Nick’s Picks | More Charges Expected in Chiefs Super Bowl Parade Shooting 'We Are Not Done Yet'
Published February 26th, 2024 at 10:07 AM
Above image credit: "Kansas City Week in Review" host Nick Haines. (John McGrath | Flatland)More charges are expected this week in the fatal mass shooting that followed the Chiefs Super Bowl parade at Union Station.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says, “We are not done yet.”
What’s not clear is whether more individuals have been identified or whether prosecutors will add more charges to those who have already been apprehended.
So far five people have been arrested and charged:
- Two men have been charged with second-degree felony murder in the shooting death of Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
- Two juveniles have been charged with gun crimes and resisting arrest. It’s not clear whether they fired a weapon or just had guns in their possession.
- A fifth person, a Wichita man, has been arrested on gun possession charges after being spotted picking up a gun dropped during the disturbance and walking off with it. The man was out on parole and not permitted to carry a firearm.
Mayor Pushes Stiffer Sentences for Gun Crimes
Frustrated by the city’s inability to restrict guns, due to state law, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is now co-sponsoring an ordinance that would impose harsher penalties for the unlawful use of firearms.
It’s on this week’s City Council agenda.
Currently, unlawful use of a weapon carries a 180-day sentence and up to a $1,000 fine. If this new measure is approved, violators would face up to a year in detention.
With no city jail, some are questioning how Kansas City plans to implement the tougher criminal penalties. There are already complaints that the city is commuting jail time on a weekly basis.
Meanwhile, in Jefferson City, House Democrats are continuing to push for an amendment that will let Missouri cities make their own gun ordinances.
It’s unlikely to win much support from Republican lawmakers who control both chambers of the state legislature.
But there may be agreement on measures to boost sentencing for gun-related crimes.
Last week, Missouri’s Republican-led House passed a bill to ban celebratory gunfire in cities.
The Missouri Senate will debate the proposal this week.
Missouri GOP Presidential Caucus
Will we get a surprise visit this week from former president Donald Trump or his main Republican rival, Nikki Haley?
After more than a month of watching other states vote, it’s finally our turn.
This Saturday is the Missouri Republican Caucus. Democrats in Missouri must wait another three weeks. Their party’s primary is scheduled for March 23.
It’s unclear how much attention Missouri will get from the top presidential candidates. It’s a busy election week.
Most of the national news focus is on Tuesday’s primary in the swing state of Michigan. And next week is Super Tuesday, when 15 states, from California to Texas, will cast their ballots.
Around one-third of the nation’s presidential delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday, more than any other day.
KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension
There’s a big groundbreaking ceremony this week for the Kansas City Streetcar.
It’s officially heading north to Berkley Riverfront Park and the new KC Current Stadium.
On Friday, Kansas City leaders will put on hard hats and try not to damage their dress shoes as they turn over dirt with ceremonial shovels.
The $61 million project covers less than a mile and will be ready for riders in late 2025 or early 2026.
The federal government is kicking in $35 million for the streetcar extension. The rest is coming from city tax dollars and private contributions.
Also opening next year will be the much larger streetcar extension to the Country Club Plaza and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Leaders won’t commit to a specific opening date.
Streetcar leaders are also studying a potential east-west extension, which could go from the Kansas City VA Medical Center to the University of Kansas Hospital.
Flatland in Focus
Pothole Season
Some people say local potholes are bigger this year than they’ve ever been.
Now a national newspaper is validating your pain.
In case you missed it, USA Today has just listed Kansas City as the 10th worst city in America for its crater-ridden roads.
The paper used three years of Google Trends data to come up with its findings.
The USA Today study finds pothole repairs now cost the average driver $460.
On the Border
Nearly two dozen Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers are now on their way to the Mexican border, as part of an agreement to help the Texas governor control illegal migration.
The 22 officers are scheduled to start work on Friday. Two hundred Missouri National Guard members will follow them next week.
Gov. Mike Parson says the state guard will mainly assist in the construction of physical barriers and with security patrols. The Missouri Highway Patrol officers will work to support traffic enforcement and to help combat drug smuggling.
The governor is asking the legislature for $2.3 million in state funding to support the mission.
Flat Tax in Kansas
Kansas legislative leaders are hitting the pause button. They’ve decided to cancel legislative business today and tomorrow as they try to regroup after their biggest priority of the session went down in flames last week.
A handful of Republicans joined Democrats in sustaining the governor’s veto of a flat tax plan.
The vote could jeopardize any tax relief in Kansas this year.
Dos Mundos Founder
Funeral services are this week for longtime Kansas City newspaper leader Clara Reyes.
Reyes and her late husband Manuel founded Dos Mundos in 1981. The couple would later start three Spanish-language radio stations in Kansas City.
Clara Reyes was 86.
The family will host a visitation at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11300 W. 103rd St. in Overland Park, followed by Reyes’ burial at 11 a.m.
Age-Old Questions
Last fall, we lifted the hood on aging in Kansas City with a documentary about nursing home care and the challenges of aging in place.
Age-Old Questions
Now, local and state leaders want to hear your concerns.
The Missouri Department of Health, the Mid-America Regional Council and the KC Shepherd’s Center are hosting an Aging Town Hall on Friday at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center.
The listening session is for older adults and aging professionals who want a say in how our region better provides infrastructure and services for its aging residents.
Leap Day
For the first time in four years, leap-year babies get to celebrate their birthdays this week!
Will their parties, cakes and gifts be four times as big?
Feb. 29 is on Thursday.
Apparently, if we didn’t add a leap day, then our seasons would completely flip every 750 years or so.
Weather Report
This is the kind of week where you may want to put on sunscreen and a sweater, all on the same day.
While the temperature is expected to top a record-breaking 80 degrees on Tuesday, a cold front is on the way. The high will be in the high 30s on Wednesday, with an overnight low of 20 degrees.
But let’s count our blessings. According to Fox 4 meteorologist Joe Lauria, 78% of the days this winter have been above average, making it one of the warmest winters in Kansas City weather history.
Sporting KC
Sporting KC returns to Children’s Mercy Park this week for its season home opener.
Sporting is hosting the Philadelphia Union on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Drake Takeover
Kansas City plays host to another big concert this week.
Canadian superstar Drake performs two back-to-back shows at T-Mobile Center this weekend, with fellow rapper J. Cole.
The show is almost certain to spark a new round of questions over the pesky problem of parking.
What if the Royals were playing in their new downtown ballpark while at the same time Drake was performing, just a block away? Could downtown handle all those cars?
It’s the kind of question leaders of the new stadium tax effort will have to answer after it’s revealed that there will be no new parking lots or garages built at the downtown ballpark, if it’s approved by voters.
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.