Kansas City's Northeast Newscast

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Scott Wagner joined Northeast News Publisher Michael Bushnell for an update on the Kansas City Museum. Wagner’s work with the museum goes back 16 years to when he was first appointed to the Kansas City Museum Advisory Board in 2005. They talk about the Kansas City Museum Foundation transition, trials...

Welcome back to the Northeast Newscast. This week we're joined by Fourth District Councilman Eric Bunch, who represents Historic Northeast. Today we’re talking about Kansas City’s Earnings Tax, which is up for renewal on April 6 when Kansas City voters will decide if the e-tax is in place for another five years. We also discuss this week's passing of the next City budget and how Kansas C...

This week on the Northeast Newscast we’re sitting down with Rashida Phillips, Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine District. After nearly a year of being closed due to COVID-19, the district is beginning to see a little bit of activity. We discuss the museum’s In the Yard campaign, expanding programming, live music, her first year in the role, and...

This week on the Northeast Newscast we’re joined by Christina Hoxie of Hoxie Collective, a community planning practice whose core focus is to provide those skills to underestimated communities. Christina has worked with various Northeast neighborhoods, on transportation solutions with the Mid-American Regional Council (MARC), and is Councilman Bunch's representative on the Public Investment A...

Welcome back to the Northeast Newscast. A year after COVID-19 made its way through the community, KC CARE Health Center at 4601 Independence Avenue has adjusted to a new normal, from Telehealth visits to community testing, administering vaccines and expanding primary care services. This week, we sat down with Wil Franklin, CEO of KC CARE to discuss the recent growth and changes to services. Thanks...

This week on the Northeast Newscast we’re joined by local author and historian David Jackson. He's written books about Kansas City's LGBT history and discovering his family's surprising genealogy, as well as being an incredible resource in helping other authors and historians with a variety of topics. We had a few technical difficulties, but the interview is worth a listen!

This week on the Northeast Newscast we’re hearing from Kansas City Parks and Recreation Director Terry Rynard and Deputy Director Roosevelt Lyons as they look forward to the grand reopening of the Kansas City Museum later this year. They share with Northeast News Publisher Michael Bushnell what they’re looking forward to most, how the new collections will open a door to history while focusing on t...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, we’re joined by Tiffany Aleman and Gina Bumgarner, school counselors at Northeast Middle School. We’re discussing how COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of both students and staff, the benefits to having counselors in schools, and the most important lessons these professionals have learned throughout their careers.

On this episode of the Northeast Newscast, we're joined by three well-known veterans of the Kansas City coffee scene as part of the Northeast News’ Coffee Issue. Kate Blackman is an experienced coffee expert and competition judge, operations manager at Roast Ratings and independent coffee consultant and trainer; Ben Helt is the Director of Authorized Specialty Coffee Association of America (S...

On this episode of the Northeast Newscast, State Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo joins us for the third interview in a series with local leaders elected to state office. Rizzo, who grew up in Northeast and Columbus Park, now represents his hometown in Jefferson City. He represents District 11, which includes Independence, Sugar Creek and Northeast Kansas City within Jackson County. We discuss th...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, State Senator for the 9th District Barbara Washington discusses her priorities for her first term. Senator Washington was previously the representative for House District 23 and is looking forward to bringing her passion for urban farming, housing and economic development to the state senate. This is the second episode in our series of intervi...

This episode marks the beginning of a series of interviews with state representatives and senators where they will share their priorities for the new term. This week we’re hearing from Missouri House of Representatives District 19 Representative Ingrid Burnett (D). Burnett raised her family and taught in Northeast for many years, and is now serving her third term. We discuss her priorities and her...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, local realtor LoRay Easterwood with United Real Estate and Becky Gripp with CHES Inc. explain the steps individuals and couples interested in purchasing a home should make. They discuss the process of deciding a price range, necessary savings, and preparing for unexpected costs. Gripp explains CHES programs to repair credit and preventing fore...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, Editorial Assistant Daisy Garcia Montoya interviews Edgar Palacios, founder of Latinx Education Collaborative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing and retaining the number of quality Latinx education professionals in K-12 education. This interview was conducted in Spanish. For an article on the organization in English, go to north...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, Managing Editor Abby Hoover hosts a roundtable discussion with the staff of the Northeast News to recap 2020. From breaking news to features, faces and history, we delivered a product we're proud of to our diverse and unique community. Thank you to our loyal advertisers, listeners, readers and neighbors for supporting us for 88 years, and...

Welcome back to the Northeast Newscast. On this week’s episode we’re joined by Kansas City Police Department Community Interaction Officer Greg Smith, who served East Patrol Zone for over three decades before retiring last week. Now, he’s reflecting on the legacy he’s leaving on the community and sharing his hopes for the future of the position.

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, Coach Ann Murphy, founder of YouthRise KC , discusses how her job as a KCPD officer led her to starting the soccer program, which empowers youth and teaches life lessons through mentorship, education and sport. Her efforts have been focused on Kansas City's Northeast and East Side, where the program supplements a lack of services for coll...

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast we're exploring rock climbing, a unique sport that provides a workout for both the body and mind. Jonathan Van Volkenburgh, General Manager of RoKC , an indoor climbing gym in North Kansas City, shares the advantages of both indoor and outdoor climbing, the extra care the facility is taking during COVID-19, and the health benefits of findi...

The holidays can be stressful without a raging pandemic, record unemployment and job insecurity. Samuel U. Rodgers Psychiatric Nurse Elizabeth Blanchard Hills walks us through a few ways to mentally prepare for the holiday season and how to avoid polarizing conversations related to politics, COVID-19, or family disagreements. We share alternatives for celebrating the holidays with COVID-19 in mind...

This week's episode of the Northeast Newscast dives deeper into the issues surrounding homelessness in Kansas City. Merging KC is working with residents, organizations and volunteers to build a regulated campsite for unhoused members of the community as winter weather approaches. We're talking to founder Houston DeFoe about the camp, longterm solutions to homelessness, how his experience...

This week on the Northeast Newscast Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas shares his thoughts on his first year in office, discusses the city’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his recent tours through Northeast neighborhoods Sheffield and Lykins.

This week, the Northeast News caught up with the Glass Bandit , Jamie Arnold. He started his curbside glass recycling service in July 2014 to address the need for affordable, convenient recycling. Since then, the operation has expanded to neighborhoods and businesses across the metro. Learn how Jamie got the idea, where he expects to expand to next, and the importance of recycling glass.

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, we're diving into the underground world of urban exploring. Aliases, secret locations and illegal activity make this a risk-taker's hobby. Hear from "Irving Jackelman," a local explorer with plenty of tales about the ins and outs of some of Kansas City's most secret abandoned places.

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, I’m joined by Charlie Aiello, a lifelong Northeast resident known to many as Walkin’ Charlie. A self-proclaimed fire department enthusiast, we talk about the history of the Kansas City Fire Department, his favorite restaurants around town, and even a few celebrity encounters. If you see Charlie around, give him a wave!

This week on the Northeast Newscast, Cheryl Lang from the Midwest Genealogy Center discussed the local genealogy resources right in our back yard for Family History Month. The center has a plethora of online resources, including research tools, video classes, worksheets to track your research and so much more. The Midwest Genealogy Center is a branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library, and is ava...