Blazing New Trails

A Teen Voice

In this episode Laurie Deann and Dan chat with Jackson, who just finished his Freshman year in high school. He’s a sharp, young man who loves sports, his family, and his community. He has a few concerns and we agree that city hall and the schools should hear from teens and involve them more in policies: The future is their’s after-all!

Good Grief!

In this episode community member, Heather Christopher shares her faith journey as she mourns her beloved and goes through the healing process. We know that many are grieving whether in the loss of a friend or family member, a divorce, or even a job. We hope that our conversation helps. “With the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him there is plentiful redemption.” Psalms 130::7 ESV

Blazing New Trails

Independence has a rich history. In this episode, Dan Hobart leads us through his vision for a new history museum.

Reliving our History - Were you there 50 years ago?

Jeff Fox brings us an interesting memory that highlighted the celebration of our most famous citizen, President Truman. Following his death, a life-size statue was dedicated and now watches over our Courthouse. May 7, 2026, marked the 50th anniversary of that special day! Were you there?

World Cup 2026 and what it means for Independence - featuring Michael Young.

As citizens know FIFA World Cup 2026 will arrive in the Greater Kansas City area in June. We invited Michael Young in to join Jeff and Laurie Dean as he served as a committee member for Independence during the many months of planning. To say he is excited for our city to experience such an event is an understatement, but we also wanted to address the question most of us have; are we ready?