Nick’s Picks | Heat, Elections, Rodeo and More …

Did Someone Leave the Oven On?

The heat is refusing to leave. It’s going to be the biggest story in town again today.

Expect more triple-digit temperatures, with the heat index potentially pushing 120 degrees as the Midwest bakes beneath what The Washington Post calls “the planet’s strongest heat dome.”

The National Weather Service has an Extreme Heat Warning in effect through 7 a.m. Tuesday.

But there’s finally some relief in sight.

It seems someone has finally found the thermostat.

If you can survive today, the temperatures will drop into the 80s for the rest of the week.

Public Meeting on New Royals Ballpark

The Royals’ new ballpark plan gets its first public airing tonight.

Crown Center and the Royals are hosting a public meeting on a rezoning request that would clear the way for a new stadium and ballpark district, reshaping a sizable chunk of the Crown Center area.

It should also begin filling in some of the many blanks surrounding the roughly $3 billion project. Beyond the planned demolition of Hallmark’s corporate headquarters, there’s been little detail about what else could come down, what would rise in its place and how the neighborhood would be transformed.

The public meeting is at 6 p.m. at Union Station’s Regnier Theatre. The City Plan Commission is scheduled to take up the rezoning proposal Aug. 5.

But there’s an added layer of intrigue: The city is weighing a petition that could put the broader ballpark project directly before voters – a prospect the Royals’ ownership group has sought to avoid after its 2024 stadium plan was rejected at the ballot box.

Costco Deal Inches Closer to Passing

Costco’s plan to reinvent its Linwood Boulevard store is inching toward a City Council vote.

After two public hearings and an almost unanimous thumbs-up from the City Plan Commission, the proposal heads to the council’s Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee Tuesday afternoon.

A full council vote could follow soon.

If approved, Kansas City’s first Costco—at Linwood and Main—will become less about feeding families and more about serving businesses.

The pharmacy, food court, bakery, optical center, clothing, furniture and liquor departments would all go.

The gas station stays.

The new Costco would cater to restaurants, caterers and other businesses.

On The Ballot

The Final Countdown

We’re now in the final week of campaigning ahead of the August 4 primary election. There are sizable issues being decided on both sides of state line.

In Kansas, voters are narrowing down the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate and have a rare ballot question to decide: whether to directly elect Supreme Court justices.

Voters in Missouri are deciding four constitutional questions including whether to eliminate the state income tax and rewriting the century old citizen initiative process.

Advance voting is already underway in both states.

Graham’s Final Farewell

Late Sen. Lindsey Graham will lie in state Tuesday in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, part of two days of memorial services honoring the longtime South Carolina senator.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will join President Trump for Graham’s funeral—and then sit down with Trump at the White House for their first face-to-face meeting since the Iran war began, five months ago.

Chiefs Hit the Road

The Chiefs are making their annual summer pilgrimage to St. Joseph this week.

The team’s equipment convoy has already rolled north, hauling pads, uniforms and training gear to Missouri Western State University. Many of the players are already in town.

Practice starts Wednesday.

But the clock is ticking on Chiefs camp in St. Joe.

The Chiefs plan to shift summer camp to its new headquarters facility in Olathe in 2031.

The Chiefs 165-acre campus at College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road will not just be the year-round headquarters for the team, it will also feature a dedicated stadium designed to host training camp practices.

Hootie in the House

Former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker brings his Songs of Summer Tour to Starlight Theatre Friday night.

Meanwhile, Mumford and Sons take the stage at the new Morton Amphitheater on Sunday night.

Black Rodeo, Big History

The Kansas City Invitational Black Rodeo rides into Hale Arena on Friday and Saturday.

It celebrates a piece of Western history that too often gets left out of the story.

After the Civil War, millions of Texas Longhorns were driven north toward railheads. An estimated one in four cowboys was Black, many handling some of the most dangerous jobs on the trail.

But when organized rodeo circuits took off, Black riders and ropers were shut out.

This rodeo brings that overlooked history back into the arena, showcasing top Black cowboys and cowgirls competing in classic events including bull riding and barrel racing.

Last year’s inaugural event drew a sold-out crowd.

Nick Haines picks apart the 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.