Thomas Friestad
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thomasfriestad.bsky.social
Thomas Friestad
@thomasfriestad.bsky.social
Development reporter covering who's building what, for whom and at what cost, with the Kansas City Business Journal. NoVA native turned Midwesterner by way of Mizzou J-School. Catch me running, reading, traveling, playing Smash or (re)watching Survivor.
Pinned
Thanks a bunch for following! Here, as on the bird app, I'll post coverage that seeks, at its core, to let KC residents know what's going on in their backyard. RTs = investigative work, media analysis, reality TV chicanery and the odd meme that catches my eye. News tips: [email protected].
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
This is a cruel act of bigotry against an amazing woman who served her country with distinction.
December 5, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
"When Hannibal tells Clarice he ate that guy’s liver with 'some fava beans and a nice chianti,' that is a metaphor for eating figgy pudding and eggnog with a big Christmas ham. Movies are filled with metaphors and symbols; you just have to look for them."
Yes, The Silence of the Lambs Is a Christmas Movie
It’s the debate that just won’t die: is The Silence of the Lambs a Christmas movie? Naysayers say “nay” and they say “nay” because it’s a movie wit...
buff.ly
December 5, 2025 at 2:20 AM
“The winning content? Hyperlocal news, breaking news (as it happens), scoops, notable first-person narratives, and investigative journalism. AI can’t or won’t summarize this information because it’s too recent or too unique.”
"Here’s the type of content losing to AI: explainers, how-tos, evergreens, aggregated news, resource lists, hours of operation for government offices, recipes." www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sorr...
December 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
!!!

The Post obtained hot mic comments by the chair of RFK Jr.'s CDC vaccine committee.

"We feel like a little bit like puppets on a string as opposed to really being an independent advisory panel" wapo.st/4atob4M
December 5, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
one of the wildest stories i've seen in a minute: twin brothers who previously pled guilty to hacking the State Department while gov't contractors... got new jobs as gov't contractors.... then allegedly deleted a bunch of gov't data... and were just arrested again.

www.axios.com/2025/12/03/v...
Feds arrest twin brothers for allegedly deleting government data
The brothers worked for a contractor and previously pled guilty for hacking into the State Department.
www.axios.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:58 PM
The Plaza's master plan may still come up during tomorrow's City Plan Commission meeting, but a vote is set to be continued to Dec. 17. Plaza owners recently made tweaks, among other things, to add a 1,100 residential unit max and a 2,500-space parking minimum.

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
December 2, 2025 at 9:51 PM
The week after this story ran, a new residential plan surfaced as one of two known ones both definitively subject to, and intending to meet, KC's affordable set-aside policy — a $34M, 144-unit mixed-income community near Hospital Hill.

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
December 2, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
Since publishing our investigation into "Victoria Goldiee" at @thelocal.to, I've heard from editors from around the world who've had their own run-ins. A quick follow-up, plus a conversation with @cstarnino.bsky.social about journalism in a world of AI fakery. thelocal.to/fallout-from...
The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation | The Local
A conversation about the future of journalism in a world of “Victoria Goldiees.”
thelocal.to
November 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
lmao
November 27, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
New — I wrote about the myriad ways journalism’s moral rot manifests, and how our crumbling institutions have created the conditions for it to fester:
Moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field
The Nuzzi/RFK Jr. mess and the revelation of Esptein's journo pals lay bare a profound moral absence at the heart of our free press.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 18, 2025 at 10:03 PM
"Historic West Bottoms project will re-convert building, turning garage into 60 apartments"

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Historic West Bottoms project will re-convert building, turning garage into 60 apartments - Kansas City Business Journal
A pioneering West Bottoms redevelopment plans to add 140 new apartments in a pair of historic buildings, including one it originally converted into a garage.
www.bizjournals.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:24 PM
"TIF Commission supports incentive plan for $1.4B Country Club Plaza redevelopment"

The 47th & Broadway TIF plan could fund up to $210M in private and public infrastructure work around the Plaza, leaving Port KC handling tax breaks for new commercial projects.

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
TIF Commission supports incentive plan for $1.4B Country Club Plaza redevelopment - Kansas City Business Journal
The TIF Commission recommended a Plaza plan that could redirect as much as $210 million to support private and public infrastructure improvements.
www.bizjournals.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
Democracy dies in dampness
At this point, the Washpost edit page is just trolling its readers.

This is today's actual house editorial.
November 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
So, there's the Plaza master plan that'll set future design standards — and then there's, like, the MASTER plan that, at least conceptually, shows where ownership wants to put specific types of Taller Buildings™, when and at what cost.

I break it down here:

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Here's where Country Club Plaza offices, apartments and hotels could go - Kansas City Business Journal
The Country Club Plaza's proposed $1.4 billion in new development has been a bit general — until now.
www.bizjournals.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
California investor buys Berkley Riverfront's first apartments amid $1B+ development wave

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Griffin Capital acquires Union Berkley apartments that sparked riverfront transformation - Kansas City Business Journal
A 407-unit apartment complex that served as a pioneer project for the Berkley Riverfront sold to a Californai investment and management firm.
www.bizjournals.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
A reminder that seven years ago almost to the day, the CIA determined that Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the killing of @washingtonpost.com journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

I hired and worked with Jamal for a year.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...
CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination
Audio recordings, intercepted phone calls and other intelligence link Mohammed bin Salman to killing that Saudis say was conducted by rogue elements.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
Not my first Plaza Bowl story, but the first to unpack how new projects have measured up to Plaza area height rules and guidelines. This was already in the works...then the 275-foot Seville West site ordinance dropped. The biggest case study yet may be nigh.

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Decades-long debate about towers on the Plaza hits new heights with Nordstrom site - Kansas City Business Journal
Debates about Plaza tower heights have gone on for decades — almost as long as exceptions to those limits.
www.bizjournals.com
September 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Breaking: "Country Club Plaza owner eyes $1.3B redevelopment with new mixed uses, infrastructure"

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Country Club Plaza owner eyes $1.3B redevelopment with new mixed uses, infrastructure - Kansas City Business Journal
More details emerge about the Country Club Plaza ownership's plans to redevelop and reinvest in the historic shopping district.
www.bizjournals.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
Spilling the identity of Deep Throat to your camp friend is top-tier personal lore

bsky.app/profile/urba...
November 14, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Part two of our 2025 housing series! Officials had high initial hopes for KC’s set-aside policy for incentive-receiving apartments. But despite 1,000s of affordable units planned citywide, none have been built as a result of the policy, and few have tried. www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
November 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
KCBJ's Sydnie Savage and I have the latest on what, one way or another, stands to be one of the area's most consequential office moves in recent memory — and the first official confirmation of Lockton news we've covered since June.

www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n...
Lockton confirms it could leave Country Club Plaza for Leawood mixed-use campus - Kansas City Business Journal
We've reported that Lockton's HQ might be on the move. Now a planned KC-area project reveals that it's targeting the giant insurance company.
www.bizjournals.com
October 7, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
November 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Reposted by Thomas Friestad
yes, tell em king
November 12, 2025 at 12:49 AM