Olathe

When the school year ends, the need for literacy support does not. Here’s help in finding in-person and online summer reading programs around the Kansas City area.

In the 1970s, a Kansas City woman helped create Naiad Press, the largest lesbian publishing company in the world. Her goal was to tell more positive stories about queer love. Plus: Hundreds of people attend the weekly bingo night at the American Legion in Olathe, and they come to win.

Hundreds of people show up every Thursday to the American Legion Post 153 in Olathe, Kansas, hoping to get lucky at weekly bingo night. It's a chance to reconnect with friends, family and the local veteran community — but the competition is serious.

Casi uno de cada cinco padres que viven en la zona dijo a Children's Mercy Kansas City que la salud mental de su hijo era "regular" o "mala", y el 11% informó que su hijo se sentía "triste" o "sin esperanza". Los hospitales y centros de salud locales ahora intentan preparar a los padres para ayudar con el manejo de problemas de salud mental entre los jóvenes.

Nearly one in five parents in the area told Children's Mercy Kansas City their child’s mental health was "fair" or "poor," and 11% reported their child feeling "sad" or "hopeless." Local hospitals and health centers are now trying to prepare parents to help manage rising rates of mental health issues among youths.

A rash of daily newsletters for Wichita, Olathe, Overland Park and Lawrence all market themselves as community services aiming to “make local news more accessible, highlight extraordinary people in our community, and support local organizations.” They're run by NYC-based Matthew Henderson, using artificial intelligence.

While Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran spoke at a luncheon at the K-State campus in Olathe, protesters lined the street imploring him stand up to the Trump administration as it takes aggressive, and at times illegal, steps to reshape the federal government.

After early success as a stagecoach shop, Olathe is now classic suburbia dotted with shopping plazas and well-kept parks. Dive into the restaurant scene, history and natural splendor of this Johnson County suburb.

At Cake Loft in Olathe, Chrissy Zemencik offers cakes, cupcakes, and a wide variety of gourmet cookies. Baking has been her passion since a "super young age," and she was in culinary programs starting in high school.

The proposed project at the corner of 119th Street and Renner Boulevard centers around an 18-acre, "ultra accessible" amusement park, a 5,000-seat multi-sport complex, and a hotel.

Once a chemical storage area, Olathe’s Pollinator Prairie has since been reclaimed as an ecological habitat hosting hundreds of native plants. A recent event showed off its role as a stopover for migrating pollinators like monarchs.

The EPA is trying to crack down on lead pipes that bring water into homes. But a looming deadline — and the election — will determine if it follows a Biden plan to replace pipes or a Trump plan. In Olathe, the city is using a patchwork of funding to replace lines at no cost to property owners.