Westport

A restaurant in Westport and two Crossroads cocktail bars had to navigate death, loss and grief in 2025. KCUR spoke with their family, coworkers, and friends to remember their commitment to the Kansas City hospitality scene, and to memorialize what was lost.

The new owners of the Country Club Plaza plan to open the door to 200-foot apartment buildings as part of their redevelopment plans. That’s sparked concerns from residents about the area losing its architectural identity. Members of the Plaza Westport Neighbor Association Board warn that the high-rises could wall off the neighborhood.

From downtown to midtown, Brookside and everywhere in between, KCUR put together a list of the best shops, restaurants, cafes and museums to explore along the new KC Streetcar extension.

The KC Streetcar expansion will bring more people in walking distance to Kansas City's Westport and midtown neighborhoods, which are home to some of the metro's best restaurants, bars, nightlife and shops. Hop off the streetcar and head to these great spots.

The streets of Kansas City’s historic Westport neighborhood will turn into an open-air gallery this weekend. Art Westport, the metro’s largest and oldest local art fair, will host 140 artists from within an 80-mile radius of Kansas City. Three local artists share their advice for visitors.

Two men were killed and another two people were shot over the weekend in a lot near the Power & Light District owned by Copaken Brooks, a commercial real estate firm. Mayor Quinton Lucas said Monday that private lot owners should be required to have $1 million insurance policies, security and surveillance cameras.

After Kansas City native Brett Janssen met his fiancé Genisis Mejia in Colombia, the couple bought a 50-acre farm in the Andes Mountains. Now Janssen will make the 2,700-mile journey bringing coffee beans back to Janssen's Place Coffee, which opens in October.

The deadly Westport crash in 2021 made the most headlines, but a KCUR investigation found more than a dozen crashes involving KCFD vehicles from 2019 to 2023.

Holy Brunch KC, which began as a food truck before ending up in Westport, is now scheduled to expand this summer into the Westport Ale House building. The pub closed in 2024, two years after a deadly shooting.

Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017. These are some of the highlights, including historic renovations and new buildings.

From clubs to tournaments, classes to casual play, you can find chess games for any level of skill around Kansas City.

Grinning Bull BBQ is expected to take over one of two open spaces in the building that houses Atomic Cowboy, Denver Biscuit Co. and other shops. Pitmaster Kevin Bulgerin grew up in Texas, and previously run his barbecue trailer at pop-ups and farmers markets.