Nick’s Picks | Layoffs, World Cup, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and More…

The Big Shutdown

Nearly two thousand auto workers at GM’s Fairfax plant are being pink-slipped today.

General Motors is temporarily shutting down production at the Kansas City, Kansas, facility to transition to electric vehicles.

The move signals the end of the line for the Cadillac XT4 and the Chevy Malibu, two models that are being retired by GM.

After a $390 million retooling, the Fairfax plant will assemble the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle.

Production is expected to resume in mid-2025.

Is KC-Area Congressman our Next Transportation Secretary?

We’re still waiting to hear this week whether President-elect Donald Trump will pick a Kansas City area congressman to be the nation’s next Transportation Secretary.

Sam Graves, whose district includes the northern edge of Kansas City, has confirmed he’s been approached by the Trump transition team. Graves currently serves as chair of the House Transportation Committee.

World Cup Ticket Prices Announced

If Trump picks Kansas City area Congressman Sam Graves to head up the transportation department, it could be a big boost for KC’s World Cup planning.

Anxiety is already setting in about how to move large crowds of overseas visitors from the airport to their hotels. Never mind, to the games at Arrowhead Station.  

It’s unlikely Graves would be able to convince Uncle Sam to dispatch a thousand free gold-plated buses to KC for the tournament, but he would be in a better position to direct cash and infrastructure resources to help the metro pull off its largest event ever.

It’s not going to be cheap.

This weekend, FIFA finally revealed more details about tickets for the tournament.

FIFA says ticket prices will start at $323, with seats for a skybox or business suite running $4,307.

Tickets for the tournament will be available late next year.

Missouri Governor-Elect to Announce Cabinet

Trump isn’t the only one announcing big cabinet picks this week, so is new Missouri Governor-elect Mike Kehoe.

His office says he’ll begin rolling out his cabinet choices as early as today.

Kehoe is scheduled to be sworn into office on January 13.

Stadium Saga Returns

Now that the big election is over, it seems area media is struggling to find something new to talk about.

The rumors persist even though the Royals are refusing to comment. So is Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog. Meanwhile, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says his administration has met over twenty times with the Royals since April’s failed stadium vote and they, “continue to have productive discussions related to a downtown ballpark development.”

You may want to take this latest talk with the proverbial “grain of salt.” Or perhaps, in this case, a Costco-sized container of it.

Now you’ll understand why you’re seeing so many headlines about the sports teams moving to Kansas again, including possibly the T-Mobile campus site, near Town Center Plaza in Overland Park.

Now enter Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.

Over the weekend, Missouri’s outgoing chief executive said he was still hopeful a deal could be struck with the Chiefs and the Royals before he leaves office on January 13.

But he told Fox 2 Now in St. Louis that it’s likely the Chiefs will build a new training facility in a different location, possibly outside of Jackson County, and potentially on the Kansas side.

Last Week, Reviewed

Chiefs Do Without Biggest Point Scorer

We begin our week with dashed hopes of a perfect Chiefs season. But is a “three-peat” still in play?   You can expect the Chiefs loss against the Bills on Sunday to be the most talked about topic around the water cooler today.

The team is headed to Charlotte this weekend as they continue their quest to be the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.

Missing in action will be one of the team’s most potent weapons, kicker Harrison Butker, who’s recovering from knee surgery.

The Chiefs take on the Carolina Panthers this Sunday at noon.

Women’s Soccer Final Brings National Attention to KC

The CBS Morning Show is bringing its entire team to town on Friday, just ahead of this weekend’s National Women’s Soccer Championship final. CBS will broadcast live from the CPKC stadium.

The game is on Saturday at 7 p.m.

But it’s going to be a bittersweet event for Kansas City. The KC Current isn’t playing after falling to the Orlando Pride in Sunday’s semi-final.

Orlando will play the Washington Spirit in the title game.

In Other Local News Worth Mentioning …

• Grammy winning artist, Melissa Etheridge will perform the National Anthem at Saturday’s National Women’s Soccer Championship game in Kansas City.
• ZZ Top is also in Kansas City. The veteran rock band performs at The Midland this Wednesday night.
• And Bah Humbug… Ebenezer Scrooge is making his return trip to Kansas City. In what has become one of our longest-running holiday traditions, “A Christmas Carol” begins Saturday at the KC Rep.