Kansas City News Look: Spy Balloon Sensation, Death Culture & Politicking

Right now our longstanding tribute to hottie Jordan inspires this peek at pop culture, community news and more than a handful of top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Branding Kansas City Fatalism

We're all going to die: What's more inclusive than death? asks KC's favorite doomed streetwear brand

Wasteland Society is for the strange; those who believe that there's no such thing as "normal"; people who recognize the reality that sadness is part of life, and that's OK, the duo behind the irreverent apparel company detailed.

New KCI Counts On Shaq

Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken restaurant is heading to Kansas City - Kansas City Business Journal

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal is bringing his fried chicken restaurant to Kansas City. Big Chicken is opening a spot inside Terminal B at the Kansas City International Airport's new single terminal and is hiring for hourly and management positions. The new location marks Big Chicken's first in Missouri and the Kansas City metro.

Movie Biz Stays Losing Mecca

AMC exits Saudi Arabia as young cinema market booms

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - AMC Entertainment Holdings has decided to exit Saudi Arabia's fast-growing market amid heavy competition less than five years after the lifting of a decades-long ban on movie theaters.

Washed Up After City Hall

A $12,400 water bill? Kansas City family got a shock after calling KC Water for help

Kelly Powell was shocked on Wednesday when she checked her KC Water account online and found an unpaid balance of $12,413. Usually, the single-family Waldo home she lives in with her husband, step-daughter and toddler yields a water bill of around $100 each month.

Love Letter Ahead Of V-Day

KC's oldest businesses: Commerce Bank endures by evolving, adhering to principles - Kansas City Business Journal

It was 1865 when Francis Reid Long invested $10,000 to start what eventually became Commerce Bank in Kansas City. Kansas City wasn't incorporated and still was known as the Town of Kansas. The Civil War had ravaged the area only a few months prior, with more than 30,000 troops engaged in the Battle of Westport.

Memory Lane Reporting

Fitness model defies science with eye-popping boob flashing yoga workout

In the incredible video, the stunning fitness model showcases her jaw-dropping assets while getting into a number of yoga positions. But if viewers found the downward dog tricky before, blonde beauty Jordan makes it near-impossible to master thanks to her distracting YouTube lesson.

Prez Biden Sells Progress

State of the Union: Biden sees economic glow, GOP sees gloom

WASHINGTON (AP) - Going into Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden sees a nation with its future aglow. Republicans take a far bleaker view - that the country is beset by crushing debt and that Biden is largely responsible for inflation. And the GOP now holds a House majority intent on blocking...

GOP Contenders Queue Up

Haley, DeSantis or Trump vs Biden? Here's where Americans stand on rumored 2024 presidential contenders

As speculation swirls over would-be candidates in the 2024 presidential race, Americans have begun to weigh in on their picks for the next commander-in-chief. Among Republican voters, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to perform well in many polls, while former President Trump has seen mixed results.

Latino Slap Fight Nobody Wanted

George Santos' Attempt To Taunt Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Gets Unexpected 'Award'

Serial liar Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) tried to mock Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Twitter on Thursday - but it did not go well. Santos criticized Ocasio-Cortez's impassioned speech on the House floor attacking the House GOP's vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from her Foreign Affairs Committee assignment.

End Of An Era

Diane Feinstein's extremely awkward, very uncomfortable exit from the political stage

Feinstein, the longest-serving Democrat in the Senate, is in the midst of one of the most uneasy codas to a political career. Her extended pre-departure has, for many of her fellow Democrats, turned into an abject lesson in the perils of hanging on. "She's still the state's senior senator," said one longtime Democratic strategist in California.

Funny Man Reminds Us That People Aren't Props . . . 

Maher accuses Biden of 'tragedy porn' for having family of Tyre Nichols at State of the Union: 'Exploitative'

"Real Time" host Bill Maher harshly criticized President Biden for having the family of Tyre Nichols attend his upcoming State of the Union address on Feb 7. "I feel like this is tragedy porn," Maher reacted to the news. "I really feel like this is gross.

Red Reassurances

China calls for calm amid growing row with US over suspected spy balloons

China has called for calm amid a growing diplomatic row with the US over suspected spy balloons. It comes after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, indefinitely postponed a planned visit to Beijing after a huge balloon was spotted in US airspace.

Too Late For Gunfire???

Will the Pentagon shoot down suspected spy balloon over the U.S.?

The U.S. military is not ruling out shooting down the suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the Upper Midwest. Another suspected balloon was spotted over Latin America.

Far East Flexible . . . 

Chinese Spy Balloon Has Unexpected Maneuverability

Pentagon officials announced on Thursday that they had detected a Chinese "surveillance balloon" flying over Montana. On Friday the Pentagon's press secretary said that the balloon is now over the central U.S. and moving eastward at an altitude of about 60,000 feet.

Vlad Powered By Trade

China Aids Russia's War in Ukraine, Trade Data Shows

WASHINGTON-China is providing technology that Moscow's military needs to prosecute the Kremlin's war in Ukraine despite an international cordon of sanctions and export controls, according to a Wall Street Journal review of Russian customs data. The customs records show Chinese state-owned defense companies shipping navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter-jet parts to sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies.

End Of Plague Arrives?!?

This winter's U.S. COVID surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a 'wall' of immunity

This winter's COVID-19 surge in the U.S.appears to be fading without hitting nearly as hard as many had feared. "I think the worst of the winter resurgence is over," says Dr. David Rubin, who's been tracking the pandemic at the PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Flame Fix Offered

Gas stove makers have a pollution solution. They're just not using it

The heated debate over regulating gas stoves is really about the burners in those appliances. That's where natural gas, a fossil fuel, is combusted and air pollution is released into homes. Four decades ago, the gas industry and appliance manufacturers developed a partial solution for this problem.

Smut Game Comes With Risks

'Being an adult star isn't what people think - I went a year without sex'

A mum said working in the adult industry isn't always what it seems - as she actually went a year without having sex. Ginger Robinson spent years working in digital strategy, formerly worked as a teacher and is also a self-confessed data geek.

Beyond Cowtown Crab Rangoon

Food Critics: The best Asian and Asian-inspired food in Kansas City in 2023

Kansas City might be known for its barbeque, but that's not all this cow town has going for it. That's especially true when it comes to the city's diverse selection of Asian restaurants. "There's probably an Asian restaurant of some sort in every single corner of this city," said Jenny Vergara, columnist for IN Kansas City Magazine .

Weekend Warmup Underway

Windy and warming up Saturday

Hide Transcript Show Transcript REALLY BEAUTIFUL WEATHER OUTSIDE. KATIE: JUST A LITTLE BIT WINDY TODAY. WE HAVE A LOT OF CLOUDS TODAY AND THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY. WE WILL HAVE LESS CLOUDS TOMORROW. RIGHT NOW, 40°. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 18, CREATING A WIND CHILL DROP US DOWN TO 31.

Ray Barretto - El Watusi is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.