Swope Park

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 leader of Kansas City Parks & Recreation wants to transform Hope Lodge in Swope Park into a regional gathering place for indigenous people. Before integration, the site hosted a residential camping program for Black children.

From UMKC's campus to cemeteries around the metro, there's no shortage of spooky places to explore in the Kansas City metro this Halloween.

When hip-hop hit Kansas City streets, the effect was immediate. The new sound took over record stores, local high schools and underground dance parties. 2023 marks 50 years since the art form got started, and Kansas City is honoring its own contributions to the culture.

Kansas City has its fair share of historic homes, odd churches and menacing mansions, each with their own haunting past. With unsolved murders to unexplained mysteries, these sites are perfectly creepy and fascinating even beyond the Halloween season.

Board members of an Overland Park police charity, tasked with assisting the families of fallen officers, used foundation funds to benefit themselves. But it's not clear if they will face any consequences. Plus: How the death of a Kansas City philanthropist turned into the murder trial of the century.

After dying suddenly under mysterious circumstances, Kansas City philanthropist Thomas Swope became the focus of one of the most publicized murder trials of the early 20th century. It’s long been suspected that Swope’s nephew-in-law murdered him and other members of his family as part of a plot to steal their fortune — but the events remain unresolved more than 110 years later.

After spending most of my free time in parks for a year, I visited St. Louis and saw a city that related to its parks very differently. My attempts to understand why revealed a stark truth: Kansas City's parks were designed to separate people, not bring them together.

After spending most of my free time in parks for a year, I visited St. Louis and saw a city that related to its parks very differently. My attempts to understand why revealed a stark truth: our parks were designed to separate people, not bring them together.

After spending most of my free time in parks for a year, I visited St. Louis and saw a city that related to its parks very differently. My attempts to understand why revealed a stark truth: Kansas City's parks were designed to separate people, not bring them together.

Stay-at-home orders have been in place for more than a month, and restrictions for many metro residents are set to end Sunday, May 3.

Eight years ago, 70% of the animals that came into Kansas City, Missouri’s animal shelter were euthanized. “It was dreadful,” Kansas City Councilwoman…