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Currently, Kansas City movers and the rest of the community are gearing up to welcome an influx of cicadas to their city. While they only pay a visit every 17 years, they certainly have no problem making their presence known to residents of the city. The cicadas are known for their extremely loud and repetitive mating that causes quite the disturbance to the locals that have to listen to it.

Rob Lawrence, a former entomologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, explains that, “it could be thousands or millions coming out in a small area and giving a deafening roar, a deafening noise in the trees. If you were trying to have some kind of an outdoor event, it might be kind of deafening.”

The areas that can be expected to be hit the hardest are Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas. A recent study done by Vanderbilt University, reveals that cicadas from Tennessee has reached as high as 88 decibels – which is also as loud as a food blender is. Needless to say, it definitely causes quite the interruption in day-to-day life for the residents of Kansas City.

However, others remind us how the bugs are not that bad – Bill Graham, a spokesman with the Missouri Department of Conservation explains that, “you’re talking about a bug that has a face that looks like a Darth Vader mask, with these really amazing-looking cellophane wings, makes this cool sound and sings sort of symphony-like, rising and falling in sound.”

Recently, architecture students from the University of Kansas used their skills for an interesting cause – to turn a camping vehicle into a classroom on wheels named the KU Mobile Collaboratory.

Inside the mobile classroom, there are storage carts that can be pulled out and unfolded into tables, as well as benches that double as storage and countertops that can also be folded up for additional space, or folded down to hold displays.

One of the students responsible for renovating the camping vehicle, Jessica Luber, shares that “I’m most proud that it can be used for anything and not just exhibits.” Last year, when this class project began, she recalls what bad of shape the airstream was in. It was in such poor condition that when the students began delving into the vehicle, live mice fell out of the ceiling.

They are gearing up to actually put their project to good use so that others can benefit from it. The University Of Kansas School Of Architecture is currently creating guidelines for borrowing the mobile classroom, so that their faculty can utilize it around the state for public projects.

According to Robert Castillo, a doctoral architecture student who got a sneak peek inside the classroom on wheels while it was still being worked on, attests to the success of the project.

He stated that, “it turned out great, the outside still looks like an Airstream, so it’s kind of a surprise when you get inside.”

Ever since the Kansas City public school lost its accreditation in 2012, they have been having a hard time leaving the problems in the past. The loss of accreditation came in the wake of a district-wide consolidation in 2010.

Some of the students that were directly affected by the catastrophe, have prevailed in the wake of a potentially devastating event – they have decided to fight for their school instead of lay down and just give up on returning to their school in a normal setting.

One student laments that “we know we are capable of going in the classroom and learning, just like any other school.”

They await the performance scores that come out this summer, and have high hopes of scoring high enough to make the school a candidate for accreditation again. However, other factors including attendance and school population could jeopardize that.

Additional plans to bring the school back to life include partnering with charter schools, such as potentially handing over control of Southwest to the charter Academie Lafayette, which would in effect relocate the school’s juniors for their senior year. However, most of the students do not want to go to another school. Junior L.C. Burton attests that “you’re not dealing with problems by moving kids around.” According to Burton, “this school built our character.”

Superintendent Steve Green has expressed how impressed he is with the students, lamenting that the Kansas City community can learn from its student’s commitment to bringing their school back.

Kansas City recently hosted an invent-a-thon – which features people who have to invent new products within a 48-hour deadline. This event was not taken lightly – as evidenced by the one competitor who rented a truck and transformed it into a mobile garage specifically for the event. Needless to say, he was prepared.

The competitors were not required to bring their own tools though, they were all provided with a vast amount of tools and equipment; such as a dozen 3-D printers and help from about 10 designated “tool techs.” Not only that, but the teams were also given the luxury of being able to take a bus to a hardware store with a $250 gift card for whatever additional tools they needed.

Hosted by the Inventors Center of Kansas City, this event is the first of its kind. The teams did not even know the theme of what they were going to have to invent until the start time of the “Invent-A-Thon.” It’s safe to say that no one could have predicted the theme of the competition – considering it was revealed as “kitchen” once participants arrived. While they were not given much help, the teams did receive a list of ideas pertaining to the theme, such as new kinds of peelers, lighting, portion control, staying ahead of bacteria and keeping silverware from falling off a plate.

According to one of the event’s 36 sponsors, Scott Warren, owner of a local electronics manufacturing firm named Hannesco, the goal of the event is “solving common. Everyday problems that people have in the kitchen.” As the competition neared the end of the 48 hours, some teams managed to look well-rested and even made videos to go along with their presentations for their inventions.

In 1989, the Bangladeshi community in Kansas City was not exactly making a huge impact in the Kansas community.

According to the current president of the Bangladesh Association of Greater Kansas City, “a small or mid-sized basement would fit us all.”

While presently the local Bangladeshi community is only about 200-300, that does not mean they have not made their mark in the community, as evidenced by the Bangla New Year celebration this past Sunday. This was the group’s largest event of the year and serves as a festival honoring Bangladeshi culture. Not only that, but it serves as a way to pass on traditions from generation to generation.

The community center for the Bangladeshi Community in Kansas City was decorated from floor to ceiling with colors, sounds and smells from the celebrated culture. Vendors lined up to offer goods from the homeland, while children set up the stage for a day of singing and dancing in a carnival they put on.

Older generations in the community hope that by hosting events such as this, the younger generation will carry on the traditions of their culture and therefore, continue to pass it on from generation to generation.

According to Mostafa Kamal, a pioneer of the Bangladeshi community in Kansas City, “the children, they didn’t know anything about the culture or the roots. But it’s amazing how well they learn the music, the poetry or the dances.”

The welcoming atmosphere for others looking to join the Bangladeshi community is just one of the perks of moving to Kansas City – with events like this one, as Kamal states, “our next generation can relate to it and carry on the torch.”

The 13,000 square foot former home of Ronald Deffenbaugh, founder of Deffenbaugh Industries, was put up for sale last week – making it the most expensive home to ever be put on the housing market.
The gigantic home boasts five bedrooms and seven bathrooms on a 100 acre property in the hills of western Shawnee. Some of the added perks of the home include: a great room with a built in 120 gallon saltwater aquarium, oxygen outlets in every room, a 24 foot ceiling and a home theater with a 120 square foot screen. Not too shabby.
But that’s only the inside; outside you can wander around the property and stumble upon waterfalls, fountains, a swimming pool, and horse stables. How much does a home like this cost, you ask? Only a mere $14 million. According to real estate sales agent Teresa Dunn, it may be worth it, as she states that “you’re kind of in a kingdom unto yourself.”
There’s only one hiccup in this real estate listing: it’s located directly across the street from the Johnson County Landfill. While most of the time the stench is contained, there are plenty of other days where it might be too much to handle considering the price tag. Neighbor to the sprawling mansion, Bruce Bird, confesses that the scent “depends on how bad the weather is. You can get some evenings when it’s calm and it’s pretty rank.”
However, this was not enough to send Deffenbaugh packing and moving to a new home, since he spent his final years before passing away in his beloved home.

AMC Theatres has grown to host roughly 200 million guests annually, since its beginning in the 1920s. In efforts to keep this trend on the rise, they renovated 53 out of 346 theaters throughout cities in Kansas; including Kansas City.

Some of the renovations included the addition of large, stuffed leather chairs with reclining seats, and a feature that makes the seats rumble in tandem with the action occurring on the screen. Not only that, but the theater also added dine-in movies, cocktail bars, and special events.

According to the movie theater owners, the renovations will pay off big time. Bobby Bagby Ford, vice president of marketing for B&B Theatres stated that, “2015 is set to be one of the largest box offices of the last 10 years. We are anticipating it to be just a huge, huge year.”

Jack Oberleitner, of Oberleitner Associates Cinema Consultants, offers further support for the recent renovations by stating that theaters will benefit from offering services “all the way up to full meals with cocktails, beer and wine service…It seems like the trend is that a lot of people are willing to pay a premium to attend movies in this kind of luxurious surroundings.”

Some theaters have even taken the extra mile to lure in potential customers – like the New York Theater that has hot tubs instead of seats.

One of the reasons the Kansas theaters underwent such improvements were to compete with the ever-growing number of Netflix subscriptions. They hope that making the environment more comfortable and luxurious will entice avid Netflix viewers to make the trek back to classic movie theater viewing.

We don’t know about you, but these luxury movie theaters are enough to make us want to pick up and move to Kansas.

While the plan for Kansas City Public Schools and Academie Lafayette to come together to create an International Baccalaureate high school for the area was a great idea, they have unfortunately already fallen through.

So, what was the straw that broke the camel’s back? Apparently, the two entities announced that the dissolution occurred because neither side could agree on where to send Southwest Early College Campus students.

Academie Lafayette board Vice President Marvin Lyman, expressed that, “we’re starting a brand new program and we want to start fresh. You can’t do that with two programs in the building.” He further contested that, “some issues need to get resolved. In the meantime, we will be looking at alternative locations.”

However, this decision does not come without opposition, as Mayor Sly James made very clear when he expressed his general disappointment in the collaboration dissolution, “I hope that all the adults involved in the process will be able to renew this attempt to do all that is possible to ensure a quality education for every child.”

The decision to create an International Baccalaureate high school comes in response to the steadily declining enrollment in their current education programs – the southwest corridor of Kansas City is home to the lowest participation rate of people choosing the school district. Many families end up moving to different districts within Kansas City in order to seek out better private school education.

Further issues in the plan were due to a lack of necessary funds – an extra $1 million to be exact. The extra cash flow would have been imperative to make the necessary renovations to hold the increased number of students.

According to the Energy Information Administration, motorists will save an average of $710 on gas this year. Although prices are not as low as they were in the beginning of the year, they also predict that there will be no other surprise price increases on the horizon.

Mike Right, of AAA Missouri, states that, “that’s great news now for the consumer, and over time prices will go up, especially switching to summer fuel from winter fuel. But that increase might not be nearly as severe as last year’s.”

Consistency in the price of gas comes as a welcomed surprise, considering that the current Kansas City gas prices are $2.28 – up sharply from the $1.99 price that was just a month ago. However, Kansas City’s gas tends to be slightly higher than compared to other locations, due to the higher fuel taxes. For newcomers, Kansas City movers suggest planning your move while prices are still relatively low, so that your mover’s fuel charge is much more affordable.

The national rise in gas prices comes in the wake of crude oil prices rising as well. However, that has not stopped oil producers from slowing their overall fuel output. Not only has Saudi Arabia refused to cut down on their oil production, but the United States is producing so much, that they are running out of room to store all the inventory.

Furthermore, the Energy Information Administration announced that it was lowering the 2015 estimate for the price of benchmark U.S. oil. While the February price projection for West Texas Intermediate was $55.02 a barrel, on Tuesday the administration announced that the price had fallen to $49.

Kansas City is often referred to as the country’s heartland, and one of its nicknames is the “Heart of America.” In fact, Kansas is where the classic western song “Home on the Range” was written, and it is now the state’s official song. So it makes sense that the annual Western Farm Show takes place in Kansas City.

The Western Farm Show features the latest in farming and ranching equipment, which is important to those in Kansas City, since the surrounding area is largely farmland. The show’s exhibitors make their displays and demonstrations entertaining, while educating guests about their new product or service.

This year was the show’s 54^th year running, and it was held at the American Royal Complex from February 20^th through the 22^nd. There were three main exhibits: livestock demonstrations, the health and safety roundup, and the family living center. Some of the more popular items featured included a new low-stress livestock handling mechanism and a Taste of Home magazine cooking demonstration, because everyone in Kansas City loves some good home cooking. And we can’t forget the Championship Truck and Tractor Pull, which is among the most the talked-about attraction every year. The competition drew about 150 drivers from across the Midwest, and the winner claimed a $60,000 prize!

Tickets were just $8 for adults and children under 12 are always free, so if the Western Farm Show sounds like it is up your ally, check it out next year! Your Kansas City relocation specialists think the show is a great way to keep up-to-date with farming technology and agriculture, but it is also a great way to meet folks in the community!