Nick’s Picks | Ballots, Bribery, Baby and More …

The World Cup has left town, taking Kansas City’s biggest story with it.

After six weeks of wall-to-wall FIFA coverage, local newsrooms suddenly have a lot of airtime—and column inches—to fill.

Which may explain why one of Kansas City’s biggest headlines over the past few days has involved a man who spent eight hours stuck inside the toilet bowl of a Porta Potty near 18th & Vine. He told rescuers he was trying to retrieve his bottle of Mountain Dew.

Welcome to the post-World Cup news cycle!

Here are the stories we’re watching this week:

From Soccer Pitches to Polling Places

The next big competition isn’t on a soccer field.

It’s at the ballot box.

In-person no-excuse absentee voting begins today in Missouri. Advance voting is already underway in Kansas ahead of the August 4 primary.

The headlines may focus on congressional races that could help determine control of Washington, but don’t overlook what’s further down the ballot where some seismic issues are awaiting the voters verdict.

That’s why Week in Review expands to a full hour Friday night.

We’ll debate the Kansas constitutional amendment to directly elect Supreme Court justices with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and ACLU of Kansas Executive Director Micah Kubic.

We’ll also unpack Missouri’s four statewide constitutional questions— from scrapping the state income tax to rewriting Missouri’s century-old initiative petition process.

And finally, we ask why Kansas City voters are facing not one, but five ballot questions – a  hefty $1.7 billion ask to fund everything from sewer upgrades to convention center improvements.

Before you vote, join us for a special one-hour edition of Week in Review: On the Ballot, as supporters and opponents, political scientists and journalists cut through the campaign slogans to examine the trade-offs, consequences and real-world impact of nearly a dozen ballot questions.

Friday at 7:00 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.

Last Week Reviewed

Looking for a World Cup Bounce

Lost in all the World Cup coverage was that Major League Soccer was put on a seven-week break to accommodate the global tournament.

Now the league is finally back…and so is Sporting KC.

The club returns home Wednesday night against Minnesota United for its first match since May—and it’s hoping to capitalize on World Cup fever.

The club is giving away two free tickets to anyone who’s never attended a Sporting match before, hoping thousands of new soccer fans will become regulars.

Sporting could use the boost.

The club sits at the bottom of the Western Conference with just three wins this season and is counting on a packed stadium to help spark a second-half turnaround.

If you’ve never seen a Sporting KC game, you can get your free tickets by signing up on the team’s website.

Corruption Scandal Taints Jackson County

We’re waiting for the next shoe to drop in Jackson County as allegations of bribery and corruption are upending the Jackson County executive’s race.

County Chair Manny Abarca has suspended his campaign for county executive after alleging he was offered a $50,000 bribe by a legislative aide in exchange for supporting a housing development. He claims another elected official accepted the money.

At this point, it’s a story heavy on allegations and light on confirmed facts.

But the next development may determine whether this remains a political controversy or becomes a criminal one.

Five National & Global Stories to Watch

• Smoke without borders:  Check your flight before you leave… more travel disruption could be on the way as a third wave of Canadian wildfire smoke could blanket much of the upper Midwest and East Coast by mid-week. The thick plumes of smoke have already forced the cancelation of hundreds of flights at U.S. airports and triggered air quality alerts in more than a dozen cities.  More than 950 wildfires are scorching Canada from coast to coast, with more than 100 considered “out of control”.  At one point Friday, Detroit had the worst air quality in the world, with Chicago and Washington D.C. ranked fourth and fifth.
• New British Prime Minister: Major political change is underway in the UK today as Andy Burnham officially becomes Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade. He succeeds Keir Starmer who was forced out by his own party after less than two years as leader. Starmer’s downfall was triggered by collapsing poll numbers, devastating losses in local and regional elections and a series of high-profile scandals, including choosing a Jeffrey Epstein confidant as ambassador to the U.S.
• Decision Day for U.S. Soccer:  Mauricio Pochettino will decide this week whether to remain as coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. U.S. Soccer has offered him a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup. But whether he should stay or go is being heavily debated, with fans and pundits torn between wanting continuity and criticizing Team USA’s early exit following a devastating 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.
• Historic Baby: Vice President JD Vance says he won’t take formal paternity leave this week but plans to spend more time working from home after Second Lady Usha Vance delivers the couple’s fourth child.  It’s the first baby born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years.
• Most Famous Ride: Three weeks. Twenty-one stages. More than 2,000 miles. The Tour de France concludes Sunday with its traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Unless something extraordinary happens, Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar appears headed for his fifth tour victory.

Out and About in KC …

As the World Cup signs come down across Kansas City it’s going to get a little quiet around here. But there’s still some big acts coming into town…

Country music touring powerhouse Jason Aldean takes the stage at the new Morton Amphitheater on Saturday.

Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan brings her ‘Better Broken Tour’ to Starlight Theater on Friday night.

Comic actress and SNL alum Leslie Jones brings her high-energy stand-up act to the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Zona Rosa, Friday and Saturday night.

And the world’s largest steam locomotive stops at Union Station on Tuesday.

Nick Haines dissects the week’s 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.