AltWeeklies Wire
No Thank-You Card?new
Seven women say a Hallmark contractor fired them for cheap labor.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
06-09-2010 |
Business & Labor
Tags: Hallmark
The Daddy Finders: DNA Testing at a Strip Mall for Peace of Mindnew
Paternity testing makes up 10 to 15 percent of David and Prudence Rexroats' business. They cultivate it. MedExpress Labs, the couple's company, markets a "peace of mind" test to men who suspect that a wife or girlfriend has been unfaithful.
Allegations of Racism Spark a Power Struggle at the Mutual Musicians Foundationnew
In December, the Mutual Musicians Foundation's 100-odd members installed a new board of directors. Many were new to the cause. In the weeks leading up to the election, a local singer suggested that the old board had allowed the foundation's legacy to be "pimped."
The Pitch |
David Martin |
02-09-2010 |
Race & Class
Greetings From Crown Center at 40: Hallmark's Island of Misfit Ideasnew
Hallmark Cards broke ground on this "city within a city" on September 16, 1968. Company founder Joyce C. Hall had spent the previous decade meeting with architects, industrial designers and real-estate men. Walt Disney, a friend, had even contributed a few ideas. Hall envisioned Crown Center as a sort of monument to corporate benevolence.
In Rejecting Real Health Care Reform, Businesses Don't Know What's Good for Themnew
"The system sucks! Save the system!" That, in six words, pretty much sums up what Chamber of Commerce types are contributing to the health-care debate. I'm exaggerating but only a little.
How Watching the Kansas City Royals is Like Reliving the Bush Presidencynew
Rany Jazayerli is a little like Joseph Wilson. Each man hit a nerve, in part because they spoke the truth. Iraq was not on the cusp of attacking anyone with nuclear weapons. And the Royals need to do a better job of keeping their players healthy.
Kansas City Notifies Wal-Mart That One of its Dead Stores is a Nuisancenew
Wal-Mart has abandoned hundreds of locations in the course of its aggressive expansion. Big-rig operators and others have stashed vehicles near a dead Sam's Club in Kansas City for more than a year, and city officials are finally taking notice.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
07-14-2009 |
Business & Labor
Senator Brownback Lacks Good Intelligence for His Gitmo Fightnew
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback's office cannot produce any primary evidence to support its claim that bringing Gitmo detainees to Leavenworth would imperil the relationship building that takes place at the Command and General Staff College.
Questions About Minority Participation in the Redevelopment of Downtown Kansas Citynew
A lawsuit makes a strong case that J.E. Dunn Construction Company rebuilt downtown Kansas City with little help from minority businesses.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
03-24-2009 |
Housing & Development
What Was the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Doing as the Housing Market Went Insane?new
If president Thomas Hoenig saw trouble -- trouble he could have reported to insulated Washington -- he certainly kept pretty quiet about it.
Conservative States Push Abstinence Education, to Questionable Resultsnew
What happens when the behavior doesn't match the lesson plan? A professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City is co-writing a book that attempts to come up with an answer.
Kansas City Government Has Trouble Breaking Bad Habitsnew
In Kansas City, council members and department heads meet on Tuesday mornings to strategize over coffee and doughnuts. The goal: Maximize the city's share of federally borrowed wealth.
For the Makers of Shatto Milk, Success is Cold and Tastynew
The product has considerable appeal. It comes from cows that haven't been treated with artificial growth hormones. The animals live on a dairy 45 miles outside the city, a significant factor for those who try to mind their carbon footprints. And the bottles, in addition to being reusable, are cool as hell.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
09-23-2008 |
Food+Drink
Deutsche Bank Lets Kansas City Rotnew
Deutsche Bank is the largest owner of foreclosed properties in Greater Kansas City. In Jackson County, the bank holds titles to 350 foreclosures. Some of their properties are sickly enough to depress an entire block.
The Pitch |
David Martin |
08-26-2008 |
Housing & Development
New Life Ministries' Pastor Troy Campbell Follows the Example of Jesusnew
Unlike some of the more visible evangelical houses of worship in Kansas City, New Life seems serious about closing the gap between the church described in the New Testament and what's happening in the suburbs today.
