AltWeeklies Wire
Newcomer Has 20/20 Vision When It Comes to KC Hip-Hopnew
By far the most invigorating shot in the arm for KC hip-hop comes from the surge of just-turned-21 talent. The little guy with funny specs, Greg Enemy is getting some recognition.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
04-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Can Kansas City Turn Its Trash Problem into an Opportunity?new

In Kansas City, trash is consistently among the top citizen complaints. Landfill space is shrinking fast. And now the city's trash collection contractor is raising its prices. Kansas City is hoping to elbow its way out of the company's grasp -- and make some money doing it.
The Pitch |
Carolyn Szczepanski |
04-28-2009 |
Environment
The Life and Times Hits the Road with a Joyful New Albumnew

The band proves that three dudes from the Midwest who grew up on Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin can produce music that, while not as commercially successful as their idols', is no less transcendent.
The Pitch |
Jason Harper |
04-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
Twitter: The Fun of a Public Meeting without Having to Be Therenew
Pitch staff writer Nadia Pflaum had your back last Wednesday, when she spent a couple of hours "tweeting" from a meeting on a proposed dress-code ordinance in Kansas City.
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
A K.C. Jail Is Falling Apart, But Shutting It Down Might Be Destructivenew

Nancy Leazer, Superintendent of Kansas City's Municipal Correctional Institution, has made shuttering this crumbling facility far more complicated.
The Pitch |
Carolyn Szczepanski |
03-10-2009 |
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.
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.
Commission on Wartime Contracting Tries -- Finally -- to Summon Truman's Spiritnew
Earlier this week in Washington was the first public hearing of a new bureaucratic body called the Commission on Wartime Contracting -- the lovechild of Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill and Virginia Sen. Jim Webb.
At Fort Leavenworth, Officers Are Marching on the Blogospherenew

Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, who oversees the Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, decided last year to make media savvy a requirement for graduation. Each war-college student must complete a course of "strategic communication" in order to graduate.
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.
Theirs Could Have Been Web 2.0's Wonder-Boy Success Storynew

Set to make millions with their YouTube-beating technology, the upstarts in Lifted Logic found a better market for their talents.
Blogger Mark Smith Finds Cheer in Kansas City’s Most Depressing Placesnew
He rants about crime, his past and blight. He has earned enemies, engaging in a flame war with self-appointed crime-fighter Alonzo Washington after Washington trashed the family of a crime victim for refusing his help.