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Dolly Parton put her heart in the Heartland with books

Nearly 20,000 children in Johnson, Wyandotte and the KC metro are enrolled in her Imagination Library.

News

Dolly Parton, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="died" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-has-died-at-80-obit" data-vars-content-id="11b407f6-74f7-49cc-a4b4-4e3dc381e7bb" data-vars-headline="Dolly Parton put her heart in the Heartland with books" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2026/08/25/dolly-parton-has-died-at-80-obit" target="_self">died</a> Tuesday at 80, was a singer, a movie star and an American icon, but to families across Kansas and Missouri, she was the woman who spent decades teaching kids to love books.The big picture: Parton built a second career out of childhood literacy through her <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Imagination Library" data-vars-click-url="https://imaginationlibrary.com/" data-vars-content-id="11b407f6-74f7-49cc-a4b4-4e3dc381e7bb" data-vars-headline="Dolly Parton put her heart in the Heartland with books" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://imaginationlibrary.com/" target="_blank">Imagination Library</a>, and Kansas and Missouri were among the first states in the country to put public money behind it.

Historic Brookside school's demolition plan halted

Redevelopment plans are in limbo due to a new city preservation commissioner.

A Brookside school building more than a century old could be saved from the wrecking ball after an under-the-radar filing by a new city preservation commissioner. Why it matters: The move seeks to block efforts by Kansas City Public Schools, which wants to sell the shuttered <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bryant Elementary School" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kcpublicschools.org/page/bryant-site-page/" data-vars-content-id="d6eb5be8-fac9-4d85-8396-4c331772949d" data-vars-headline="Historic Brookside school&#x27;s demolition plan halted" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kcpublicschools.org/page/bryant-site-page/" target="_blank">Bryant Elementary School</a> building so it can be torn down and turned into big houses.

Flock cameras cut down as KC metro pushback grows

Two Flock cameras have been cut down in the metro this summer as one town cancels its contract and an officer faces charges of misuse.

The pushback against cameras that read license plates is growing in the Kansas City metro, where one town canceled its contract and a former detective faces criminal charges over alleged misuse.Why it matters: More people are scrutinizing the surveillance technology because of privacy concerns, with some pressuring <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city leadership" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/lsjournal/article316964846.html" data-vars-content-id="9a2e1b4c-ae70-47f3-9caf-a96b1e8cce09" data-vars-headline="Flock cameras cut down as KC metro pushback grows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/lsjournal/article316964846.html" target="_blank">city leadership</a> or targeting the cameras themselves.

KC's tech gender gap could grow with AI

AI is creating the economy's best-paying jobs. Women hold just 26% of KC tech jobs, and the gap could grow.

Women are landing just a quarter of the country&#x27;s booming AI jobs, the same share they hold of KC&#x27;s entire tech workforce.Why it matters: AI jobs are some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying in the country, and when they arrive in KC, they&#x27;ll be filled from a local tech workforce where the gender gap is baked in.

25 years of First Fridays in the Crossroads

Here's the history behind Kansas City's biggest monthly event.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="First Fridays," data-vars-click-url="https://kccrossroads.org/visit/?activation-area=first-friday" data-vars-content-id="c4921d39-be4b-4614-aaf6-dcefccbf08fb" data-vars-headline="25 years of First Fridays in the Crossroads" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://kccrossroads.org/visit/?activation-area=first-friday" target="_blank">First Fridays,</a> which began 25 years ago as a small art event in a half-empty warehouse district, returns Friday night as the anchor of the Crossroads economy.Why it matters: The free gallery walk turns the Crossroads into Kansas City&#x27;s biggest monthly gathering, built from a handful of galleries on Baltimore Avenue.

A year in review: Where our stories are now

Here's a look at Axios Kansas City's past and present.

The stories we write don&#x27;t often end after we hit &quot;send.&quot; We track the big ones over time, reporting on how they unfold and what you can expect.The big picture: We&#x27;re still following some of the stories from our humble <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="beginnings last June" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/06/02/axios-kansas-city-one-year-anniversary" data-vars-content-id="ed78fc2c-d0a3-498a-8f98-c40366fe76cb" data-vars-headline="A year in review: Where our stories are now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/06/02/axios-kansas-city-one-year-anniversary" target="_self">beginnings last June</a>.

Lawmakers fight to make Quindaro a National Historic Landmark

A Kansas City, Kansas, Underground Railroad site that sheltered enslaved people still lacks federal recognition.

A Kansas City, Kansas, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Underground Railroad" data-vars-click-url="https://kclibrary.org/news/2022-03/kc-black-history-do-you-know-town-was-stop-underground-railroad" data-vars-content-id="b2130b7a-2be6-496a-b1b7-54f2c4e4887f" data-vars-headline="Lawmakers fight to make Quindaro a National Historic Landmark" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://kclibrary.org/news/2022-03/kc-black-history-do-you-know-town-was-stop-underground-railroad" target="_blank">Underground Railroad</a> site that sheltered enslaved people lacks federal recognition, and local lawmakers just <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="introduced" data-vars-click-url="https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-cleaver-schmidt-davids-introduce-bill-designating-quindaro" data-vars-content-id="b2130b7a-2be6-496a-b1b7-54f2c4e4887f" data-vars-headline="Lawmakers fight to make Quindaro a National Historic Landmark" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-cleaver-schmidt-davids-introduce-bill-designating-quindaro" target="_blank">introduced</a> a bill to change that.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Quindaro Townsite" data-vars-click-url="https://quindaroruinsprojectfoundationkck.org/quindaro-history/" data-vars-content-id="b2130b7a-2be6-496a-b1b7-54f2c4e4887f" data-vars-headline="Lawmakers fight to make Quindaro a National Historic Landmark" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://quindaroruinsprojectfoundationkck.org/quindaro-history/" target="_blank">Quindaro Townsite</a> is not open to the public, and the federal funding that comes with a National Historic Landmark designation would make that possible.

How Black pitmasters built KC barbecue

KC barbecue grew from railroads, stockyards and Black culinary innovation.

Kansas City&#x27;s booming barbecue scene traces back to railroads, stockyards and Black pitmasters who turned the butcher&#x27;s leftovers into a defining local tradition.Why it matters: Barbecue is central to KC&#x27;s identity, but many people don&#x27;t realize how deeply it&#x27;s rooted in Black culture and entrepreneurship.

A run in the underground world of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt

This sprawling underground complex is home to one of KC's most distinctive races.

Business

What began as a limestone mine boring into the cliffs above the Missouri River has become a sprawling underground complex — and home to one of Kansas City&#x27;s most distinctive races.The big picture: The annual <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Groundhog Run" data-vars-click-url="https://abilitykc.org/event/groundhog-run/" data-vars-content-id="4b267a73-7223-427e-876d-5a7a8038b902" data-vars-headline="A run in the underground world of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://abilitykc.org/event/groundhog-run/" target="_blank">Groundhog Run</a> winds through miles of tunnels reaching under Worlds of Fun, blending a long-running charity event with a glimpse into the scale and ambition of the Hunt family — one of the richest in America.

This historic restaurant remains one of KC's best

The Savoy sets the standard with its Restaurant Week menu.

Food and Drink

The Savoy&#x27;s three-course <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Restaurant Week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/01/08/restaurant-week-kansas-city-2026" data-vars-content-id="1fc5fe90-d89a-4ee1-b7bf-4ea6202d0c1e" data-vars-headline="This historic restaurant remains one of KC&#x27;s best" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/01/08/restaurant-week-kansas-city-2026" target="_self">Restaurant Week</a> menu combines elevated dining with down-home flavors in a tradition more than a century old.Why it matters: This award-winning downtown Kansas City staple sets the standard, from delectable classic dishes to an expertly crafted atmosphere.

A bus tour through Kansas City's haunted past

A haunted bus tour explores KC's mob history and ghost lore with drinks and dark tales.

Things to Do

Kansas City&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ghosts &amp; Gangsters tour" data-vars-click-url="https://barleybus.com/ghost-gangster-tour/" data-vars-content-id="f998ebaa-ad03-4c8a-a0a1-2f77fb7b5774" data-vars-headline="A bus tour through Kansas City&#x27;s haunted past" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://barleybus.com/ghost-gangster-tour/" target="_blank">Ghosts &amp; Gangsters tour</a> takes riders into the city&#x27;s shadowy past — where mobsters ruled, bullets flew, and some say the ghosts never left.The big picture: Riders visit sites linked to some of Kansas City&#x27;s darkest chapters.

How Kansas City is marking Indigenous Peoples Day

Missouri closes for Columbus Day. Kansas keeps working. And Kansas City highlights Native culture through festivals, events and land acknowledgments.

Culture

Kansas City is using Indigenous Peoples Day, on Oct. 13, to spotlight Native stories — even as the date remains tied to Columbus Day for much of the country.

Kansas' 101-year-old WWII vet flies again

Army veteran Jim Sharp, 101, took to the Kansas sky in a restored WWII-era biplane built in Wichita — part of Dream Flights' mission to honor senior veterans with free flights across the country.

At 101, Kansas native Jim Sharp climbed into a World War II–era biplane and lifted off over the Flint Hills — a few minutes of flight that felt like stepping back into history.

History

Historic Brookside school's demolition plan halted

25 years of First Fridays in the Crossroads

A year in review: Where our stories are now

Lawmakers fight to make Quindaro a National Historic Landmark

How Black pitmasters built KC barbecue