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Election Day is Tuesday

Now that the World Cup is over, Kansas City’s next big competition moves from the soccer pitch to the ballot box.

Missouri and Kansas are among five states hosting primary elections on Tuesday.

Kansas voters will choose nominees for governor and U.S. Senate — and decide whether to change the state constitution to allow voters to directly elect Supreme Court justices.

Missouri voters will choose candidates in newly redrawn congressional districts and weigh four statewide constitutional questions, from eliminating the state income tax to rewriting Missouri’s century-old citizen initiative process.

20-Story Data Center Goes Before Plan Commission

Kansas City’s data-center debate is about to go vertical.

A Miami developer wants to build a 20-story data center at 10th and Central streets, just two blocks north of Bartle Hall.

The unusual skyscraper project heads to the City Plan Commission Wednesday.

Mayor Quinton Lucas says he’s “always interested in welcoming new businesses to town.”

But the proposal comes just as data centers are becoming “public enemy number one” in some neighborhoods, with residents worried about noise, power consumption and property values.  

And this project adds another wrinkle: it would be built atop a century-old historic building.

Last Week Reviewed

KC Reconsiders Minority Business Program

Lucas says the city is now considering sweeping changes to the city’s minority and women’s contract program, just days after the Missouri Attorney General sued the city, alleging the program illegally discriminates based on race and sex.

Under the current system, contractors bidding on city projects must meet 14% minority-owned and 14% women-owned business participation goals — or have their bids rejected.

The city has long defended the program as a way to expand opportunities for businesses historically left out of the bidding process.

Now, a package of five ordinances will be considered at City Hall this week. The proposals range from temporarily pausing the program to eliminating it entirely.

Kehoe Racks Up the Air Miles

It may be election week, but Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is heading to out of the country on a trade mission to Panama. 

The four-day trip starts on Wednesday.  The governor’s office says Missouri has had a 30-year trade relationship with the Central American nation, exporting nearly $18 million in products last year, from soybeans to refrigeration equipment.

Meanwhile … Lucas is also checking out this week. His office says he’s taking a family vacation just before the start of the new school year.

Salvy Celebration

Kansas City has a new home run king — and the Royals are throwing him a party.

Salvador Perez has passed George Brett’s franchise record of 317 home runs, making the Venezuelan-born catcher the Royals’ all-time home run leader.

The Royals will celebrate the milestone Tuesday night at The K before taking on the Twins. The public celebration begins at 6:15 p.m.

Back-To-School Sales Tax ‘Holiday’

Back-to-school shopping is about to get a little cheaper.

Missouri’s annual sales tax holiday starts Friday, eliminating state and local sales tax on qualifying school supplies, clothing, backpacks and computers.

And you don’t have to be a Missouri resident to take advantage.

The tax break runs through midnight Sunday.

Lee’s Summit Joins Sports Explosion

Have you noticed there’s been an explosion of new sports facilities opening around the metro? Now Lee’s Summit is getting in on the act.

The city breaks ground Thursday on a $30 million fieldhouse featuring 10 regulation basketball courts, 14 volleyball courts and 20 pickleball courts.

And the location is strategic: right next to the new Costco, set to open Aug. 28 near Missouri Highway 291 and U.S. Highway 50.

So you can now conveniently pick up your bulk toilet paper, before hitting the pickleball court.

9/11: A Piece of the Tower Comes to KC

A 16,900-pound piece of American history is coming to Kansas City.

A steel beam recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center will arrive Wednesday at the National World War I Museum and Memorial as part of a national tour marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

The exhibit honors the nearly 3,000 people killed that day — including 343 firefighters.

The ‘Jewish Olympics’ Come to KC

Kansas City plays host this week to more than 1,000 young Jewish athletes, coaches, and spectators from around the world for the Maccabi Games — an international multi-sport competition often dubbed the “Jewish Olympics.”

Athletes will compete at nearly a dozen sporting venues across the metro. The opening ceremonies are tonight.

See, Watch, and Do …

• Melissa Etheridge Free Concert: A Kansas City-area native is coming home — and she’s bringing a free concert. Leavenworth-born Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge performs Tuesday night as part of the Current Landing Concert Series, the growing riverfront entertainment district taking shape next to CPKC Stadium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
• Ted Lasso Twist: Jason Sudeikis is back in the coach’s seat. The new season of Ted Lasso drops Wednesday on Apple TV, with the Kansas City-raised comedy star taking his fictional coaching career in a new direction — coaching a women’s team.
• NFL is back: The NFL preseason kicks off Thursday with the Cardinals and Panthers squaring off in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. Chiefs Kingdom has one more week to wait. Kansas City opens its preseason Aug. 15 against the Rams at Arrowhead.
• And it’s a First Friday weekend in the Crossroads.

​Nick Haines tracks the weeks most impactful, confusing and downright head-scratching local news stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.