The Southtown Beautification Committee selected Midas Auto Systems Experts, 7648 Troost Ave., as the April Sparkle recipient. Did you know that this business has been at this location for 51 years? It was the first Midas store in Kansas City. The people at Midas on Troost Avenue have certainly worked hard to provide a well-maintained, clean, sparkling operation for many years.

Tired of all the depressing news? Then come to Southtown and explore what’s happening!

Established in 1993 through the efforts of leaders within the civic, corporate, banking, and non-profit communities, First Step Fund is a nonprofit organization providing training and ongoing support to low- to moderate-income individuals wanting to start or enhance small businesses.

Established by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1991, the Gold Star program is designed to identify schools that are performing at a high level academically or making exceptional progress while serving a significant proportion of disadvantaged students. This is the first year that a Missouri charter school has earned Gold Star status. The Academie Lafayette is a French language immersion school.

[img_assist|nid=309|title=|desc=click larger view|link=node|align=right|width=113|height=150] The Southtown Beautification Committee selected Trendy Escapes Salon, 5933 Troost Ave., as the March Highlight in Southtown. After major renovations, the new shop opened in January 2008.