Rex Buchanan

As dozens of Kansas City area restaurants take part in Black Restaurant Week, Commentator Rex Buchanan puts down his fork just long enough to talk about Black-owned barbeque joints and a new book that tells their story.

Kansas environmentalist Wes Jackson, who ran The Land Institute, is out with a new book titled, Hogs Are Up. Commentator Rex Buchanan, one of Jackson's former students and a longtime friend, offers this review.

Efforts are underway in Kansas City to restore the house of legendary Negro League and Major League Baseball pitcher Satchel Paige. City officials hope to find a contractor to redevelop the home and have issued a request for proposals. Commentator Rex Buchanan recently paid a visit to final resting place of Satchel Paige and, to the resting place of another Kansas City icon, Charlie "Bird" Parker.

Early on during the pandemic, people were told to hunker down indoors and limit any unnecessary travel. But, as restrictions eased, people sought more opportunities to get outside, including Commentator Rex Buchanan. His way of curing "cabin fever" was taking a solo bike ride down a remote and beautiful trail in eastern Kansas. Travel along as we head down the Flint Hills Nature Trail.

On average, more than 2 million acres of rangeland are burned each year in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma. But there's a lot more to the Flint Hills than just torching and scorching the earth. Commentator Rex Buchanan has this review of Jim Hoy's new book, My Flint Hills, published by University Press of Kansas.

The North American bird population has been declining for years, perhaps by as much as 30% since the 1970s. But even in the depths of a Kansas winter, there may be signs of hope. Commentator Rex Buchanan saw one such sign during a recent trip out west.

Some of the most iconic depictions of Kansas have been created by NON-Kansans. Think the "Wizard of Oz" or... "In Cold Blood." That's why it's refreshing to read about the state as seen through the eyes of actual residents. Commentator Rex Buchanan tells us about two Kansas-related books he read this year, written by fellow Kansans.

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide and protect a vital habitat for migratory waterfowl. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has expressed concern for decades that the refuge has not been getting the water to which it is legally entitled. In 2016, state water authorities agreed. As officials search for a solution, Commentator Rex Buchanan encourages anyone interested in wildlife, particularly birds, to visit Quivira and experience the majesty of Mother Nature.

A new exhibit about knowledge, at the Spencer Museum of Art, is generating some buzz. Not just among the art community, but among those who study geology. Part of the exhibit features a tall stack of books -- a spire -- in the shape of a well-known Kansas rock formation. Among geologists, such a formation is called a hoodoo. Commentator Rex Buchanan assures us this is a real word.

Have you seen the Netflix series Last Chance U? It chronicles community college football, including a disastrous season for the Pirates at Independence Community College in southeast Kansas. It's the TV series that many Kansans can't stop talking about, including Commentator Rex Buchanan.