Nick’s Picks | Top Cop, Mission Mall, Lucas’ Travels and More …

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Our neighbors to the north are carving turkey, passing the cranberry sauce and digging into pumpkin pie today. Meanwhile, here in Kansas City, we’re still trying to figure out what happened to fall.

Here’s what’s on our radar this week…

Big Election Deadline

If you live in Kansas, Tuesday is your last day to register to vote ahead of the November midterm election.

Haven’t signed up yet? You can skip the paperwork and register online here.

And while Election Day is still three weeks away, voting is already getting underway.

Early in-person voting begins Saturday in Kansas.

During the August primary, 47% of Johnson County voters cast their ballots early. This November, it could become the most popular option. Election Day, it seems, is looking more like Election Month.

Across the state line, Missouri’s voter registration deadline has already passed. But no-excuse, in-person advanced voting begins next Tuesday, October 20.

The Election’s Fine Print

You may have already made up your mind about the big political races on both sides of the state line. But what about all those questions lurking farther down the ballot?

This week, Kansas City PBS tackles the six statewide questions in Kansas and Missouri.

We bring together supporters and opponents of Kansas’ noncitizen voting amendment. And we unpack Missouri’s contentious ballot questions on abortion, gender-transition surgeries, initiative petitions and the seemingly never-ending congressional map fight.

There may be plenty of candidates competing for your attention this November. But don’t skip the fine print. After all, politicians come and go. Constitutional amendments have a habit of sticking around.

It’s a Kansas City Week in Review On the Ballot special, Friday night at 7:30 on Kansas City PBS.

Last Week Reviewed

Record Breaking Heat

Did somebody forget to tell Mother Nature it’s October?

Kansas City is flirting with another temperature record today, with a forecast high of 91 degrees. That could tie a record dating all the way back to 1899.

But relief is coming.

Rain chances return Tuesday evening, with storms and heavy downpours possible through Wednesday. Then temperatures take a tumble, with much cooler weather arriving by the end of the week.

Fall, it seems, is finally ready to make an appearance.

Lucas Travels to Asia

Two weeks after a whirlwind trip to Mexico City, Rome and the Vatican, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is racking up the air miles again.

This week Lucas is in Seoul, South Korea, where he’s meeting with business and government leaders to sell them on investing in Kansas City. There’s even talk of adding another sister city.

Whether any of these meetings turn into actual jobs or investment back home remains to be seen. The mayor heads home Tuesday evening.

KC’s Next Top Cop

This week, Kansas Citians get their first chance to weigh in on what they want in their next police chief.  Stacey Graves has announced she’s retiring, and a national search is on for her replacement.

Thursday is the first of five-community wide listening sessions for the public to share the qualities and leadership characteristics they would like to see in the city’s top cop.

It’s a substantial job. The next chief will oversee a $385 million budget, more than 1,150 sworn officers and 500 civilian employees.

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The salary? Between $250,000 and $275,000.

And they throw in a free uniform. The headaches are extra.

The first listening session is Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Northland Neighborhoods, 5340 Chouteau Trafficway.

Four more sessions follow:

• Tuesday, Oct. 20: Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Drive.
• Thursday, Oct. 22: Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center’s Propeller Building, 2100 E. 9th St.
• Thursday, Oct. 29: Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road.
• Thursday, Nov. 5: United Believers Community Church, 5600 E. 112th Terrace.

All sessions run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

And if you’d rather apply for the job than offer advice on who should get it, the application deadline is Oct. 30.

Mission Impossible?

Could Kansas City’s most famous hole in the ground finally be getting a new owner?

Nearly 20 years after Mission Mall was demolished, a judge has given the green light for the long-stalled Mission Gateway property on Shawnee Mission Parkway to be sold.

But there’s one final deadline.

The current developer has until Friday to pay more than $46 million owed to its lender. If the money doesn’t materialize, the bank can order a sheriff’s sale or public auction of the property, clearing the way for a new developer to take over.

Of course, Mission residents have heard promising news about this site before. Even the city’s mayor acknowledges the latest breakthrough will likely be greeted with equal measures of hope and skepticism.

Chris Stapleton Concert is Back On

The show must go on. Just a few days later than planned.

Thousands of disappointed country music fans were left holding unused tickets last week after Chris Stapleton came down with the flu, forcing him to postpone two sold-out nights in Kansas City.

Now he’s back on the calendar.

The country superstar returns to Morton Amphitheater Wednesday and Thursday, with the original tickets honored for the rescheduled performances.

Sunflower Smackdown

It’s Sunflower Showdown week.

Kansas and Kansas State renew their annual football rivalry Saturday in Manhattan, with kickoff at 11 a.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game airs nationally on FS1.

And the sports calendar doesn’t end there…

• The Chiefs return from their bye week Sunday, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m.
• Runners rule the roads Saturday as thousands hit the streets for the Kansas City Marathon. Drivers beware: the 26-mile race triggers widespread road closures, from the Nelson Atkins Museum to downtown.
• The WNBA Finals begin on Saturday, pitting the Atlanta Dream against the Golden State Valkyries.

Day of the Dead

Kansas City is getting an early start on Día de los Muertos this year.

The Museum of Kansas City hosts its 13^th annual Day of the Dead celebration on Saturday,  bringing together traditional Mexican music, dance, food and family activities.

It’s also a chance to honor loved ones who are no longer with us. Visitors are invited to bring a small keepsake or remembrance to place on one of the museum’s multiple community altars.

The festival runs from 5:00–9:00 p.m.

Nick Haines tracks 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.