The MR340, a paddling race from Kansas City to St. Louis along the Missouri River, has a reputation for being not just difficult but crazy. After finishing last in 2020, one man is back for more—a real-life hero to "the average among us."

LC Richardson started his famous, no-frills barbecue joint in 1986. His granddaughter, Tausha Hammett, worked the cash register before she was tall enough to see over it. Now she's ushering LC's into a new era.

Mark Angermayer used to be a pig farmer. When a back injury took that away, he forgot how to dream. His fruit orchard just south of Kansas City is a lesson in resilience and renewal.

Everyone deserves a safe place to swim, but we live in a region of pool haves and have-nots: This summer there are zero public pools open in Kansas City, Kansas, while Lenexa has three pools for a third of the population.

The 400 block of Delaware Street always had charm, but for the longest time, no foot traffic. I know because my dad ran a bookstore there in the 1990s — right before he died.