Kansas City

Kansas City Members

Membership

Postcard with an image of a city landscape of Kansas City’s skyline on a transparent background

blue

Axios Kansas City Partners

Kansas City Alerts

Alert

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Kansas City.

Axios Kansas City Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Kansas City with Travis Meier and Abbey Higginbotham.

Axios Kansas City

Standard

Our readers like the Crown Center ballpark plan

The responses signal a rebound in public sentiment from 2024.

News

We asked readers <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="last week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/23/royals-stadium-crown-center-reader-survey" data-vars-content-id="68f61f35-ae47-4723-8495-ff6209ecee8e" data-vars-headline="Our readers like the Crown Center ballpark plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/23/royals-stadium-crown-center-reader-survey" target="_self">last week</a> to tell us what they thought of the Royals stadium plan at Crown Center, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.Why it matters: The responses signal a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rebound in public sentiment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/22/royals-hallmark-crown-center-stadium-downtown" data-vars-content-id="68f61f35-ae47-4723-8495-ff6209ecee8e" data-vars-headline="Our readers like the Crown Center ballpark plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/22/royals-hallmark-crown-center-stadium-downtown" target="_self">rebound in public sentiment</a> from 2024, even as many questions are left unanswered.

How to behave around guide dogs

Some tips to safely interact with guide dogs and support their handlers.

Culture

Wednesday is International Guide Dog Day, and we&#x27;ve got some reminders on working dog etiquette.Why it matters: Seeing a cute dog out and about is always a treat — and doubly so if they&#x27;re doing an impressive job — but distracting working dogs can be dangerous for their handlers.

Afterword finds a new home in Hyde Park

Afterword Tavern & Shelves is reopening this summer in Hyde Park, four times the size of its old Crossroads spot.

Beloved KC bookstore-bar <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Afterword Tavern &amp; Shelves" data-vars-click-url="https://www.afterwordkc.com/" data-vars-content-id="86cc1184-6c11-4bf7-a79c-10e2e9f1a159" data-vars-headline="Afterword finds a new home in Hyde Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.afterwordkc.com/" target="_blank">Afterword Tavern &amp; Shelves</a> is reopening this summer in the former Brewer&#x27;s Corner space in Midtown.Why it matters: The literary cocktail bar closed its East Crossroads location in January after seven years, leaving regulars without their go-to spot and the city without one of its most distinctive bars.

KC May Day rally echoes 1886 labor roots

In 1886, KC was the negotiating table for the strike that helped name May Day. Friday's rally is one of more than 3,500 happening nationwide.

Local unions and community groups will rally on Friday for a nationwide <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="No Work, No School, No Shopping" data-vars-click-url="https://secure.everyaction.com/WmeDBjDyG0WKibeL8lYlkg2?source=bitly&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawRgpHtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkamdwRU1rWURpSFlnQUxsc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj0gsbhtmv7YDBEfDbNYmWa9N0v7BM7r5u_9v1jz3icLrHtW90S219TfMjgX_aem_2PHEisTwBclncCClJIRgXw" data-vars-content-id="6e03138c-a6f4-45ef-abf9-73d9e4c1f5c3" data-vars-headline="KC May Day rally echoes 1886 labor roots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://secure.everyaction.com/WmeDBjDyG0WKibeL8lYlkg2?source=bitly&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawRgpHtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFkamdwRU1rWURpSFlnQUxsc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj0gsbhtmv7YDBEfDbNYmWa9N0v7BM7r5u_9v1jz3icLrHtW90S219TfMjgX_aem_2PHEisTwBclncCClJIRgXw" target="_blank">No Work, No School, No Shopping</a> day of action.The big picture: The May 1 protest is part of a long American tradition, and KC helped start it.

Grassroots club reshapes River Market with native gardens

The club maintains 14 gardens and has planted 130 trees.

Environment

A &quot;plant heist&quot; might sound silly to some, but it&#x27;s a common activity for a small community of gardeners with a penchant for street beautification and habitat restoration.Why it matters: The River Market Garden Club&#x27;s roots extend well beyond their retaining walls, with spinoffs in adjacent neighborhoods, a growing network of plant enthusiasts and backing from the city.

Kansas City tree planting ramps up for Earth Day

Trees can reduce extreme heat, filter pollution and absorb stormwater.

Kansas Citians are planting trees this month to cool neighborhoods, reduce pollution and improve quality of life.Why it matters: More trees can reduce extreme heat, filter pollution and absorb stormwater across Kansas City — plus, they make being outside more comfortable.

Birds begin their deadly journey through KC

A special action Thursday will recognize April 13–20 as Dark Sky Week.

Millions of birds are about to make Kansas City a pit stop on their annual spring journey north — often to their demise.Why it matters: Our feathery friends are especially susceptible to big city lights during their nocturnal flights, leading to thousands of deaths locally each year as they become disoriented and crash into buildings.

Google confirms $10B Project Mica in KC

The $10B campus will cover its own energy costs under a deal with Evergy.

Google confirmed Thursday it will build its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="massive Project Mica data center campus" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/07/29/port-kc-google-data-center" data-vars-content-id="d270a40b-1697-4b47-a904-e47e92e32b4e" data-vars-headline="Google confirms $10B Project Mica in KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2025/07/29/port-kc-google-data-center" target="_self">massive Project Mica data center campus</a> in Kansas City — and it will cover the full energy costs under an agreement with Evergy.Why it matters: The confirmation of the project in the Northland cements one of the largest development packages in the city&#x27;s history.

Winter travel in KC: What to know

Snow and extreme cold could make driving, transit, and flights trickier across the KC metro. Here's what to know before you head out.

Public Safety

This weekend&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="winter storm" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/01/22/stay-home-kc-snow-predictions-rise-ahead-of-winter-storm" data-vars-content-id="a5c6a997-4cd5-49c9-98dd-2ddc43263aec" data-vars-headline="Winter travel in KC: What to know" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/01/22/stay-home-kc-snow-predictions-rise-ahead-of-winter-storm" target="_self">winter storm</a> is expected to make travel around KC increasingly hazardous.The big picture: If you don&#x27;t have to travel this weekend, don&#x27;t. If you must, here&#x27;s what to know before heading out.

Inside Kansas City's efforts to reconnect the Westside

The project aims to provide a better quality of life in this historic neighborhood.

Kansas City is looking at ways to reconnect the Westside neighborhood to the greater downtown area decades after it was separated by interstates.Why it matters: The project, dubbed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Reconnecting the Westside" data-vars-click-url="https://reconnectwestside.com/" data-vars-content-id="c5f766bc-d723-4247-ad49-a2ca2613dc78" data-vars-headline="Inside Kansas City&#x27;s efforts to reconnect the Westside" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://reconnectwestside.com/" target="_blank">Reconnecting the Westside</a>, aims to provide a better quality of life in a historic neighborhood that can feel worlds away due to a lack of connective infrastructure.

Dirty Jobs: The people keeping KC's water clean

Veteran crews at KC's water plant train new hands as retirements loom.

Development

KC&#x27;s only water plant has run nonstop for 99 years — purifying every drop that hits your tap.The big picture: KC&#x27;s water system runs with 76 employees, 27 fewer than it needs, and depends on veteran operators nearing retirement.<ul><li>Officials at KC Water say the future of the city&#x27;s drinking water may hinge on who&#x27;s willing to get their hands dirty and learn from the old guard before that knowledge disappears.</li></ul>

Atlas9 bends reality inside a '90s theater

Atlas9 has turned a 45,000-square-foot movie theater into an immersive art playground.

A 45,000-square-foot art labyrinth is opening next week in Kansas City, Kansas, filled with noir hypnotists, scavenger-hunting animals and arcade rooms that look like they glitched out of 1995.

KC Water says funky tap taste is temporary — and safe

Heavy rains upstream changed the Missouri River's makeup, KC's utility manager says.

If your tap water smells strange or tastes a little off, you&#x27;re not imagining it but it&#x27;s not a safety issue, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to KC Water" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2510/1746" data-vars-content-id="0d3f36ea-14ef-494b-931b-ac11cf826aab" data-vars-headline="KC Water says funky tap taste is temporary — and safe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2510/1746" target="_blank">according to KC Water</a>.Why it matters: Heavy rain and flooding along the Grand and Platte rivers sent a surge of runoff into the Missouri River — Kansas City&#x27;s primary water source.

Berkley Riverfront goats go from fiasco to fan favorite

An eco-friendly goat crew is clearing brush on the Riverfront trail.

<figure><img alt="A goat standing in a grassy field leaning down and eating the grass." height="450" id="3bc9ff2a-2038-47d3-9afb-5cfe107e9d9a" src="https://images.axios.com/10cEYMsfRWPG_wWQdn2E69RnodM=/filters:no_upscale()/2025/05/21/1747862767419.gif" width="800"/><figcaption>One of the hungry goats. Photo: Abbey Higginbotham/Axios</figcaption></figure>Kansas City has turned last year&#x27;s rogue goat herd fiasco into this summer&#x27;s most adorable cleanup crew. Why it matters: Port KC&#x27;s eco-friendly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="grazing program" data-vars-click-url="https://portkc.com/goats-return-to-graze-at-berkley-riverfront/#:~:text=The%20process%20of%20goat%20grazing,harmful%20chemicals%20in%20nature%20areas" data-vars-content-id="383f212b-a859-4f2e-9710-d94cef88348d" data-vars-headline="Berkley Riverfront goats go from fiasco to fan favorite" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://portkc.com/goats-return-to-graze-at-berkley-riverfront/#:~:text=The%20process%20of%20goat%20grazing,harmful%20chemicals%20in%20nature%20areas" target="_blank">grazing program</a> is restoring visibility and safety along the Riverfront Heritage Trail <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="without chemicals." data-vars-click-url="https://portkc.com/228218-2/#:~:text=will%20graze%20roughly%20two,that%20these%20quadrupeds%20are%20cute" data-vars-content-id="383f212b-a859-4f2e-9710-d94cef88348d" data-vars-headline="Berkley Riverfront goats go from fiasco to fan favorite" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://portkc.com/228218-2/#:~:text=will%20graze%20roughly%20two,that%20these%20quadrupeds%20are%20cute" target="_blank">without chemicals.</a><ul><li>Plus, trailgoers (me) love these four-legged landscapers, who turn a routine weed-clearing into a feel-good attraction.</li></ul>