Kansas City Ride: Festival Season Arrives, Debatable Words & Democracy Doubt

Right now we're a bit surprised because we didn't know that fading pop diva Katy Perry is 39 and fading fast after her latest flop. 

Don't get it twisted, we still doubt she'd return any of our calls and she remains a multimillionaire pop culture powerhouse despite that music scene passing her by . . . And so, in order to keep our readers up-to-date we share another voyage through pop culture community reports and top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Luxury Local Style Explained

Designing with Four Chairs and a Coffee Table - IN Kansas City Magazine

Open a design magazine and almost every living or family room will be some version of a sofa and two chairs, two sofas, or a sofa and a loveseat. But sometimes, sometimes four cozy chairs surrounding a coffee table makes the best use of space. Here are a couple for inspiration.

Snack Cakes Suffer Harsh Times

Hostess Brands to layoff dozens of employees, close Lenexa headquarters

Hostess Brands, Inc. plans to close its headquarters in Lenexa and layoff nearly 80 employees following company sale.

Harvest Rock Chalk Evolution

It's grain country now, but western Kansas used to be awash in watermelons

Southwest Kansas is known as a place dominated by beef and grain production, but there was a time when this region was instead known for watermelons. The fruit crop spurred the multibillion dollar ag industry that sustains Kansas today, but the water used to help Kansas farmers survive back then eventually ran dry.

Show-Me Funnel Cake Excuse

Missouri State Fair officially underway welcoming tradition and new business

The Missouri State Fair officially opened Thursday morning with hundreds exploring the grounds in Sedalia despite some rain.

Local Sound Off Pix

Kansas (City) Remembers You Now: Orville Peck at Grinders KC

On a Thursday night where Kansas Citians had a myriad of choices for live entertainment, a nearly sold-out crowd showed up in spades for masked superstar Orville Peck at Grinders KC.

Diva Displays Talents

Katy Perry displays her killer bikini body in animal print two-piece

Katy Perry shared a series of sultry bikini pics to promote her new single Lifetimes, in an effort to shift the spotlight from her comeback track Woman's World, which flopped. The pop star

Prez Doubts Democracy 2024

Biden 'not confident at all' that there will be peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses election

President Joe Biden said in a new interview that he is "not confident at all" that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in January if former President Donald Trump loses the election this fall.

MAGA Agrees To Argue

Donald Trump says he's willing to debate Kamala Harris on Sept. 10 after all

During a news conference in Florida, Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump proposed three debates with Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

Old-School Arrest Redux

Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz pictured in 1995 Nebraska mugshot after DUI arrest

A booking photo shows current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pictured shortly after a 1995 DUI stop in Nebraska that landed him behind bars.

Talking Points Don't Win Votes

"Trump is weird" will only get Kamala Harris so far

Voters want to hear from Harris about Harris, not Trump or Biden.

TKC Readers Remember This Politico Was Born In KC . . . 

Pennsylvania Jewish voters worry Kamala Harris passed over Shapiro because of his faith: 'The mask gets lifted off'

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was a good sport about not being Kamala Harris' running mate - making a forceful case for veepstakes winner Tim Walz at Tuesday night's rally in Philadelphia.

Weirdest Of All Candidates

Street food: Robert F Kennedy Jr boasts of 'a freezer full of roadkill'

Claim by independent presidential candidate follows admission he was behind prank involving dead bear in 2014

Desperation Hits Eastern Europe

Yesterday, Ukraine Invaded Russia. Today, The Ukrainians Marched Nearly 10 Miles. Whatever Kyiv Aims To Achieve, It's Taking A Huge Risk.

Ukrainian commanders have deployed their last few spare troops across the border into Russia.

Holy Land Wartime Warning

Israel issues message to Lebanese citizens amid reports of potential preemptive strike on Hezbollah

Hezbollah lost two high-ranking commanders in the span of a week, giving the group greater cause to strike at Israel, whom they hold responsible for the assassinations.

Tesla King Shares Fake News

Elon Musk shares faked far-right 'detainment camp' post

The image was faked to look like it had come from the Daily Telegraph website.

New Generation Of Cougars On The Prowl

Age-gap relationships between Millennial women and Gen Z men are on the rise

Age-gap relationships may be paving the way to a more equitable and mutually satisfying future for relationships of all kinds.

New Career Preview For Champ

Travis Kelce's debut date as host of 'Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?' announced

Travis Kelce will debut as the host of "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?" on Oct. 15, according to Prime Video.

Home Team Rally Late

Crawford clobbered, Cole carves, crimson clothing conquered 8-4

The offense came through when it mattered.

Pupper Party Pix

It's a dog's life: social outings for you and your pup in south KC

"It's a dog's life" isn't always miserable these days. Sometimes it's pretty good.

Today's Lesson In Carbs

The Prospect KC opens The Nook coffee, pastry shop at KC Public Library's downtown branch

A few months ago, Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant at The Prospect KC, mentioned she had some special things on the horizon.

Forecast For Now . . . 

FIRST WARN FORECAST: A few showers Thursday, cloudy, highs in the low 80s

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible through the morning. By lunchtime, the rain moves out with temperatures settling around 80° for the metro.

All-4-One - I Swear was a Billboard #1 in 1994 on both country & pop music charts. Just for #TBT the schmaltzy song serves as our #TBT song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.