Kansas City Cluster: Street Life, MAGA Prize & Suspect Self-Cancels

Lots of topics to consider tonight as we share a ton of our reading by way of pop culture, community reporting top headlines. 

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Holiday Recession Workarounds

Kansas City-area shoppers are finding different ways to shop for the holidays

Are you following your holiday habits or breaking them for a new tradition? Experts said some people are departing from the norm.

Rerouting Transit Cash

Kansas City considering nearly $16M for KCATA, IRIS, but major changes expected

Kansas City council members are considering additional funding for KCATA, but major changes to the bus service and IRIS are expected.

Another Scary Local Commute

Kansas City motorist shares video of driving over raised expansion joint on US 169

A Kansas City-area motorist has shared video with KSHB 41 showing the motorist hitting the raised expansion joint on a bridge that's closed parts of U.S. 169 Highway north of the downtown airport.

Local Connection To Tragedy

Who is Greg Biffle? Kansas Speedway champion, NASCAR legend killed in plane crash

On Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that multiple people, including semi-retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, were killed in a plane crash at a Nor...

Aftertaste Reporting . . . 

Bittersweet closure: Popular Johnson County chocolate shop closing at end of the month

For many in Overland Park, Kansas, Andre's Chocolates has been a go-to spot for Swiss chocolates, pastries and coffee, but soon, this location will serve its last sweet treat.

X-Tina Shares Holiday Trim

Christina Aguilera shows off slim figure as she rings in 45th birthday

Christina Aguilera flaunted her figure in an eye-catching look as she created her own holiday smoothie for Erewhon while also ringing in her 45th birthday.

MAGA Enjoys Self-Tribute

President Trump to add his own name to the Kennedy Center

The arts institution will be called the Trump-Kennedy Center. The president's press secretary said it comes after a unanimous vote by the center's board, which Trump took over earlier this year.

Gunfire Aftermath Report

Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente identified as Brown University shooting suspect, found dead

Authorities identified the Brown University shooting suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente. Two students were killed and nine were injured in the campus attack.

Right-Wing Podcast War Update

Candace Owens Shares Her Side Of What Happened In Meeting With Erika Kirk

Candace Owens said Tuesday she held a more than four-hour, no-rules meeting with Erika Kirk and came away believing much of the public narrative surrounding TPUSA.

Class War Court Drama Cont'd

Luigi Mangione defense says cops peddled bogus mom quote as judge weighs if evidence will make it to trial

Luigi Mangione's legal team says prosecutors relied on a false statement from his mother as a suppression hearing for evidence in his murder trial concludes.

Tech Biz Spin

TikTok has signed the deal to spin off its US entity with American investor group | CNN Business

TikTok has signed the deal backed by President Donald Trump to spin off its US assets to create a new entity with a group of mostly American investors, CEO Shou Chew told employees in a memo Thursday.

More Pix From Not-So-Secret Files

Two US presidents and their associations with Epstein

BBC Verify has looked back through online archives to examine what we know about President Trump and Bill Clinton's decades-long associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

Euro War Cash Compromise

Ukraine deal: EU leaders agree €90bn loan, but without use of frozen Russian assets

Two-year deal will cover most of Ukraine's needs, but will be secured against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets

Flight Plan 86 Revealed . . .

In a first, a US Navy warship in the Middle East just launched a one-way attack drone

A top US commander called the launch a "significant milestone" in delivering cheap drones to American forces.

Canoodler Shares Confession  

Kristin Cabot: HR exec in viral Coldplay clip speaks of abuse, threats and trying to find a new job

The former tech executive says she was bombarded with abusive and threatening messages after being filmed with her boss on the 'kiss-cam'.

#TBT Rinse & Repeat Advice . . . 

Lots of erections prevent impotence in old age, uplifting study says

Regular erections could be the key to a good sex life in old age, a new study in Science has found. Connective tissue cells in the penis, called fibroblasts, play a vital role in erectile function.

Holiday Vacay Unwanted

Optum abruptly closes 3 Kansas City-area community centers, members shocked

Some of the members of the midtown Kansas City, Missouri, location showed up Thursday morning to find the center permanently closed.

Local Roots Celebrated

A tree older than the US is dying in KC's Northeast; here's how an entrepreneur honored its energy

Trees are among humans' most sacred relatives, said Alex Villalobos-McAnderson, a Shawnee-based energy medicine practitioner who noted that connections to the earth run deep even amid the turbulence of modern life and political uncertainty.

Golden Ghetto Building Boom

Apartment units will be built at former Wonderscope building in Shawnee

The former Wonderscope building in Shawnee, Kansas, will soon be transformed into new apartments near West 57th and Flint streets.

Blogging Kernel Of Truth . . .  

Do you smell what I smell?

Topsy's cooks up popcorn and holiday aromas in Waldo

Breezy December Update

Strong winds continue through Thursday evening around Kansas City metro

The wind advisory continues until 9 p.m. around the Kansas City metro.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.