Kansas City All Local News Love

For our late night readers and early birds we want to share just a bit of news focused on the community, neighborhoods and all things local. Even better, these items are slightly more encouraging than the "news poison" that dominates cable chat shows.

Take a look . . .

Kansas City COVID Comeback Hope Depends On Coffee Smackdown

KC pro wrestling rides its return - inside Blip Roasters and fueled by founder's recovery

The fast-paced world of local wrestling might seem like a crazy one, but its coming return offers DJ Stewart a much-needed sense of normalcy. "It gives me something to be really excited to work on," said Stewart, owner of Journey Pro KC , announcing the return of the Kansas City wrestling company's live shows, which found themselves down for the count amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kansas City Offers Life Lessons

Metropolitan Community College to give away 1,000 free classes as vaccination incentive

Metropolitan Community College said Friday that it will give up to 1,000 fully vaccinated people a free MCC class for the fall 2021 semester.This includes current students as well as prospective students."It's all-hands-on-deck time," chancellor Kimberly Beatty said. "As a community, we need to get out the message that vaccinations are safe and effective.

Public Health Teachable Moment For NextGen

Back-to-School Immunizations: Jackson County Health Department Clinics Help Kids Catch Up

Last year, COVID-19 disrupted both in-person learning and routine wellness visits for children across the county. As a result, too many have fallen behind on recommended vaccinations. The Jackson County health department is offering back-to-school immunization clinics to help families get their children back on track and prepare for the new school year.

Big 12 Switcheroo Confronts Locals

Shifting college sports landscape could affect Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One of Kansas City's most celebrated events every year may now face an uncertain future. The college sports landscape appears ready for a major readjustment, as the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma appear poised to ditch the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, according to multiple reports .

Reporter Retrospective

'It was the right time': Why a veteran reporter finally agreed to talk about the Hyatt skywalk for a new KMBC documentary

Harrison interviewed Mahoney and other witnesses, survivors, family members and first responders in the documentary KMBC 9 Chronicle: The Skywalk Tapes, which premiered July 13. The film also features archival footage from KMBC's 1981 coverage, and Harrison narrates the timeline of the collapse.

Suburban Democracy Restarts

Early voting for August primary election begins this weekend in Johnson County

by: Sydnie Holzfaster Posted: / Updated: OLATHE, Kan. - Advanced voting for the primary election in Johnson County will begin Saturday morning. Voters in five cities in Johnson County will have a chance to cast their vote in a primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Animal Jailer Gives It Up

Kansas City Zoo director retiring after 18 years

Hide Transcript Show Transcript CHANGE. IT SEEMED LIKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS. SOMETIMES. NOPE, 18 YEARS, BUT ZOO PRESIDENT RANDY WISCOFF ANNOUNCING. HE'S STEPPING DOWN AT THE END OF THE YEAR WHEN I GOTERE H THAT THE ZOO WAS IN NEED OF A LITTLE AND A LOT OF TLC.

Golden Ghetto Offers Small Biz Help

Overland Park considering new round of small business grants

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - City leaders in Overland Park, Kansas, are considering setting aside $3 million in grants to help small businesses recover from economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. During a meeting Wednesday night , the city's Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee will discuss how to roll out the grant program .

Protecting Against Season Of Tragedy

Olathe mother, advocate fighting for legislation to reduce hot car deaths

The excessive heat always raises concerns about kids left in hot cars, but legislation moving through Congress could be the key to preventing deaths. KMBC 9 spoke with a local mom about her fight to get the Hot Cars Act of 2021 passed and what she's asking you to do right now.

Transit Worker Tribute Takes Moment Of Pause

Kansas City Area Transportation Authority honors killed bus operator

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will honor Shirley Muhammad, a part-time bus operator, on Friday with a 60 second bus pullover. At 11 a.m., all KCATA buses will pull over and turn on all their vehicle lights for a minute, according to a news release.

Kansas City Show Must Go On

Starlight Theatre has plan to deal with Kansas City's heat during performances

With temperatures soaring this weekend, many venues are getting ready to handle large crowds and heat."We're going to do a little experiment with reading your mind," said mentalist Wes Mathewson. Mathewson is cool under pressure.

Home Team Entertains

Royals beat Tigers in exciting game, 5-3

Kris Bubic pitched well. The bullpen made pitches when they had to. The offense came through with a couple of quality dongs. It was a good baseball night in Kansas City on Friday night, as the Royals took down the Tigers, 5-3. Let's start with Bubic, who was the brightest part of the evening.

Kansas City Inferno Persists

Serious heat: Saturday's highs will be in the upper 90s

Hide Transcript Show Transcript IN THE 90S FOR A FEW MEOR HOURS 89 BY 7 87 BY 8 PM NEIN O'CLOCK READING 84 DEGREES LOW TEMPS IN THE MIDDLE 70S THAT'S EVEN WARMER TNHA IT WAS THIS MORNING. HAZY SUNSHINE CONTINUES 72 CHILLICOTHE AND ALSO OTTAWA 12-HOUR FORECAST FOR TOMORROW.

And so, we'll have more just a bit later in the morning . . . STAY TUNED!!!