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LaRee Durden — Editorial, Media & Publishing Portfolio

LaRee Durden

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR • CONTENT STRATEGY • DIGITAL PUBLISHING • AI OPERATIONS

Kansas City, Missouri | Open to remote work and relocation

Editor, publisher, photographer, creative director, and systems-minded content strategist with founder-level experience building an independent digital publication from concept through production. I lead editorial strategy, original reporting, writing, editing, visual direction, Wix publishing, SEO, audience development, and AI-assisted content operations while keeping accuracy, judgment, and brand voice under human control.



What I Lead

  • Editorial strategy, story development, reporting, writing, line editing, copyediting, and quality control

  • Digital publishing, Wix production, homepage management, SEO, analytics, and audience development

  • Creative direction, original photography, visual research, media curation, and asset organization

  • AI-assisted research, editorial operations, automation planning, workflow design, and human review

Selected Work

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AVIA AREE · TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER · LABOR DAY 2026

THE RAIN CAME HARD.
THE HEAT STAYED.

Overnight storms finally brought rain—and left outages, downed trees and damaged festival grounds behind. Labor Day climbs back into the mid-90s before Tuesday’s last hard push and a midweek break.

Read the complete edition
95°today’s high100°possible heat index60%Tuesday-night storm chance
TODAY IN KANSAS CITY

Start with what changed.

Storm cleanup

Check the block before the forecast.

Treat every downed line as live, give crews room and use Evergy’s map for restoration estimates.

Open outage map
Festival status

Irish Fest is closed today.

Sunday’s event ended early and did not reopen. SantaCaliGon’s vendor festival is also closed; its carnival runs 11–5.

Read today’s note
Getting around

Holiday service, normal Streetcar.

KCATA buses use Sunday schedules. KCK and Johnson County transit are off. KC Streetcar runs normal service.

Open service bulletin
1:10 p.m.

A Labor Day first pitch.

The Royals host the Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium. There is no Chiefs game today.

Open schedule
THE FULL LABOR DAY CRAWL · 13 STOPS

The whole city, in order.

01 · Weather

Heat holds on after the rain

Mostly sunny near 95°F today with a heat index around 100. Tuesday pushes near 99 before storm chances rise Tuesday night.

Open note
02 · Overnight

The storm left a real cleanup

More than 34,000 customers were reported without power Sunday night. Trees, lines and structures were damaged from Leavenworth to Raymore.

Open note
03 · Roads / Transit / Airport

Move like it is a holiday—and a cleanup day

RideKC buses run holiday schedules; KCK and Johnson County transit are off. The Streetcar runs normally. Check MoDOT and FlyKC.

Open note
04 · Sports

Royals at home for a Labor Day matinee

Arizona visits Kauffman Stadium at 1:10 p.m. CDT. There is no Chiefs game today.

Open note
05 · Lunch

Four indoor lunch moves

Burnt End BBQ, Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant, SPIN! Pizza and Unforked at Crown Center; confirm individual holiday hours.

Open note
06 · Free / Low-Cost

Four ways to keep the day light

Fare-free Streetcar, Crown Center browsing, Loose Park’s sprayground if safe, or an Independence Square walk.

Open note
07 · Neighborhoods

Check your own block first

Bonner Springs hail; Leavenworth trees; Raymore lines; Grandview outages. Leave room for repair crews.

Open note
08 · Arts & Culture

The festivals split three ways

Irish Fest is closed. SantaCaliGon booths are closed but carnival runs 11–5. Ren Fest remains scheduled 10–7.

Open note
09 · City Horoscope

Read the city by what it repairs

Every sign gets the same assignment: check a neighbor, read the closure twice and leave room for crews.

Open note
10 · Moon Note

A waning crescent keeps the night spare

Kansas City moves toward Thursday night’s new moon. Let the week narrow before it begins again.

Open note
11 · Editorial Discovery

Labor is visible when weather breaks things

A holiday for workers meets line crews, cleanup teams, vendors and neighbors restoring a city.

Open note
12 · Top Five

Five things that matter today

Avoid downed lines. Hydrate early. Recheck festivals. Royals at 1:10. Save Thursday’s 83-degree forecast for morale.

Open note
13 · Source List

The desk behind this edition

NWS, Evergy, RideKC, Streetcar, MoDOT, FlyKC, MLB, Crown Center, festival organizers, KCTV5, KSHB, DOL and Timeanddate.

Open note
Festival damage

The grounds became the weather report.

Irish Fest ended early Sunday and is closed today. SantaCaliGon’s vendor festival will not reopen Monday after booths were damaged, though the carnival runs 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Independence Square businesses remain open. The Kansas City Renaissance Festival remains scheduled 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

Read the complete edition
City in plain sight

Four blocks after the storm.

Bonner Springs

Hail in the overnight line

Quarter-size hail was reported. Photograph damage before cleanup and keep pets away from debris.

Independence Square

Festival booths closed; local doors open

SantaCaliGon’s festival portion is closed. The carnival runs 11–5 and Square businesses remain open.

Crown Center

An indoor reset

Shops are scheduled 10–5, with individual tenant hours varying. Confirm a restaurant before crossing town.

Grandview · Raymore · Leavenworth

Give the repair crews the lane

These were among the areas reporting heavy outages, downed lines or trees. Avoid blocked roads and never approach a wire.

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