One of the "added value" benefits of the revitalization of the downtown area is the boom in the live music scene. Over the last few days, I've had the chance to sample 2 of the newer venues; Crosstown Station and Crossroads KC @ Grinders. First off, both are fantastic places to hear and view live music, up close and in person.

Well its official! The King of Beers is dead. Long Live Queen Stella? Anheuser-Busch accepted a sweet $52 billion takeover bid from Belgium-based InBev, creating the world’s largest beer maker and placing this iconic U.S. company into foreign hands. Ending the month-long standoff, InBev, which makes Stella Artois and Beck’s, agreed to pay $70 per share in cash [...]

Highlights from the July 10th Shows including Melanie Mann & Jeff Alpert, developers of Park Place an urban, mixed-use community in Leawood. Also Dr. Janice & Chris Ellis of "Rise Up", a new Sunday magazine insert, from the heart of America–and getting directly to the heart of race, ethnicity, diversity issues and their effect on our American communities.

There's the Stanley Cup in a parade. There's people waiting in line for five hours to get a picture with it. There's its first visit ever to Newfoundland with a ceremonial swallow of "screech" (Long may your big jib draw) right out of the Cup. Apparently people also drink beer from the Cup, eat ice cream and even have their morning cereal. Hey, it's theirs for 24 hours.

Highlights from the shows on July 3rd, 2008 including John Shuchart, editor Israeli Kids' Letters to Terrorists; Christy Chester of Boyle Meat Company; Thurston Clark, author THE LAST CAMPAIGN: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America; Greg Miller inventor of Neuticles; and Robert E. Wright, author ONE NATION UNDER DEBT: Hamilton, Jefferson, and the History of What We Owe.

Highlights from the shows on June 26th, 2008 including Tom Holdsworth of SkillsUSA; Al Babich from the Manual Career & Technical Center, KCMO School District; Deb Reynolds of the KCK Area Technical School; Lane Bertram of Arrow Truck Sales and Driver Don Turkleson; Pete Joiner of Madeira Therapeutics; and Ken Sigman of Health and Benefit Systems, LLC.

Are you ready to sell your big idea for "MySpace Money?" Chances are it's not the idea or the business you think, that will be the Big Winner. Lance Hemenway, the Chief Marketing Officer at LaGarde has roots as one of the MySpace 9. "MySpace originally was just somewhere to store information, believe it or not. It wasn't even 'client facing.' It was internal. It was used as an inner-office communications kind of thing."

Highlights and Interviews from Live with Jay on June 19th, 2008 including Joyce Layman, Mary Beth Gentry, Mica Thomas & Kimberly Cowen

Highlights and Interviews from the Heart of the Matter & Live with Jay on June 12th, 2008 including Diane Botwin of the Botwin Family Partners. A lot of emotions pass through you when you watch the building that your parents bought 34 years ago, go up in flames. Especially when your first job was seating guests at the old Waldo Astoria Dinner Playhouse. The building at 75th and Washington in Waldo is set to re-open this month; better and greener than ever