The Star can make anything sound positive, except its own endangered bottom line.
Posted
by David Hudnall
on Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Great news, Kansas City!
To depart journalism for a more lucrative career in advertising, public relations or marketing has long been interpreted — by other journalists, at least — as a sign of compromised ideals (or else exhaustion). Flacks serve products, companies, corporations. Journalists serve truth. An advertising salary may buy you a big, comfortable bed, the thinking goes, but it’s easier to sleep at night knowing you’re in a line of work that helps prop up democracy.
That sounds a bit lofty, doesn’t it? And these days it rings unrealistic and quaint, too — particularly in Kansas City, where there are numerous ad agencies but virtually no job opportunities in mainstream media.
The Kansas City Star, like many daily newspapers in the United States, has spent the past decade bulldozing its editorial staff. At first, its corporate parent, the McClatchy Co., undertook layoffs to maximize short-term profits. Now the Star is struggling simply to stay afloat, stymied by the lack of a clear business model in the age of digital news consumption. Following furloughs and round after round of layoffs, it’s only natural that the shell-shocked survivors at the Star might cast about for cushier PR gigs. It’s less natural, and somewhat alarming, that a few of them seem to be auditioning for these jobs in the pages of the newspaper.
Louisburg Cider Mill's Shelly Schierman on corn mazes, crops and fall festivities.
Posted
by Abbie Stutzer
on Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 11:15 AM
The abnormally warm — excuse me, I mean hot as boiling acid — summer has heightened my excitement for the return of all things fall, creepy and cold. (I'd wager that the sentiment of the majority of Kansas City Metro citizens is similar.)
Childish anticipation aside, autumnal pastimes are just generally delightful. For example, the fast approaching season makes violently butchering gourds and squash socially acceptable! Also, in a few weeks, you will be able to buy and ingest ungodly amounts of orange-hued candies and local pumpkin-spiced consumables.
One local, autumn hot spot that sells seasonal treats and hosts myriad fun activities is the Louisburg Cider Mill & Country Store (14730 K68 Highway, 913-837-5202).
We recently spoke with Shelly Schierman, one of the mill owners, and asked her how the mill's pumpkin, corn and apple crops have faired during this dry summer, and about the new fall festivities the mill has planned for this year.
This chart holds the key to every kind of coffee drink.
Fat City is usually about uplifting and inspiring readers to fill their gullet with fried or seared bits of culinary excellence. At times, you probably wonder if Oprah herself is behind this keyboard, touch-typing out small electronic missives.
Alas, all of you are not getting a toaster. But today, we channel our inner Jerry Springer and bring you five recent food stories from around the Interwebs that are nothing but empty (delightfully empty) calories.
When Olathe drivers get behind the wheel, it's apparently hands at 10-and-two and a commitment to signaling before switching lanes. In the eighth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report," produced by the Allstate Insurance Co., Olathe is ranked as the 14th safest driving city.
Olathe-ites are 15.2 percent less likely to get into a crash as the average driver and go 11.8 years between crashes. So if you live in Olathe and are approaching a decade of crash-free driving, maybe try and put off that new car purchase for a few years.
Peyton Hillis is hoping to run his way onto your team this year.
The cynical among us would say Chiefs fans are already playing fantasy football every year, even if they aren’t in a league, trying to poach $20 from friends based on the real-world performance of their virtual teams. But if you’re in for the long haul of a 16-game season, you might as well benefit from your vigilance. Here’s a brief, critical guide to your 2012 Chiefs fantasy-football prospects.
Peyton Hillis. The Avalanche cometh. For KC fans, the only thing prettier than Hillis running over somebody at the 1-yard line is Brady Quinn. (Seriously, Quinn is beautiful.) Round to pick ’em: seventh.
I don’t get people’s ravenous appetite for all things bacon. Was it the advent of the Atkins Nutritional Approach that started the bacon bliss? Did y’all just say, “Fuck it” and board the bacon bus with a shout of “peace out!” to your HDL cholesterol? The smell? I don’t get it but I don’t have to, because the people at the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City do get it.
The Rehabilitation Institute threw Bacon-Fest last Saturday, with proceeds from ticket sales going to the “nonprofit medical rehabilitation employment placement provider for children and adults with disabilities.” Tickets went from $20 (thanks, Groupon!) to $100 (VIP style — early admission, private beer stands, bathrooms, and access to an air-conditioned indoor area).
Who or what is your sidekick? In life, it’s my wife, Angela, but if I were to turn into a masked vigilante, I would have to go with my dog, Tyler Durden. Mostly because I want to see him in a cape and mask. What career would you choose in an alternate reality? As a film fanatic, it doesn’t get much better than working for the Alamo Drafthouse. It’s the kind of job that makes you feel like you’re already living in an alternate reality. One moment you’re discussing your favorite film, and the next you’re ordering the pyrotechnics for the next Action Pack event. I can’t imagine a better job.
What was the last local restaurant you patronized? I have to admit, I’m a little obsessed with Port Fonda. I’m always up for suggestions, though, when it comes to the tortilla arts.
This is blue cheese mousse for those scoring at home.
My greatest college culinary achievement was putting cold Dinty Moore beef stew over warm noodles. It wasn't good then and it didn't save me effort, but I gave up at least several of my final years on this Earth to that dish.
In that vein, Bon Appetit has recently put together the "15 Most Insane Vintage Recipes Published By Bon Appetit." While there's the obligatory food trapped in Jell-O, a few of the dishes look like they could be delicious with a few tweaks — hamburger cups (traditionally filled with sour cream) with a scoop of double-baked potatoes in the middle and a bourbon cocktail called the Tropical Itch.
Construction costs continue to rise at the Capitol in Topeka.
The State Finance Council voted yesterday to take $7 million in funds from the Kansas Department of Transportation as part of a $17.4 million financing package to pay for a visitors' center and the continued renovation of the entrance to the Capitol building in Topeka. The Wichitopekingtonreports that the other funds will come from $5 million in savings from the $332 million renovation project and a $5.4 million bond issued by the state.
“I haven’t been the biggest fan of this project,” Gov. Sam Brownback told reporters at the Capitol yesterday. "But it’s just time to wrap it up."
But did wrapping it up really require the approval of $17.4 million on the construction of a visitors' center shell that isn't expected to be complete until 2014?
Coffee nerds have a lot more choices these days around the city. And you can benefit from their fanatical devotion to single-origin, pour-over brews when the Caffeine Crawl returns next month. The event, which visited a dozen coffee shops in 2011, has expanded to a two-day tour (tickets are only available for Sunday, September 16) as part of a kick-off to what organizer Jason Burton of the Lab is calling Specialty Coffee Week.
"It's amazing what's happened in just a year. People are really focused on finding a great cup of coffee," Burton says.
The Sunday tour — tickets costs $30 — will feature stops at E.F. Hobbs, the Filling Station, Latteland, Mud Pie, Quay Coffee, Revocup Coffee Roasters and the Roasterie. Each will have a signature drink and offer insight into how they select and pour their coffee. Children are welcome on the tour; there will be caffeine-free options, but they have to purchase a ticket.
KCPD will breathalyze patrons at Tanner's tonight
Soundgarden's sludgy sound, last night at The Midland (review)
Kansas City is not a top-five beer city
Potbelly Sandwich Shop opens June 4 on the Plaza
Homer's Drive-In: the oldest drive-through in the metro
So is Kansas City International a convenient airport or not?
Why you shouldn't eat the snow cones at Minute Maid Park
Kurt Vile headed to Lawrence in August