urban community

Shelters that are at capacity have been adding beds to accommodate overflow guests as freezing temperatures remain throughout the metro. But for many, restrictions like pets, a lack of transportation or mental illness deny them access to those beds.

For half a decade, the Kansas City nonprofit WeCode/KC has offered hands-on computer and coding classes primarily to Black students, to make a difference in the tech industry. Plus: A Kansas business processes film for photographers, cinematographers and even pop stars like Megan Thee Stallion.

The Kansas City record shop 7th Heaven has been a popular destination for vinyl lovers since it opened in 1974, but its upcoming closure has regulars reflecting on the store’s 50-year run. Plus: A KitchenAid specialist from Kansas is making it big on TikTok as “Mister Mixer.”

For seven decades, Kansas City’s Latino men’s basketball tournament has connected the region’s Hispanic diaspora. Meet the coaches and players who use sport to keep kids out of trouble, create community and broaden horizons.Also, Schwan’s, often associated with yellow trucks, ice cream treats and customer service, recently changed its name and stopped deliveries in many states. How the changes affect the company’s place in the food industry.

Businesses were split on their reaction to the vote on April 2 that rejected the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax for a ballpark in the Crossroads. Some said the loss of a downtown stadium just blocks away would hinder progress in the district. Others said the campaign was doomed from the start.

Black women have some of the highest new HIV infection rates in Kansas City and nationally. Many of them face discrimination, stigmas and systemic barriers in receiving the health care they need to live healthy lives.

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.

Twenty-two Kansas City-based Latino artists spent close to a year curating an exhibit called “A Layered Presence.” It is the third installment of the KC Art Now initiative to display more local work in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The marching band and drill team’s founder, Willie Arthur Smith, is retiring after more than 50 years of entertaining crowds in Kansas City and beyond.

A 45-foot hackberry tree crushed Rebecca Koop's outdoor kiln and left her without power for the foreseeable future. With no way to fire ceramics, Koop's community classes will stop, as will her primary source of income.

The 2023 Summer of Code is a weeklong initiative dedicated to introducing underserved youths to the world of computer science and programming. It's hosted by the nonprofit WeCode KC, dedicated to bridging the digital divide in the metro.

Hundreds of youth affiliated with different religious groups have been pitching in to help Kansas City remove an invasive plant species.