Kitchens serve as the heart of many homes. Thanks to the popularity of open floor plans, kitchens also tend to be highly visible from nearby spaces, such as family rooms and even main entryways. A messy, cluttered kitchen can be an inefficient eyesore that’s visible from various locations in a home. That makes getting organized in the kitchen a worthwhile goal.

Keeping homes safe and sound requires both maintenance and some caution designed to make homes less vulnerable to potentially costly issues.

“Danger” might not be the first word to come to mind when individuals consider their bathrooms, but perhaps it should be? After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year more than 1.5 million aging adults visit emergency rooms for fall-related injuries, many of which occur in the bathroom.

As winter continues to linger, it’s not uncommon for people to look to the coming cold with a degree of lament. Spring, summer and fall provide ample opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, but such chances are few and far between once the winter freeze settles in. Though winter might compel the masses to huddle up inside, there’s still a way to take in the great outdoors on cold winter days and nights.

No matter which teams fans support, they're sure to get hungry watching the action play out. That's why game-day hosts need to plan for various foods to keep guests satiated as they follow the scores.

GLADSTONE — The Gladstone Community Center will host its annual Shamrock Shake-up Indoor Triathlon March 11. This triathlon is suited for beginners as well as experienced athletes and it all takes place inside the center at 6901 N. Holmes St., according to a city press release.

Students begin a new school year hoping to do their best in the classroom. When those hopes are overcome by academic struggles, students may need a little help to get back on track.

Few individuals in American history have made an impact as sizable as Martin Luther King, Jr. King wore many hats throughout his tragically life, from minister to activist to scholar, leaving behind a legacy that is worthy of celebration.

CLAY COUNTY — The Clay County African American Legacy’s 39th annual Northland Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in William Jewell College's Gano Chapel, 500 College Hill, Liberty. 

The Kansas City Zoo announced the birth of a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros calf in the early morning hours on Dec. 31.

GLADSTONE — A group of neighbors from the Woodbrook South subdivision started a Christmas Red Bow Memory Walk along the walking trail in Happy Rock Park. Anyone who has lost a loved one was encouraged to add a red bow in memory of that loved one to the fence along the trail.

GLADSTONE — Staff at the Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes St., is hosting the 14th Annual Sweetheart Dance on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11. 

To help children learn about staying safe and to raise awareness of missing children, the Department of Public Safety is inviting Missouri fifth-graders to participate in the annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.

GLADSTONE — Barry McCullough received this year’s Joe Wally Spirit Award at a chamber of commerce event this fall.