Kansas City's Northeast News

12/17/2025

Did City Hall Go Too Far on Holiday Décor? A KC Councilman Says Yes.

https://northeastnews.net/pages/councilman-criticizes-city-hall-memo-restricting-religious-holiday-symbols/

12/17/2025

These Changemakers Are Redefining Education in Kansas City—Meet the 2025 Honorees

https://northeastnews.net/pages/latinx-education-collaborative-highlights-latino-educators-celebrates-growing-representation/

12/17/2025

Kansas City firefighters remain on scene Wednesday at a lumber yard in the 3900 block of 14th Terrace after a large fire broke out early Tuesday morning and continued to smolder through the night.

According to the Kansas City Fire Department, crews were dispatched just after 6:15 a.m. Tuesday to reports of a fire at the lumber yard. When firefighters arrived, they encountered heavy fire coming from a large outbuilding that housed stacks of lumber.

Due to the intensity of the blaze, KCFD established defensive operations, deploying multiple elevated master streams to attack the fire from a safe distance. The fire was brought under control later Tuesday, but crews remained on site throughout the day and overnight to address lingering hot spots and deep-seated fire within the lumber stacks.

On Wednesday morning, KCFD officials confirmed that companies were still actively working the scene, rotating crews to maintain fire suppression efforts and ensure the fire does not reignite.

No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. KCFD’s Assistant Fire Marshal has been in contact with the Kansas City Police Department’s Bomb and Arson Unit as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, To***co, Fi****ms and Explosives (ATF). Fire officials noted that the investigation is still in its early stages and is expected to take time.

Fire department representatives said additional updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

Residents in the area may continue to see fire apparatus and personnel near the site as crews complete their work.

12/16/2025

🫔 Tamale Talk on Independence Avenue! 🫔

Tamales aren’t just food — they’re tradition. And along Independence Avenue, there’s no shortage of places serving up holiday favorites filled with pork, chicken, cheese, rajas, or sweet tamales de dulce.

In our latest story, we highlighted just a few neighborhood favorites — but let’s be honest: we barely scratched the surface. There are dozens of spots in Northeast where families line up every holiday season for their tamales.

👇 Now we want to hear from YOU:
• Where do you buy your tamales?
• Is there a hidden gem we missed?
• Who has the best masa? The best filling? The best sweet tamales?

Tag your favorite spot, shout out your go-to tamale hookup, or drop a recommendation in the comments — let’s build the ultimate community list together!

📍🫔⬇️

12/16/2025

🎄✨ Christmas looks different around the world—and that’s what makes it beautiful.

Christmas is celebrated in cultures represented right here in our community, including families from Vietnam, Myanmar, and Latin America.

We'd love to hear from you: How does your family celebrate Christmas? Or if you grew up somewhere else, what did Christmas look like in your country of origin?

12/15/2025

Thanks to the outpouring of support from neighbors across the Northeast community, the Chamber was able to identify residents in need and provide each of them with a Cosentino’s Price Chopper gift card, donated directly by the NEKC Chamber of Commerce. These gifts ensured that these folks could shop for groceries and essentials to maintain a warm and dignified holiday season.

https://northeastnews.net/pages/community-generosity-shines-in-nekccoc-thanksgiving-basket-drive/

12/14/2025

The Crows’ Omen is a work of historical fiction authored by local attorney Jerry Potocnik. It’s about two brothers navigating perilous times while mending their broken relationship. It has all the ingredients of a page-turner: suspense, intrigue, deception and betrayal. While most of the characters are fictional, a handful are based on real-life people such as Robert Alexander Long and Richard Keith. In 1899, as the story begins, both men were industrialists who lived in the Northeast and were prominent members of KC society.

Read an excerpt from the novel here:

https://northeastnews.net/pages/the-journey-begins/

12/14/2025

Kansas City leaders are moving to crack down on a range of unregulated psychoactive products found in gas stations, convenience stores, v**e shops, and smoke shops throughout the city. On Thursday, Dec. 4, Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced Ordinance 251028, which would prohibit the sale of substances commonly marketed as “gas station drugs,” including kratom, Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC edibles, nitrous oxide cartridges, and a growing list of synthetic intoxicants.

https://northeastnews.net/pages/kansas-city-proposes-ban-on-gas-station-drugs-amid-rising-health-concerns/

12/13/2025

History lovers, tree “huggers”, and just curious folks — wanting to get up close and personal with a tree that’s been declared the oldest in the state— gathered to pay tribute to “Frank the Liberty Tree” on Saturday, December 6. Located in the side yard of the residence of Thomas Harris and Jessica Thomas at 328 S. Monroe, this burr oak was already over 100 years old when their home was built circa 1900 and has sheltered and offered shade to generations since.

Dorri PartainManaging Editor History lovers, tree “huggers”, and just curious folks — wanting to get up close and personal with a tree that’s been declared the oldest in the state— gathered to pay tribute to “Frank the Liberty Tree” on Saturday, December 6. Located in the side yard of ...

12/13/2025

A new exhibition at the Black Archives of Mid-America is shining a long-overdue spotlight on the Black firefighters who helped build and protect Kansas City — often under unequal and segregated conditions, but always with the same courage and responsibility as their white counterparts.

Bryan StalderContributor A new exhibition at the Black Archives of Mid-America is shining a long-overdue spotlight on the Black firefighters who helped build and protect Kansas City — often under unequal and segregated conditions, but always with the same courage and responsibility as their white ...