News Stories

Muenfua Lewis and Justin Ikerionwu, By Design

They built a coffee table magazine to showcase Black creatives; Why this week’s issue will be By Design’s last

The sixth and final issue of By Design magazine is a culmination of the work of three Black men who saw a lack of community and representation in Kansas City’s art ecosystem — and decided to create their own, shared Muenfua Lewis and Justin Ikerionwu.  “By Design has always been about going deeper and breaking…

Kansas City skyline, December 2021

Survey: 97 percent of KC businesses expect same or better performance in 2022

Business executives in the Kansas City metro expressed optimism about what lies ahead in 2022 — despite lingering pandemic-related challenges, according to newly released local and regional survey results from First Business Bank. “There are always multiple dimensions of the story to consider, but 2021 was a big improvement over 2020, and with employment increasing across…

Ignition Lab image courtesy of Black & Veatch

Teen STEM lab championed by Travis Kelce goes zero-carbon solar with boost from KC corporate leaders

A solar installation at Operation Breakthrough’s new Ignition Lab on Troost Avenue is expected to power the STEM space for students — made possible by a team of Kansas City corporate leaders committed to clean energy and support for the Travis Kelce-backed complex. Mounted atop a central canopy at the site, the project is set to…

Lifted Spirits' Straight Wheat Whiskey, made with Torn Label’s House Brew

Crossroads neighbors’ limited-release holiday brew bottled after three years in the barrel

When 400 bottles of Lifted Spirits’ Straight Wheat Whiskey — created using a coffee wheat stout from its Crossroads neighbor Torn Label — went on sale to the public Wednesday, the distillery-brewery mashup’s potential was finally tapped, said Michael Stuckey. “This partnership with Torn Label is a unique collaboration that demonstrates the creative, artistic nature…

Amos King, Binary Noggin

KC software team of three builds $3.5M insurance risk management app from scratch

A New York-based insurance management startup recently closed a $3.5 million funding round for its new end-to-end platform — an application built entirely by Kansas City software developer Binary Noggin. billy, a construction-specific insurance management and tracking application headquartered in Brooklyn, sought out Binary Noggin’s services early this year for developing its software. The startup…