TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY BUILDING BOOM BREEDS GROWING POPULATION OF RATS!!!

Real estate speculation brings about all kind of unsavory characters and one particular type of vermin — other than streetcar consultants — has terrified locals so much that they've sent a note our way.

Here's the word . . .

"TKC, just want to let you know that your city is now a haven for rats and mice . . . We parked in a darkly lit and probably dangerous lot in order to get to our downtown restaurant promptly. The meal was wonderful and the service was excellent. We even received a strange offer to be escorted back to our car by the management just to ensure our safety. There was still some light outside so there wasn't really a need for the precaution. But I guess they weren't worried about thieves but instead the disgusting wildlife that's now running all around downtown eateries. ON THE WAY TO BACK TO OUR CAR THERE WERE NEARLY HALF A DOZEN RATS AND MICE SCURRYING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF A VERY EXPENSIVE DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT! HOW DISGUSTING! On our way home we passed through the downtown area on our way back to safety and noticed even more rats lurking around the street in plain view. Even along the streetcar line. I hate to say it, but Kansas City has a rat problem and I haven't seen this reported anywhere else. It's something you need to bring to people's attention or it will only get worse. Public health and the image of KC is at risk here . . . This neglect of basic sanitation is totally unacceptable and something that will keep me from coming back to Kansas City for a long time . . ."

And so . . .

A PLAGUE OF RATS THREATENS KANSAS CITY AND OUR BLOG COMMUNITY IS FIRST TO WARN OF THIS NASTY MENACE THAT EVEN ATTACKS DOWNTOWN HIGH-CLASS DENIZENS!!!

Like it or not this is a by-product of the "density" which Kansas City urban planners fetishize.

During the heyday of downtown there were rats the size of small dogs lurking beneath the streets and underground canals of Kansas City and their ancestors, clearly, live on this day.

You've been warned.

Developing . . .