Thomas White

An influx of visitors from countries where tipping isn’t a cultural norm could mean a pay cut for some Kansas City hospitality workers. Several restaurants are adding auto-gratuity to be safe, but many in hotspots like Westport and Power & Light are waiting to see what happens.

Motivated young people seeking a first time job are encountering a “low-hire, low-fire” job market in Kansas City and beyond.

The Bryant School has sat vacant since 2009. KCPS wants to convert it into workforce housing — if they get a proposal that neighbors and teachers can support.

Construction trades are riding the biggest building boom in decades, in part due to data center projects. But the artificial intelligence that the facilities power could upend the job market for everyone else.

Independence City Council set to vote Monday night on AI data center tax incentives. Approval would mean the data center developer would pay a fraction of the taxes it would normally owe on buildings, land and equipment.

Kansas City adopted stricter energy conservation codes in 2023, hoping that neighboring cities would follow its lead. Instead, it may have become a competitive disadvantage, as Kansas City saw a drop in building permit applications while its neighbors saw big spikes.

An increasing number of Kansas City families have jobs but still need shelter or assistance, due to the gap between the wages they earn and the cost of housing. It’s a formula for rising homelessness.

The Unified Government and the BPU are in discussions with three proposed data center projects code-named Project Red Wolf, Project Yardbird and Project Linda. Officials insist the projects won’t increase utility bills for other ratepayers, but similar promises elsewhere have been proven false.

Residents describe fires, floods, infestation, and deterioration while living in Olive Park Village apartments controlled by a Cleveland-based housing management company. With the city citing unsafe conditions, remaining families now have to scramble for new homes.

Officials from Kansas City Public Schools and the Kansas City Public Library joined a chorus of public comments that prompted the delay.