News Stories

Sister pitmasters of Jones Bar-B-Q, made famous by Queer Eye, are selling their restaurant

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. After Thursday’s lunch rush, Mary “Shorty” Jones and her sister, Deborah “Little” Jones stood outside of their beloved Jones Bar-B-Q, waving at the…

Service took Yinka Faleti from Kuwait to Ferguson; now this VC’s pushing social change from a $25M fund 

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. ST….

Here for the party: Mobile bar wants you to drink your brand (and its own laid-back, good-times vibe)

A new mobile bar business wants to take the cockiness out of the cocktail scene. “There’s a lot of ego in the cocktail scene, but we think the bar should be a distraction,” said Brian Shellenberger, co-founder of runner! cocktails. “When you’re having a stressed out week, what do you do? You go to a…

Look up for ‘King Me’: How Rif Raf Giraffe’s colorful new mural paints a full circle moment on this Crossroads corner 

The chaos created by an unexpected building collapse that sent Jason Harrington’s East Crossroads apartment crumbling to the pavement below ultimately made room for an even larger canvas, said the famed graffiti artist also known as Rif Raf Giraffe. In 2018, the building now home to King G — a neighborhood bar and deli —…

Fully funded in less than 6 hours: KC-stitched Yardball reinvents the game of catch, nearly doubles Kickstarter goal

Chad Hickman has experienced how easy it is to get lost in a deep conversation while playing a game of catch, he shared.  “When your only goal is to throw something back and forth, you can really open up in a conversation and focus on the now. You’re not worried about other things. I used…