Today, several families are visiting the office of Catholic Charities at 333 East Poplar in Olathe, just across the street from Mill Creek Park, a few blocks from the Johnson County Courthouse. Inside the one-story, peach-colored building, parents are picking thr...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/joco-s-hobos-when-a-working-man-doesn-t-have-a-home-in-johnson-county-a-wal-mart-parking-lot-is-the-next-best-thing http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/i-worked-at-kmart-with-john-mccain-s-director-of-strategy Two weeks ago, while driving, a sharp fact jabbed me through the soft drone of NPR. The story concerned a John McCain campaign memo that was leaked to the press — something about Barack Obama's likelihood of enjoying a serious post-convention bounce, the kind of "leak" one assumes comes fro...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/i-worked-at-kmart-with-john-mccain-s-director-of-strategy http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/kansas-city-power-light-is-starting-to-act-like-a-progressive-utility-company Power companies earn their bad reputations. A front company for Sunflower Electric Power ran newspaper ads implying that people who opposed their coal-plant expansion were friends of terrorists and dictators. In Cass County, Aquila built a gas-fired plant without the proper permits, leading a jud...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/kansas-city-power-light-is-starting-to-act-like-a-progressive-utility-company http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/power-flight Multitudes have descended upon the Power & Light District to explore theme restaurants and slam $9 vodka drinks. Good thing, too. The city took out a $295 million mortgage on the place.

Downtown Kansas City has come alive...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/power-flight http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/letters Martin, August 21

I find it amazing that big development companies can take safe, clean h...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/letters http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/one-illegal-alien-says-he-d-rather-stay-illegal A Contented Illegal

Dear Mexican:

I'm an illegal alien. Got here on a tourist visa and stayed for a job. My gabacho employer knows about it and doesn't give a crap. I don't apologize about it — ever since I can remember, the U.S.A. has meddled aroun...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/one-illegal-alien-says-he-d-rather-stay-illegal http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/d-locc-da-chop-remembers-coming-up-on-the-east-side-and-envisions-taking-over-the-kc-hip-hop-crown "Text Message," by D-Locc da Chop, from King Me (Van Brunt Entertainment):

The core acts from local R&B and rap label and pro...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/d-locc-da-chop-remembers-coming-up-on-the-east-side-and-envisions-taking-over-the-kc-hip-hop-crown http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/from-the-crossroads-local-sounds-go-in-all-directions Bill Sundahl isn't quite sure where he was or what he was doing in that one moment this past May when he decided to revive his Crossroads Music Festival for a fourth run.

"I was probably fucking drunk," says the man most locals know as Roach.

Somebody go and tip Sund...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/from-the-crossroads-local-sounds-go-in-all-directions http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/san-francisco-s-tussle-offers-up-the-cream-of-the-beat "Night of the Hunter," by Tussle, from Cream Cuts (Smalltown Supersound):

Tussle's willingness to break rules isn't th...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/san-francisco-s-tussle-offers-up-the-cream-of-the-beat http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/the-download While some musicians go for a more entrepreneurial approach, Blitzen Trapper is happy to ditch its DIY ways and sign on the dotted line. The Portland, Oregon, outfit has built a healthy following with a relentless tour schedule and a few self-released albums, including last year's critical...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/the-download http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/motorhead There's no longevity award in metal, but Motorhead doesn't need one.

Warts and all, the London-born trio has been cranking out blistering speed-metal (heavy on the speed ... and the metal) since 1975, longer than many of its fans have been alive.

Over the course of approximately ...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/motorhead http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/ice-cube "The Nigga You Love To Hate," by Ice Cube, from AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (Priority Records):

O'Shea Jackson, known to most ...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/ice-cube http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/sarah-buxton By most appearances, Sarah Buxton is living the dream she set out to fulfill when she graduated from Lawrence High School and moved to Nashville.

A decade later, the raspy-voiced singer has co-written a top-five hit (Keith Urban's "Stupid Boy"), backed up Dierks Bentley on The Toda...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/sarah-buxton http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/wreckless-eric-and-amy-rigby "Here Comes My Ship," by Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, from Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby (Stiff Records):
Wreckless Eric's pri...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/wreckless-eric-and-amy-rigby http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/sera-cahoone "Only As The Day Is Long," by Sera Cahoone, from Only As The Day Is Long (Sub Pop Records):

It took awhile for folk songstress a...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/music/sera-cahoone http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/dining/a-changing-city-changes-the-perspective-on-michael-smith Chef Michael Smith's namesake restaurant has been open well over a year now, but it has taken me this long to write about it. Can't say why, exactly. I had a nice lunch there last winter and loved the rabbit gnocchi and the vastly improved interior décor in the former Zin dining room. Smit...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/dining/a-changing-city-changes-the-perspective-on-michael-smith http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/dining/acting-like-a-snobby-jerk-will-get-you-kicked-out-of-tony-restaurants A friend of mine, married to a well-known local restaurateur, called me a couple of weeks ago to share some restaurant gossip. Two friends of hers, wealthy and connected, had been "kicked out" of Bluestem (900 Westport Road) one night by the owner, Colby Garrelts. This couple, it se...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/dining/acting-like-a-snobby-jerk-will-get-you-kicked-out-of-tony-restaurants http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/art-that-pops Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/art-that-pops http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/walk-it-off faaaaat. Unless, of course, KC is skinny. Because according to the past few years of Men's Fitness health studies, both seem true. Our city's composite waistline has fluctuated as wildly as Eddie Murphy in a fat suit. The simple solution — a pedometer &md...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/walk-it-off http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/celebrating-ink Fri....]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/celebrating-ink http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/jeremy-rockwell-jodi-vander-woude-and-darren-kennedy Fri., Sept. 5, 5-10 p.m., 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/jeremy-rockwell-jodi-vander-woude-and-darren-kennedy http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/ringling-bros-and-barnum-bailey-circus Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/ringling-bros-and-barnum-bailey-circus http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/dinner-at-genovese Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/dinner-at-genovese http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/asian-games-the-art-of-the-contest Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/asian-games-the-art-of-the-contest http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/save-earth-and-money Energy Alternatives, a class offered by Johnson County Community College. Starting tonight, the hands-on cou...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/save-earth-and-money http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/red-lens-blue-lens Wonder Fair Art Gallery (803 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 406-360-5875) tonight for a 70-minute celluloid-and-performance tour-de-force. The show inc...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/red-lens-blue-lens http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/hispanic-pride-in-joco Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/hispanic-pride-in-joco http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/green-screen Koyaanisqatsi, the first and...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/green-screen http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/granfalloon-bar-and-grill First Monday-Thursday of eve...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/granfalloon-bar-and-grill http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/810-zone Mondays-Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/810-zone http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/fred-p-ott-s Mondays-Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., ...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/fred-p-ott-s http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-devil-is-in-the-details Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-devil-is-in-the-details http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/brunch-at-you-say-tomato Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/brunch-at-you-say-tomato http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/get-zydeco Ragin' Cajun Fest rages from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with performances by five spicy musical acts, including Rich Berry, the Dog House Daddies, Lil' Malcolm and the Hou...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/get-zydeco http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/city-market-melon-festival Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/city-market-melon-festival http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/nose-your-alec Oliver Twist in 1948. To play pickpocket pimp Fagin, the theater veteran turned to the stagecraft he most relished, transforming his face with makeup to become a leer...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/nose-your-alec http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-westport-art-fair Westport Art Fair is technically free, but you'll have to negotiate the terms of acquisition with the individual artists. A good hardline approach is to circle a painting several times, making disapproving grunting sounds and other noises of disapprobation like "Gah! Horrible!" This will ...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-westport-art-fair http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/doppleg-auml-ngers-amp-other-monsters Fri., Sept. 5, 6-9 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 6, 1-5 p....]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/doppleg-auml-ngers-amp-other-monsters http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-view-from-yesterday Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: Sept. 6. Continues through Sept. 26, 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-view-from-yesterday http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-ararat-shrine-blood-drive Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-ararat-shrine-blood-drive http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/gypsies-of-slovakia Fri., Sept. 5, 6-10 p.m., 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/gypsies-of-slovakia http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/michael-krueger-exhibit Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/michael-krueger-exhibit http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/lightsome-reality-carnival Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/lightsome-reality-carnival http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/outdoor-choreography Dance in the Park promises a delightful night of fancy footworkery and outdoor fun. This free, family friendly event at Roanoke Park showcases the talents of regional professional dance companies, which will perform such styles as swing, West African, Indian and Middle Eastern.The p...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/outdoor-choreography http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/he-ll-make-you-think Eating the Wall Street Journal, in which he perched — naked and covered in powder — on a toilet 10 feet above a New York City sculpture g...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/he-ll-make-you-think http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/in-memory Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/in-memory http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/homeschooling-101 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/homeschooling-101 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/thursday-nite-opry-at-community-of-christ-church Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/thursday-nite-opry-at-community-of-christ-church http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/park-place-flower-market Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/park-place-flower-market http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/annie-huber-exhibit-at-the-city-market-coffee-house Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/annie-huber-exhibit-at-the-city-market-coffee-house http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-boathouse Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Sept. 5. Continues through Nov. 1, 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/the-boathouse http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/mortarboard-of-fare Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/mortarboard-of-fare http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/unpredictable-laughs Kansas City Improv Festival, comedy fans should be primed for more than just the unexpected. They're being promised the unconceived. "We're going to put on a show that's never been seen before and will never be seen again," say...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/unpredictable-laughs http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/beautiful-nudes-by-benjamin-carlson Fri., Sept. 5, 5 p.m., 2008...]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/calendar/beautiful-nudes-by-benjamin-carlson