A certain type of casting choice makes sense as soon as you see it on screen. Many viewers were curious about Zara Malik’s origins when she first appeared in Season 6 of Netflix’s Cobra Kai. She moved with a level of accuracy that is difficult to imitate. It turns out that’s because Zara’s actress, Rayna Vallandingham, isn’t pretending. Vallandingham was born in 2003 in Encinitas, California, to a Dutch father and an Indian mother. When she was about two years old, her grandfather introduced her to taekwondo, which seems almost unbelievable until you see what she is capable of at…
Author: Sierra Foster
Sierra Foster
Born in Kansas City, Sierra Foster writes about politics and serves as Senior Editor at kbsd6.com. She was raised paying attention to this city, not just living in it. Sierra has a strong, deep connection to Kansas City, from the neighborhoods east of Troost to the discussions that take place in the city hall halls. Sierra, who is presently enrolled at the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Political Science, applies the rigor of academic study to her journalism. She writes about politics in Missouri and Kansas as someone who genuinely cares about what happens to the people in these communities—the policies that impact them, the leaders who represent them, and the civic forces influencing their futures—rather than as an outsider watching from a distance. Her editorial coverage encompasses state-level policy, local government, and the national political currents that permeate bi-state regional life. Whether it's a city council vote or a Senate race, she has a special gift for turning complex policy language into writing that feels urgent, relatable, and worthwhile. Sierra seldom sits still off the page. She claims that playing soccer on a regular basis has sharpened her instincts for political reporting because of the sport's teamwork, strategy, and requirement to read a changing game in real time. She's probably somewhere in Kansas City with her friends when she's not writing or on the pitch, discovering new reasons to adore a city she already knows so well.
Most people in the US have had their third or fourth pumpkin-flavored treat by the time September comes around. In August, the latte came back. Dunkin’ had their fall menu out before it even felt like summer was over. The fall Frosty from Wendy’s came out so early that it almost coincided with back-to-school sales. There was Halloween candy on store shelves—the kind with the little pumpkins on the wrappers—before some kids had even come to school. When you put that together, Culver’s pumpkin menu coming out on September 8 might seem like it’s behind schedule at first. But this…
That certain kind of kindness doesn’t make itself known. It just shows up at the right time, without any conditions or paperwork. In the 1980s, that’s what happened at Princeton University one afternoon while a sophomore named MacKenzie was crying in her dorm room about not having enough money. To stay in school, she needed $1,000. She would have to leave without it. It was her roommate Jeannie Tarkenton who found her that way. But Tarkenton didn’t say anything to make MacKenzie feel better. Instead, she called her dad and asked him to lend her the money. “I would have…
When most people load into a beta, they go straight into a match. That’s understandable — the maps are new, the guns feel fresh, and there’s that particular energy that comes with a game not being fully released yet. But here’s the thing about the MW4 Beta: the settings that come with it are not good for you. After a few different sessions and a good amount of time in the beta, one pattern becomes very clear. Players who take fifteen minutes to adjust their graphics and controller settings before playing are moving, aiming, and reacting noticeably better than those…
There is something very interesting about the thought of a government telling people how much sugar they can use in a week. Not steel or gasoline, but sugar. Food that was first limited in the US during World War II was something that was found on almost every kitchen table. And in the spring of 1942, that bowl was suddenly limited in some way. The reasons weren’t made up on the spot. By December 1941, Japan had invaded the Philippines and cut the US off from a major source of sugar. German U-boats were blocking shipping lanes in the Atlantic,…
Things got scary before the smoke showed up. On Saturday, the Hawk fire started northwest of Reno, Nevada’s second-largest city. In just two days, it burned through more than 15,000 acres, changing the landscape from how it looked a week ago. The weekend wasn’t what anyone had planned for tens of thousands of people. It was “go-now” time for about 23,000 people as of Monday afternoon. Another 40,000 people were in the uncomfortable middle, reading the “get-set” warning. This is the part where you pack your bags, watch the news, and wait. That waiting makes you feel a certain kind…
Some offseasons really test how deep a team is. After that, there are times when its reputation is put to the test. These last few weeks have been both for the San Francisco 49ers. Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any stranger, they did. Jed York, 46, was arrested early Sunday morning in East Palestine, Ohio. He is the CEO and main owner of one of the NFL’s most valuable teams. He said “no contest” to two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct and having a criminal tool on his person. The third charge, which was prostitution, was dropped. He got…
On cycling Twitter, there’s a certain kind of cringe that goes viral. This week, it was named Erola Jons. By Monday, La Vuelta a España had discreetly taken away the access that allowed her segments to be produced in the first place. There is no mixed zone. There are no team busses. When the mood struck, don’t wander up to riders. It’s the kind of adjustment that organizations typically attempt to make covertly. This one didn’t remain silent for very long. Jons, a 28-year-old Spanish man, has more than six million Instagram and TikTok followers. Over the years, her content…
On Twitch, there are times when things feel truly spontaneous—not planned, not scripted, and totally real. Those things did happen on the nite of August 20, but not in the way that anyone had hoped. A well-known streamer with a big following, Stable Ronaldo, chose to end his session by raiding Nitro_Camden, an 18-year-old from St. Louis who had been streaming to what sources say was a single viewer. Camden’s channel went from almost no viewers to about 15,000 in a matter of seconds. This is the kind of moment that small streamers dream of: all of a sudden, a…
Observing a well-known grocery store chain begin to close has a subtle significance. Not dramatically, not in the style of a crisis headline, but methodically, place by place, like a business that has taken an honest look at itself and determined that something needs to change. Organỹ Soriana seems to be in that situation at the moment. As part of a larger reorganization of its business, the massive Mexican retailer has announced that it will close 20 locations nationwide in 2026. In the first quarter of this year, eight of those closures have already occurred with comparatively little fanfare. The…