AltWeeklies Wire
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.
Eric 'Mean' Melin is a Real Musician, but it's Air Guitar That Might Make Him a Starnew
"Mean Melin. Mean Melin. Mean Melin," the crowd chants. They're cheering for a guy who just pretended to play guitar -- and rocked their fucking faces off. Mean Melin throws up the devil horns. He's going to the U.S. Air Guitar Championships in Washington, D.C.
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.
Missouri Professor Hopes to Bring Democracy to Sudannew
There are plenty of reasons for Abdullahi Ibrahim not to run in 2010's Sudanese presidential election. The election could be rigged. The repressive ruling regime could target opposing candidates. But that's exactly why Ibrahim decided to run -- and why he believes he can win.
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
So Many Dynamos Fight Complacency and Boring Music With 'The Loud Wars'new
The band is frequently compared with postpunk acts such as the Dismemberment Plan and Q and Not U, but the Dynamos' music is much more nuanced.
The Pitch |
Annie Zaleski |
07-14-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Loud Wars, So Many Dynamos
It's a Dirty Job Nabbing Horny Guys in the Park, But Somebody's Gotta Do Itnew
The Kansas City Police Department's vice squad spends a couple of days a month conducting covert stings to ferret out men seeking sex in public parks. When things go right, the job is predictable.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
07-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
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
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.
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
Mac Lethal Prepares to Go Straight for the Heartnew
The funny, emotional, shit-talkin' white-boy rapper who's admired almost as much as he's despised has been making a living off his music in a way that runs against music-industry wisdom, which, given the state of the industry, is exactly why he's successful.
The Pitch |
Jason Harper |
06-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Scenes from the Health-Care Struggle in Missourinew
Missouri now ranks in the nation's bottom five states when it comes to parent eligibility for Medicaid, and lawmakers, advocates argue, should do more to help the state's most vulnerable citizens, especially during a period of high unemployment.
Hey, All You People Worried About Journalism: Meet the Future Pressnew
Take one glance at the eight-page tabloid Voice of the Tigers, put out by sixth and seventh graders, and its clear that freedom of the press is alive and well at Kansas City's Franklin School.
Missouri's Death Penalty May Not Outlive Dennis Skillicorn Very Longnew
Two bills in Missouri's Legislature have proposed a moratorium on the death penalty and a review board to examine issues such as cost, fairness and the risk of wrongful execution.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
05-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
