With 2023 coming to a close, it was an action-packed year: Businesses openings and closings, consequential elections and large development decisions.
The Post captured what the year looked like for Johnson County through our cameras. (Here are last year’s images).
An oriole spotting drew in bird watchers to Johnson County in January. Above, Steven Case first spotted the Scott’s Oriole, a species native to the American Southwest, in his backyard in December (2022). Photo credit Nikki Lansford.Johnson County sports stores were jam-packed in early February as the Kansas City Chiefs headed to the Super Bowl. Above, fans shop at Rally House in Mission for Chiefs gear. Photo credit Leah Wankum.Workers of all kinds kept things running smoothly in Johnson County in 2023. Above, a utility worker on Wednesday afternoon in March in northern Leawood. Photo credit Lucie Krisman.Changes and updates also took shape inside schools this year, including a new climbing wall at Roesland Elementary. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.There were groundbreakings galore in 2023, including in the city of Lenexa. Above, Lenexa community leaders and corporate officials from Standard Beverage mark the company’s Lenexa growth with a groundbreaking on an 83,000-square-foot distribution warehouse and office facility on April 17. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.Kids took to the parks in 2023, enjoying new amenities like the traffic garden at R Park in April. Photo credit Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga.A Prairie Village resident group opposed to housing changes signed petitions over the summer that wound up in Johnson County District Court — and off the 2023 election ballot. Above, a petition signing event in May 2023. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Dogs enjoyed their time out and about in Johnson County this year, too. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Shawnee Mission North students walked out in early May in protest of an English teacher who wrote an op-ed about students being “indoctrinated” through staff diversity training. Photo credit Kylie Graham.Moonlight Market returned to downtown Shawnee in May. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.Invasive species-eating goats tackled projects countywide, including at the Overland Park Arboretum. Photo credit Lucie Krisman.Prairie Village held its annual Village Fest, the city’s Independence Day celebration. The event drew people of all ages and included a variety of activities. Above, a child wears a beekeeping hat. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Thunderstorms in July left it up to Johnson Countians — residents and cities — to clean up the aftermath. Above, Justin Keyser cuts up a downed tree in a yard near 77th and Belinder in Prairie Village on a Saturday morning after the July storms. Photo credit Kyle Palmer.The community mourned the loss of Fairway police officer Jonah Oswald, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this summer. Above, a lit candle at the vigil honoring Oswald. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Students went back to school in August, and the Post captured the first day at some buildings. Above, a student in art class at Mill Creek Elementary. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Families enjoyed events across the county in 2023, including the city of Lenexa’s Truck-or-Treat. Above, a kid hangs out in a tube at Lenexa’s Truck-or-Treat. Photo credit Andrew Gaug.The Post hosted its annual candidate forums over the course of two months. Above, the final forum of the season, featuring candidates vying for Prairie Village City Council seats in late October. Photo credit Leah Wankum.Prairie Village rang in the holiday season with its annual tree lighting, featuring special guest KC Wolf and the Shawnee Mission East drumline. Above, KC Wolf hypes up families before Santa Claus arrives. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.Shawnee Mission East students protested outside of the Center for Academic Achievement following a Nov. 15. physical altercation during which a white male student called a Black female student the N-word. Above, the sophomore Brey’anna Brown, left, the Black female student involved in the altercation, hugs SM East senior Natalia Rios. Photo credit Kylie Graham.Businesses opened and closed all year, including Instagram’s KC Seamstress opening a new Overland Park storefront. Above, the owner at work in her new storefront in Overland Park. Photo credit Lucie Krisman.
👋 Hi! I’m Juliana Garcia, and I cover Prairie Village and northeast Johnson County for the Johnson County Post.
I grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North before going on to the University of Kansas, where I wrote for the University Daily Kansan and earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Post in 2019, I worked as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal.
