Minority-Led Stories
Overnight proof? Boujee Baker KC rising after decades in the ooey-gooey making
It’s the wee hours of the morning. Pitch-dark sky, hardly a murmur on these urban streets. Most of Kansas City tucked in their cozy beds. But inside this tiny brick building on 12th Street earlier this week, the lights are bright, R&B music is buzzing, and the oven is blazing — ready to finish off…
Bless-tested: 6-year-old’s first instinct was to help; now she wants to bag more impact
When Ava-Rochelle Woodard rides through Kansas City with her parents, the 6-year-old pays attention. She notices people walking along the road, and when Ava sees someone who might need help, she asks a question that has grown into a community effort. “Do we have a bag in the car?” asks Ava, founder of Today’s Your…
Lesser-known sales tax faces pivotal 2026 vote, opportunity to define its next chapter
Editor’s note: The following details the Kansas City’s Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax initiative within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. EDCKC is a paid partner of Startland News. A decade-long experiment in east side investment is entering a new crucible as Kansas City’s CCED sales tax district heads toward a quiet…
A tree older than the US is dying in KC’s Northeast; here’s how an entrepreneur honored its energy, Indigenous roots
Trees are among humans’ most sacred relatives, said Alex Villalobos-McAnderson, a Shawnee-based energy medicine practitioner who noted that connections to the earth run deep even amid the turbulence of modern life and political uncertainty. The 250-year-old oak tree in Kansas City’s historic Northeast — set to be cut down in January because of fungal root…
‘You never know who’s watching’: Small Business Superstars celebrate being seen
Athena Printing opened its doors with a mission to give artists a local place to produce work without giving up control of the process. Just months later, the fine art printing studio is already making an impression — finding itself among hundreds of Kansas City businesses recognized as Small Business Superstars. Such affirmation of the…
