Nick’s Picks | Holiday Shopping and Other News Grab Your Credit Card

Will any work get done at the office today? It’s Cyber Monday, the day when many American workers put aside their paid job assignments to do online holiday shopping.  

According to the National Retail Federation, more than 200 million Americans will try to snag some Cyber Monday bargains today, in what is expected to be the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. 

I know you may be busy snagging deals today, so here’s a snappy guide to some of the other big local and national news stories to keep an eye on during the week ahead. 

First Lady Funeral 

Today marks the start of three days of public ceremonies to commemorate the life of Rosalynn Carter.  

The former first lady died last week at the age of 96. 

She had been married to former President Jimmy Carter for 77 years. 

Later today, thousands of mourners are expected to pay their respects to the former first lady as her body lays in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. 

Her funeral is Wednesday at the couple’s longtime church in Plains, Georgia. 

New American Royal  

Seven years after the American Royal announced plans to move from its longtime home in the West Bottoms and to Kansas, there’s some visible progress to report. 

On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will be in town for a ceremony marking the first piece of steel being placed on the American Royal’s new 1-million-square-foot food and agriculture campus. 

It’s being built next to the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County.  

Best known for its horse and livestock shows, rodeo and barbecue competition, the American Royal has a more than 120-year-old history in Kansas City.  

But the organization’s leaders say they’ve outgrown their existing facility. 

Thy say the new $350 million campus in Wyandotte County will allow the American Royal to host events year-round. 

It will feature three arenas — two indoor and one outdoor — as well as an education and welcome center for food and agricultural education. 

It’s scheduled to open in late 2025. 

Nichols’ Folly

Abortion Language Deadline 

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has a Tuesday deadline to rewrite ballot summaries for a proposed abortion rights amendment expected to go before voters next year. 

It ends a months-long legal dispute over what language can be included in a ballot question. 

Currently, there are 11 different initiative petitions seeking to enshrine access to abortion in the Missouri Constitution. So far, pro-choice advocates have yet to rally behind a single effort.  

There’s also disagreement on whether it should be placed on the August or November ballot in 2024. 

Headlines Worth Watching 

Ceasefire deadline: A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to expire today. But now there’s talk of extending the “temporary pause” in fighting to allow more hostages to be released. 

Climate Summit: World leaders gather in Dubai on Thursday for COP28, the year’s most important meeting on climate change. Nearly 200 heads of state will attend the gathering, including Pope Francis and the new British monarch, King Charles.  

But despite calling climate change “the ultimate threat,” President Biden will skip the talks. Senior White House aides have said the president has been consumed by trying to secure a pause in the war between Israel and Hamas.  

DeSantis vs. Newsom: It’s being dubbed The Great Red versus Blue State Debate. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom are slated to go head-to-head on the debate stage Thursday.  

The long-teased event, hosted by Fox News, marks a climax in the ongoing feud between the two governors. Newsom has criticized DeSantis for sending migrants to California and the Florida governor has taken aim at Newsom for people leaving California to move to Florida.  

KC Hits Movie Screens 

Kansas City has made the cut!  

We’re about to be seen on movie screens around the world as Beyoncé’s new concert film is finally released on Friday.  

According to the press release, “’Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé’ is an in-depth look at the musician’s creative process when prepping for her biggest tour yet, from its opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to its breathtaking finale in Kansas City, Missouri.” 

If you attended the singer’s concert at Arrowhead Stadium back in October, you may have seen the signs warning ticketholders that “filming is in progress.” 

If you do see yourself on screen, I hope it won’t leave you regretting that second bottle of wine you drank just before the show! 

Nutcracker Returns 

Another Kansas City holiday tradition makes its return this week.  

“The Nutcracker” takes over the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, starting on Friday. 

The Kansas City Ballet’s most watched show runs through Christmas Eve.  

The production is a huge revenue generator for the dance company, but it started more than 50 years ago in a much humbler way. 

According to the KC Ballet, “The Nutcracker” was first presented in 1972 on the stage at a local high school. It was the Southwest High School Auditorium on Wornall Road.  

Let’s Go Bowling 

The regular college football season has just wrapped up. Now it’s time to go “bowling.” 

This week, we’ll find out the college bowl game schedule. 

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Missouri Tigers are a 10-win team, which all but guarantees them entry into one of the nation’s most prestigious post-season matchup events.  

But with 43 different bowl games, KU and K-State are also certain to find some place to go, even if it’s the Pop Tarts Bowl or the Tony the Tiger Bowl (Yes, they are actual official bowl names.) 

The college football bowl season schedule will be released on Sunday. 

Other Sports News 

Sporting KC’s improbable playoff run finally screeched to a halt Sunday after a 1-0 loss against the Houston Dynamos. 

The Chiefs are back on top of the AFC West after a win against the Raiders in Las Vegas. 

Now the team heads to Wisconsin to take on the Green Bay Packers. 

It’s a Sunday night game. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. 

It will be the Chiefs first trip to Green Bay since 2015. The Packers won that game 38-28. 

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