KANSAS CITY FRIDAY NEWS HOTNESS!!!

Related to the bigger discussion:

Veg News: Vegan Food Sales Spike to $3.7 Billion in 12 Months

Closer to home, more links worth a look:

Kansas City BBQ To The Rescue???

Kansas City charity sending pork, smokers to Carolinas

As Hurricane Florence prepares to slam the Carolina coast, a charity in Kansas City is preparing to deliver hot meals to residents after the storm passes through, KMBC reported. >> Read more trending news Operation BBQ Relief has loaded a flatbed truck with five large smokers, the television station reported.

In Search of Lost Kansas City
Into the concrete jungle: A conversation with Kansas City's urban explorers
Golden Ghetto Crumbling, Too

Awning collapses at Overland Park strip mall damaging 4 vehicles

Overland Park Fire Dept. SOURCE: Overland Park Fire Dept. An awning collapsed Friday afternoon at strip mall in Overland Park, damaging four vehicles. Firefighters were called just after 2 p.m. to the 7800 block of Shawnee Mission Parkway. Authorities said patrons reported hearing a loud noise and then saw the awning fall from in front of four businesses at the strip mall.

Show-Me Auditor Face off

Auditor candidates Galloway, McDowell trade jabs at debate

Missouri's state auditor candidates tangled Friday over the role of the job in their first - and possibly only - joint appearance. They also differed over the fate of a disputed ballot measure called Clean Missouri. Democratic incumbent Nicole Galloway lobbed several jabs at Republican rival Saundra McDowell during the forum in Maryland Heights held by the Missouri Press Association.

Kansas Roots Retrospective

Sarah Smarsh's new memoir recounts growing up poor in Kansas | The Wichita Eagle

Growing up among the wheat and milo fields of rural Kingman County - and for a few years in Wichita - Sarah Smarsh knew she'd write a book someday. "I was a precocious little kid, going around asking my family questions about their deep dark secrets," she says.

Blue Wave In The Stix???

Seg. 1: Will Platte County House Race Go Blue, Too? Seg. 2: Written Word Helps Heal Wartime Wounds.

Segment 1: Parkville candidates for Missouri House look to replace term-limited state Rep. Nick Marshall. Segment 2, beginning at 24:32: Using poetry to change veteran perspectives on wartime moral injuries. Lauren Arthur's big Senate win in Clay County has many Missouri Democrats hoping the same could happen in the neighboring state House race for District 13.

Rock Chalk Super Bowl

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S SUPER BOWL, RUTGERS-KANSAS, IS HERE

I don't want to alarm anyone, but we've got one of the greatest matchups in the country happening on Saturday. That, my friends, is Rutgers-Kansas, which will kick off at noon ET on CBS Sports Network. Kansas is currently a 2.5-point favorite - CLOSE GAME ALERT!

Kansas City Foodie Conclusion

Food Critics: Destination Dining In 2018

If you've listened to any of our previous conversations with the Food Critics, you know that there isn't a shortage of top-notch food options in the Kansas City metro area. Sometimes, though, you want a change of scenery during dinner.

More in a bit . . .