Nation & World

Teachers credited with saving students in Oklahoma tornado

The tornado that devastated this Oklahoma City suburb of Moore destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School and also slammed Briarwood Elementary, where all the children appear to have survived. Students and parents recounted stories Tuesday of brave teachers who sheltered their pupils, in some cases by herding them into a closet and a restroom amid the fear and panic.

Technology

Microsoft touts Xbox One as all-in-1 entertainment

Microsoft thinks it has the one. The company unveiled the Xbox One, a next-generation entertainment console that promises to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year.

Top photos and video

Editor's Picks

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Ray Merrick: Speaking for the outsiders

While Kansas House Speaker Ray Merrick’s sphere of influence is dryly — and fondly — referred to as “Raymerricka,” it connotes an image in the statehouse of the Johnson Countian’s conservative leanings and his ability to build a life for himself out of poverty.

Ink

Party Pics: Hopfest in Waldo

Hopfest 2013 took place Saturday in The Well's parking lot in the Waldo area, where more than 50 craft breweries were on hand offering samplings of their beers. And if there was still room for food, there were several food trucks on hand to provide some semblance of nutrition. DJ CMAC provide the beats for the event.

Chow Town

Boulevard’s Saison-Brett beer hits taps, shelves today

Beer nerd alert: Saison-Brett, a limited-release Boulevard brew, hits taps and retail shelves today. The farmhouse ale, based on the Kansas City brewery’s popular Tank 7, is dry hopped and bottle conditioned with various yeasts, including a wild strain called Brettanomyces, which gives the beer an earthy quality that pairs well with portobello mushroom, nutty Gruyere and English Stilton, a blue cheese.

Editorial

A party bus that flouted the rules

The recent death of a young woman who fell from a party bus is a vivid reminder for the public, other party bus operators and government officials that strict rules exist for good reasons.

As I See It

Judges should be picked on merit

“The Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan belongs to the people of Missouri,” writes Missouri Bar President Patrick B. Starke of Lee’s Summit, “and we must not let politicians and out-of-state special interests with big money steal it.”

Nation & World

The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?

Is Pope Francis an exorcist? The question has been swirling ever since Francis laid his hands Sunday on the head of a young man after celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, shook, and he then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him.

Eat + Drink

A new crop of grilling books

Cooking with fire may be in our DNA, but as our palates evolve, so does grilling. Whether your style is fast and furious grilling or low and slow barbecue, 2013’s top crop of guide books includes clever tips and mouthwatering recipes from serious competitive cookers, gourmet-driven and trend-setting staffs of food magazines, and professional chefs with a bent for fine dining.

Book review

Khaled Hosseini's new book is another tear-jerker

Hosseini's latest book is bathed in sadness and despair, with the requisite occasional ray of hope. Much like his previous two books, "And the Mountains Echoed" is powerful and haunting. And much like the country it describes, it is not easy to forget.

Ink

10 of the year’s best local music releases (so far)

Enough worthwhile albums are being made by bands from Kansas City and Lawrence that it’s worth keeping track of them on a regular basis. It’s not even the end of May, but already a significant number of new recordings have been released this year from local bands. Here are 10, plus recommendations for seven more.