In a symbolic passing of the torch at Memorial Hall on Tuesday, outgoing Mayor Tyrone Garner delivered his final State of the Unified Government address while welcoming his successor, Mayor-elect Christal Watson. The annual address, mandated by the UG charter and hosted by the Kansas City, Kan. Rotary Club since […]
All day, frozen turkeys trickled in to Eric Williams’s venerable Clippin 2 Please barbershop on State Avenue, beginning to pile up in the back of a 15-foot U-Haul truck. The mayor brought some earlier, then Sheriff Soptic, then the USD 500 maintenance staff. The Egyptian Cobras motorcycle club brought several […]
The Wyandotte County Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted 6-2 early Thursday morning to approve a revised “unsafe camping” ordinance, changing course from the rejection of a similar measure six weeks earlier. The ordinance, approved 6-2, prohibits camping and sleeping on public and private property with specific provisions for 48-hour […]
Murrel Wesley Bland, distinguished journalist and devoted community leader who spent more than five decades chronicling life in western Wyandotte County, passed away peacefully on Nov. 17, 2025, in Kansas City, Kan. He was 84. Born on a farm near Enid, Okla., Bland moved with his family in 1949 to […]
In a move that deflated what was expected to be a contentious evening of public comment, the Unified Government’s Administration and Human Services Committee voted Monday to postpone consideration of changes to employee residency requirements until the new mayor and commissioners take office in January. More than 50 people had […]
It was a balmy, beautiful fall Friday afternoon as dozens of community members, elected officials, and parks staff gathered at two neighborhood parks in eastern Kansas City, Kansas to celebrate over $1.5 million in park improvements that officials say will be a milestone for historically underserved areas of Wyandotte County. […]
The Kansas City Current’s record-breaking 2025 campaign came to a wrenching end Sunday afternoon as eighth-seeded Gotham FC claimed a 2-1 extra-time victory in the NWSL quarterfinals at CPKC Stadium. Two stoppage time goals created a whiplash of emotion for Current fans: one goal that extended their season, and one […]
Memorial Hall buzzed and twinkled with holiday spirit Friday evening as thousands gathered for the 2025 Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Festival, an event that marked both the beginning of the season and the end of an era for Kansas City, Kan. Anthony Hill, the festival’s grand marshal, grew up in […]
In a sometimes-contentious meeting that stretched past midnight, the Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to suspend enforcement of local anti-discrimination provisions to comply with the current federal administration’s interpretation of anti-discrimination law, in order to to protect nearly $81 million in federal grants. The 6-2 vote came after […]
In a potentially historic move, the Unified Government’s Neighborhood and Community Development Committee unanimously approved transferring three parcels of land to the Wyandot Nation of Kansas at its meeting Monday evening, a decision commissioners described as an opportunity to “help make history.” The land transfer, which passed 4-0, will provide […]