from creativity in the Crossroads, a hand-sketched character inspired by Kansas City’s rising national profile (and the familiar personalities behind it) is now finding fans on and off the field … well, lawn. “The Killa” — a football player repping No. 87 — has made the leap from team yard decorations to a starring…

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Disney preservationists launch $4M campaign, add key collaborators to save iconic animator’s KC studio

October 26, 2024

The legacy of Walt Disney’s foundational time in Kansas City — and the structure the famed animator left behind on Troost Avenue — must be preserved frame by frame, said supporters of an ambitious redevelopment project at the former Laugh-O-gram Studios. A newly launched “Dreams Start Here” campaign aims to secure a future for the historic…

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His family-fried waffle spot is open for cheat day (but not breakfast); How Dennis Alazzeh played chicken with restaurant trends and won

October 25, 2024

Kansas City-battered Chick-In Waffle is expanding into Johnson County; its owner — a son from within Jerusalem Cafe’s founding family — gives the classic American chicken-and-waffle combo a global twist with flavors like Asian chili, tikka masala, and queso After slogging away in his father’s restaurants while in school, Dennis Alazzeh swore off the industry…

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Theater’s $8.7M rehab set to bring Black Movie Hall of Fame, Black Rep to KC’s ‘cultural corridor’

October 25, 2024

A century after the storied structure’s construction, an $8.7 million redevelopment project at the Boone Theater in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District aims to recapture the space’s potential as a cultural hub for the community — and a bridge to the city’s history. The long-awaited project at 1701 E. 18th St. is…

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Ice rinks to skee-ball: Phase 1 of this massive sports entertainment complex opening in JoCo after 20 years in the works

October 24, 2024

Once completed: ‘You’ll come here for a three-day weekend and not see your car until you leave on Sunday’ With its highly-anticipated opening this weekend, a sprawling new sports and recreation complex in south Johnson County is expected to soon spark fights between parents over who gets to take their kid to the weekend tournament,…

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Bill Nye: We’re all born scientists — most people just get distracted; here’s how the ‘Science Guy’ thinks critical thinking can make the world better

October 24, 2024

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro.  [divide] WICHITA, Kansas — Even with a looming (and divisive) election within weeks, the impacts of severe weather becoming more clear, and an increasingly uncertain future written within online algorithms,…

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