Could the Kansas City streetcar extend into North Kansas City? Local and state officials are exploring the idea. An east-west route is also getting a look. (Carlos Moreno | KCUR 89.3) Nick’s Picks | Fan Fest, Streetcar, Liquor and More …
By Nick Haines | June 8, 2026 | Arts & Culture, News & Issues, Nick's Picks, Transportation
World Cup Begins The wait is finally over. The first ball of the 2026 World Cup will be kicked Thursday, ushering in 5 ½ weeks of competition across the United States, Canada and Mexico. It’s also opening day for Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest at the National World War I Museum and Memorial—our first real…
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Flatland produces multimedia stories that examine local news, highlight rural affairs and explore Kansas City history.
Crime & Safety
The old Metcalf South shopping mall in Overland Park, Kansas, was once a Black Friday mecca and retail hotspot. (Courtesy | Wikipedia)
A Black Friday Romp Through the Metro’s Shoplifting History
By Brian Burnes | November 29, 2024
Not long ago a woman walked into an Oak Park Mall bath and body store carrying two shopping bags. She lingered for two hours, examining the scented candles. Then the phone of Detective Byron Pierce of the Overland Park Police Department buzzed. The caller was an employee of the store. “Everything okay?” Pierce asked. No….
Economy
Nina Ward said she's seen personally and professionally the challenges of navigating the child care market in Kansas City. She struggled to find care for her now 1-year-old daughter, A'ja. (Photo courtesy of Nina Ward)
Child care ‘is like paying a mortgage.’
By Ceilidh Kern | July 9, 2025
Nina Ward began looking for child care when she was only a few months pregnant. Ward and her husband created a list of child care centers and set up tours, but the Kansas City couple repeatedly ran into the same problem: there were no infant spaces available. So they broadened their search and eventually found…
Education
Candidates for the Kansas City Public Schools board will be on the ballot April 8. Top row from left: Brittany Foley, Tricia McGhee, Kelly Thompson and Rita Cortes. Bottom row from left: Bruce Beatty, Tanesha Ford and Joseph Nelson. (Provided photos)
Meet the Kansas City Public Schools board candidates for the April 2025 election
By Maria Benevento, The Beacon | March 10, 2025
This story was originally published by The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest. Meet the Kansas City Public Schools board candidates for the April 2025 election All seven candidates running for the Kansas City Public Schools board support the $474 million bond issue that’s also on the…
Food Chain
Officials at food banks like Kansas City-based Harvesters worry about administrative barriers facing families applying for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (Austin Wood | Flatland)
Missouri Food Assistance Applicants Hit ‘Bottleneck’
By Austin Wood | October 8, 2025
Imagine you have just been evicted, and that any documentation you had regarding income, health care expenses, utility costs, or other relevant paperwork got lost in the shuffle. That is a problem in and of itself. But the lack of information is a bigger barrier when it stands between you and gaining eligibility for the…
Healthcare
Caregivers in KC: A Community of Care
By John G. McGrath | June 25, 2025
By 2030, it’s predicted that adults over the age of 60 will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. How are older residents and their caregivers equipped to meet the challenges inherent in aging in our area? Flatland looks at two organizations providing services intended to support people staying in…
History
This year Kansas City Parks and Recreation crews cleared overgrowth atop the ridge known as “Bloody Hill” during the Byram’s Ford battle. The newly unobscured view allows visitors looking east to consider what in 1864 was called “The Meadow,” on which much of the combat occurred. Preservationists hope to ultimately acquire and clear structures that were part of a 1950s industrial park. (Brian Burnes | Flatland).
A Better Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City | Part III
By Brian Burnes | November 13, 2024
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the restoration of the Big Blue Battlefield in Kansas City, Missouri. The engagement on the Big Blue Battlefield was pivotal in the larger Battle of Westport, an October 1864 clash that effectively ended organized Confederate military operations in Missouri. As the years receded,…
Housing
The entrance to the Community Resource Center at the Kansas City Public Library Central Branch in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. (Chase Castor | Flatland.)
Specialized Staff Serving Influx of Homeless Library Patrons
By Toni Cardarella | March 21, 2025
People experiencing homelessness in Kansas City often find refuge in public libraries when shelter options are limited during the day. However, metro-area library systems also provide assistance that goes beyond temporary protection from the weather. In fact, the Kansas City Public Library has built an entire department around helping the city’s unhoused, providing a range…
Sustainability
Illegally dumped tires are one of the most persistent problems along Kansas City's Blue River. (Abigail Landwehr | Flatland)
Blue River Cleanup Targets Trash, Invasive Species
By Abigail Landwehr | October 7, 2025
A restoration project is underway along the Blue River watershed, a collaborative effort by four nonprofit partners: The Heartland Conservation Alliance, Bridging The Gap, Deep Roots, and Mid-America Regional Council. The groups signed the contracts officially in May. “The day that we got our signed contract sent to us from the city kind of felt…
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