East Side

Bruce R. Watkins Drive took three decades to build, and resulted in the destruction of 2,000 homes and the displacement of thousands of Black residents. Kansas City officials and longtime residents hope a new federal grant can reconnect the neighborhoods torn apart by Highway 71, but mending old wounds won’t be easy.

The holiday season is a busy time of year for the Soul of Santa “Do Good” Foundation, an 18th & Vine based non-profit that works to provide support for low-income, disabled Kansas Citians and their families. The organization is preparing for its biggest fundraisers of the year, which includes a new ice-skating rink.

Derron Black, a former Democrat, is running as a Republican for the first time in Missouri’s 9th State Senate District. He says local Democratic leadership has failed to get his community what it needs, and that voters are ready to look elsewhere for help. Community leaders, his incumbent opponent and the area’s voting history say otherwise.

Kansas City is on the brink of breaking the all-time record of 182 yearly homicides, set in 2020. Community organizations, activists, city leadership and law enforcement are searching for answers to stem the tide of death.

Troost Avenue is known as Kansas City’s dividing line, long associated with the city’s history of racial segregation and slavery. But as new residents move in and more businesses open, the community balances optimism and fear of gentrification.

WeDevelopment Federal Credit Union, which opens this weekend at Linwood Shopping Center, is taking on the mission of increasing financial literacy in communities east of Troost.

While the U.S. homeownership rate saw its biggest annual increase on record during the pandemic, the disparity between Black and white homeowners also grew. Some organizations in Kansas City are trying to change that.

Residents gathered on Kansas City's east side called for a police chief who would spend time in majority-Black communities and take bold steps to dismantle racism within the department.

G.I.F.T. (Generating Income for Tomorrow) is making good on its goal to invest in Black-owned businesses in the lowest income areas in Kansas City.

Cientos de complejos de departamentos — con menos de 20 unidades — han desaparecido del mercado de Kansas City porque los propietarios deciden que es más barato demolerlos que arreglarlos. Esto representa un gran golpe para el conjunto de viviendas económicas de la ciudad.

Hundreds of apartment complexes — those with less than 20 units — have disappeared from the Kansas City market as landlords decide it's cheaper to demolish than fix them up. But losing these buildings is a huge blow to the city's affordable housing stock.

The project will focus on six east side Kansas City zip codes where vaccination rates remain low, especially among minority populations.