University of Kansas football fans will get their first look at the school's renovated stadium when the team takes on Fresno State on Saturday. Phase 1 overhauled the southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. KU will complete a second phase at a later date. (KU rendering)

Nick’s Picks | Redistricting, Heat, Football and More …

August 18, 2025 | Nick Haines | 4 min read

Back to School Week

Kansas students returned to the classroom last week, now it’s Back to School week for Missouri kids.

Mayor Quinton Lucas was scheduled to greet students on the first day of class in the Kansas City school district today.

In addition to the pain of getting up early, Missouri students will be dealt a bigger blow. They will no longer be permitted to use their cell phones at any point during the school day. It’s part of a new law signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe.

3 Local Stories on Our News Watch List

Squeezing Cleaver: We’re still waiting to see whether Kehoe will call back state lawmakers for a special session to redraw Missouri’s congressional map. President Donald Trump reportedly wants Missouri to change its political boundaries to squeeze out Kansas City Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. It’s part of a newly outlined strategy to keep control of Congress in 2026.

Buses: Kansas City’s bus crisis is over, at least for now. There were fears that we’d start the week with route cuts, driver layoffs, and slimmed-down bus schedules, but a budget deal inked with the city over the weekend keeps the metro’s largest bus fleet afloat through April. There are no assurances about what happens after that.

Stadiums: What happened to those promised “summer” announcements by the Chiefs and Royals about their stadium plans? This spring, Royals owner John Sherman said it was the team’s objective to provide a specific location in the middle of the calendar year, “in that June-July period.”

Well, we’ve passed that. The delay means there will likely be no public vote this year. The deadline to place issues on the November ballot is August 26.

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Ukraine: Just days after meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House today, in what will be their first Oval Office encounter since a public spat in February. The leaders of France, Germany, and the UK are also expected to attend the high-stakes peace talks.

Erin: Hurricane Erin is set to barrel towards the East Coast on Tuesday, leading to widespread coastal flooding.

Texas: The Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to halt an aggressive redistricting plan are expected to return today after a two-week absence. The Republican-proposed map could be passed quickly.

Hazardous Heat

Extreme heat will continue to grip the Kansas City metro today, and there’s a chance for storms that could unleash heavy rain and damaging winds overnight.

But there’s some good news on the way …

A cold front will push temperatures into the 80s by Wednesday and into the 70s by Sunday.

Chiefs Back at Arrowhead

For the first time in seven months, the Kansas City Chiefs will take the field at Arrowhead Stadium this week. The team will play its only pre-season home game this Friday night against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m.

The Chiefs’ first regular-season game is against the Chargers on September 5 in São Paulo, Brazil.

KU Stadium Reveal

Thousands of KU fans will see their new football stadium for the first time this week as the Jayhawks take on Fresno State on Saturday.

It’s been a long time coming. Construction forced the KU football team to play in Kansas City last year.

It may seem ridiculously early, but today is also the first day of classes at KU.

In Other Sports News …

It’s not just the Chiefs that get to fly to faraway places to take on their rivals. K-State this week heads to Dublin, Ireland, for an unusual “Farmageddon” matchup against Iowa State.

It’s the season opener for both teams.

K-State will depart for Ireland on Wednesday. The game is on Saturday at 11 a.m.

3 Things to do in KC This Week

Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls share the stage at Starlight Theatre on Thursday night.
The Goo Goo Dolls perform at Starlight on Friday.
And for the first time, Collect-A-Con comes to Kansas City. It bills itself as the nation’s largest trading card and vintage toy collector convention. It’s Saturday and Sunday at the Kansas City Convention Center. I’m not sure if this makes a difference to you, but Chumlee from Pawn Stars will be there.

Nick Haines tracks the week’s most impactful local news stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 pm on Kansas City PBS.