AltWeeklies Wire
Kansas Lawmakers' Paranoid Rush to Ban Synthetic Marijuananew
One officer says the first thing his department did upon hearing about K2 was search YouTube for clips. Another says he heard about a blog telling of a teen who went into a coma for 12 hours after smoking K2. A woman says she fears for teachers if a student goes into a violent frenzy.
At the International G.I. Joe Convention, Grown Men Play With Little Dollsnew
Most of the attendees are male, large, and loyal to either the 12-inch original toys or the 3-3/4-inch figurines based on the cartoon characters. A slight edge goes to the cartoon fans, who tend to be younger and single, with more disposable income.
Meet the Powder Creek Cowboys: The Fastest Guns in Lenexanew
Dennis Ryan has been a Leavenworth County paramedic for close to 30 years, treating wounds from car crashes and farm accidents but almost never gunshots. At Powder Creek, he's just Croaker -- one of the fastest guns in east Kansas and the man who won the Prince of Pistoleers last year.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
07-07-2009 |
Recreation
The Architects Prepare to Work Their Fourth Release All Summer on Warped Tournew
If ever an album title summed up the makers, it's the Architects' fourth record, The Hard Way.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
06-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
In Federal Prison, Quentin Carter Wrote Best-Selling Novelsnew
While serving time for a drug offense, Quentin Carter made a name for himself as a best-selling author of street lit.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
06-23-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Christian Former Cops Fight a Battle of Wit, Skill and Strategy with Imaginary School Shootersnew
Since a 2006 school shooting in Missouri, the state has been trying to get Missouri's schools prepared for another attack. Beating out more than a dozen agencies across the country for the one-year, $100,000 contract was Christian security firm Strategos.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
03-17-2009 |
Crime & Justice
As Pop Culture Sucks on Myths, Some Real Vampires Tell Their Storiesnew
I'm sitting in the Winstead's by the Plaza waiting for a group of people I've never met. It's the monthly meeting of Gathering Dusk, a Midwest meet-up club that's primarily for people who identify themselves as vampires.
My Life in the McCain Campaignnew
If the maverick loses Missouri, maybe it's because his volunteers didn't work hard enough.
A Not-Independent Analyst Might Have Skewed Media Coverage of Sprintnew
In June, when Sprint introduced the Instinct, its rival to the iPhone, industry analyst Jeff Kagan gave the launch a good review. The glowing review shouldn't have been much of a surprise -- that's what Sprint has paid him to do.
On HIV, Some Black Ministers Are Admitting that Silence Equals Deathnew
The Good Samaritan Project Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS in Kansas City hopes to fight infections in a city where the HIV infection rate rivals Africa's.
Can't Get a Catholic Exorcism in Kansas City?new
James Vivian, who learned his demon-banishing skills from the star of the British reality show The Real Exorcist, is here to help.
My Secret Life in the Klannew
A voyage into hate groups reveals a lonely existence for those who support all things white.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
10-02-2007 |
Race & Class
Five Easy Steps to a Hefty Paycheck from a Troubled School Districtnew
Will it be curtains for Kansas City School District Superintendent Anthony Amato? Or will he turn things around?
Tags: Education
Stop the Violence ... Laternew
The Kansas City Crime Commission's nonurgent effort to stop bloodshed enters its third year of planning -- meanwhile, the city is up to 31 homicides this year.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
05-15-2007 |
Policy Issues
Tags: public policy issues
Kickapoo Indians Give Landowners Some of Their Own Medicinenew
For almost 30 years, the tribe has been trying to build a reservoir so its members wouldn't have to collect rainwater to bathe -- and a lawsuit filed in federal court is trying to force the seizure of 1,000 acres of land to build it.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
04-24-2007 |
Race & Class
Tags: race relations
