Nick’s Picks | Robert Courtney, Primary Elections and Heat

Notorious Kansas City pharmacy killer Robert Courtney is set to be released from prison this week. 

The former Northland pharmacist will be moved to home confinement on Wednesday, more than two decades after he admitted to diluting 98,000 drug prescriptions for extra cash. He’s currently being held at a federal prison just outside of Denver.  

At his trial, Courtney was described as “a real-life monster in a white coat.” 

It was unclear how many lives were cut short by his crimes. Many of the drugs he diluted were for life-saving treatments like cancer and AIDS. Some patients received just 1% of the dose they were prescribed. 

Income Discrimination Ban 

A new ban on income discrimination in Kansas City housing takes effect this week, six months after City Hall passed the measure following a contentious debate that pitted social justice activists against landlord groups. 

Starting Thursday, landlords will be prohibited from using a person’s credit score or criminal history to deny them housing. The ordinance also requires landlords to accept federal housing assistance vouchers.  

Landlords claim the new rules will only make housing less affordable by driving up costs that will ultimately be passed on to renters. 

Also worth watching this week: 

• The Kansas City Council is set to vote this week on a new ordinance that walks back green building codes. Councilman Nathan Willett claims the recently passed environmental rules are adding between $12,000 and $35,000 to the cost of new homes, pushing developers to build elsewhere. Environmental groups say developers are trying to use the city’s housing shortage as an excuse to skirt their environmental responsibilities. 

• And Mayor Quinton Lucas says Kansas City now has a 9-1-1 wait time crisis. He’s expected to propose reforms to the city’s emergency response system at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting. 

Scorching Heat 

Dangerous heat returns to Kansas City this week.  

And it’s not just the kind of heat that makes you miserable. For older adults, outdoor workers and the homeless, the next few days could be fatal.  

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning through Thursday night. The heat index could reach as high as 115 degrees. 

Watch on Kansas City PBS

Primary Elections 

This is the last full week of campaigning before primary elections in Kansas and Missouri. 

Expect your phone to start exploding with last-minute candidate robocalls. And it may take you two trips to the mailbox to clear out a final heavy round of glossy political mailers.  

Advanced voting is already underway on both sides of the state line. 

There’s a lot at stake in next Tuesday’s election.  

Missouri voters are picking candidates for governor. There are also dozens of congressional and state legislative seats up for grabs.  

Childcare and police funding are on the statewide ballot in Missouri.  

Jail expansion is on the ballot in Platte County. 

In Kansas, the Johnson County sheriff and the Johnson County district attorney are being challenged. And many residents in Wyandotte County will be picking a new member of Congress after Jake LaTurner opted to give up his seat.  

Confused? We have your back.  

Check out our new voter guide that sizes up all the races on the ballot, on both sides of the state line.  

Get Ready

Big Stories to Watch 

• Election milestone: We’ve just hit the 100-day mark before the U.S. Presidential Election. It’s even less time when you consider early voting. The first advanced ballots in Kansas will be cast 79 days from now, on Oct. 16. 

• Kamala Harris pick: Will this be the week Kamala Harris picks her running mate? While the shortlist of candidates seems to be getting longer by the day, Harris is now running out of time. The presumptive presidential nominee must make her choice by next Wednesday to align with the party’s plan to virtually nominate her ahead of the Democratic National Convention. 

• Supreme Court: President Joe Biden is expected to make a news splash today as he unveils plans to overhaul the Supreme Court. The outgoing president is expected to call for term limits on the court’s justices.  

• Olympics: America’s top athletes continue their quest for gold at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Five swimming finals, the first game for the U.S. women’s basketball team and the men’s gymnastics team final are on the schedule today. 

• NFL: The NFL preseason starts Thursday, with the Texans and Bears playing in the Hall of Fame Game. The Chiefs head to Florida next week for their first pre-season game against the Jaguars. 

Missouri’s Tax-free Weekend 

This is a great week to pick up back-to-school supplies. 

Missouri’s tax-free weekend starts Friday. 

You won’t pay state or local taxes on everything from binders to backpacks. Laptops, shoes and clothes are also tax-free through midnight on Sunday. 

Although Kansas doesn’t offer a sales tax holiday, residents are free to hop across the state line to get in on the savings this weekend. 

James Patterson in KC 

It’s not often that Kansas City plays host to one of the world’s most prolific fiction writers. In fact, this “book churning machine” holds the Guiness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author.  

His name is James Patterson and he’s in town this week. 

Patterson’s mysteries and thrillers account for one in every 17 hardcover novels sold in the United States. That’s more than 425 million books. But Patterson is speaking at a place that gives his work away for free: the Mid-Continent Public Library. 

Patterson speaks Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Woodneath Library Center, alongside acclaimed sportswriter, turned mystery novelist, Mike Lupica.  

The event is free, but currently there’s a waiting list to get in. 

Things to Do 

Hot dog lovers unite at the Heart of America Hot Dog Festival this Saturday in the historic 18^th & Vine District. The food and music festival is a fundraising benefit for the Negro League’s Baseball Museum. Your ticket also gets you free admission to the museum. 

Melissa Etheridge, Jewell, Robin Thicke and Boyz II Men are all performing at Starlight Theatre this week. 

And country music fans take over Arrowhead Stadium as Morgan Wallen brings his One Night at a Time Tour to Chiefs Kingdom. The country music star performs two back-to-back shows Thursday and Friday night. 

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.