Nick Haines shares the upcoming week’s biggest news stories, before they unfold.
Nick’s Picks | Soccer, Signatures, Supplements and More …
Reworking World Cup Plans Now that we know which World Cup teams will be coming to Kansas City, are local officials about to redraw the game plan? While a formal announcement could come later this week, the Kansas City World Cup Host Committee is dialing up its fan projections after drawing the reigning World Cup champions, Argentina and European soccer powerhouse,…
Nick’s Picks | Thanksgiving, Plaza, Betting
Kansas City shifts into festive high gear this week with the granddaddy of all local holiday traditions, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony. Members of the Kansas City Current, including Laurel Ivory and Kayla Sharples, will flip the switch on the Country Club Plaza’s more than 250,000 bulbs on Thanksgiving night. While the music and speeches start…
Nick’s Picks | Andretti, FIFA, Petition and More …
From Shutdown to Epstein Now that the federal government shutdown is over, our major news outlets need another big drama to focus on. They seem to have found it in the Epstein files. The House is expected to vote Tuesday on releasing the final documents relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The…
Nick’s Picks | Veterans, Mission Gateway, Big Sonia and More …
Shutdown Deal on the Way Is America’s longest government shutdown about to end? It could be over by the end of the week, after a group of eight Democrats agree to join Senate Republicans in a vote to reopen the government, at least through January. The deal comes without a guaranteed extension of health care…
Nick’s Picks | Voting, Listening, Remembering and More …
Tuesday is Election Day It may not be a pivotal national election year, but on Tuesday, Americans head to the ballot box to decide thousands of local races and issue questions. America’s Longest Government Shutdown? If no deal is struck in Washington by Tuesday night, we’ll be living through the longest government shutdown in American…
Nick’s Picks | Furloughs, Fans, Fright and More …
Shutdown Gets Serious We’re about to start week five of the federal government shutdown. With no clear end in sight, the impact is about to get even more serious. Stadium Decision? Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has scheduled meetings this week with leaders from the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Is a deal finally at…
Nick’s Picks | Streetcar, Shutdown, Voting and More …
Big Streetcar Opening Ceremony After more than three years of pain and disruption, Kansas City’s new streetcar extension line finally opens this week, allowing passengers to ride all the way down to the Country Club Plaza and on to UMKC. A grand opening ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. on Friday at the new Plaza…
Nick’s Picks | White, Shutdown, KCI and More …
Frank White’s Replacement We may find out today who is replacing Frank White as Jackson County executive. Two weeks after voters ousted him from office, county lawmakers are scheduled to meet this afternoon to consider their pick for the job. Nearly a dozen candidates have applied for the interim leader post, which will last only…
Nick’s Picks | Barnes, Redistricting, Shutdown and More …
Kay Barnes Replaces White This week, former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes will officially roll up her sleeves to temporarily lead Jackson County government. She will take over from Frank White, who was ousted by voters in a special recall election last week. But the official handover won’t take place until the results of that…
Nick’s Picks | Steak, Jail, Tower and More …
New Missouri Map Signing Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is promising to sign a new congressional map this week that would make it tougher for Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to win reelection. Kehoe is also expected to sign a ballot reform measure that raises the bar for passing citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. If approved by voters…
Nick’s Picks | Gerrymandering, Brewing, Haunting and More …
Final Redistricting Vote Missouri lawmakers are expected to sign off this week on a new congressional map that could force out Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. The full House is expected to vote on the measure today. If approved, some dramatic changes are on the way. Downtown Kansas City, the Plaza, and Brookside would all…
Nick’s Picks | Diapers, Troops, Fans and More …
It’s the last blast of summer for many Kansas Citians this week. Expect quiet commutes and empty desks as Labor Day’s three-day break has folks heading out early. Many area schools are also cutting the week short. Here are some other local stories we’re keeping tabs on this week… New Laws From Diapers to Marriage…
Nick’s Picks | Redistricting, Heat, Football and More …
Back to School Week Kansas students returned to the classroom last week, now it’s Back to School week for Missouri kids. Mayor Quinton Lucas was scheduled to greet students on the first day of class in the Kansas City school district today. In addition to the pain of getting up early, Missouri students will be…
Nick’s Picks | Buses, Schools, Eats and More …
Bus Service Shutdown? Money to run the bus service in Kansas City officially runs out on Friday, leaving thousands of riders worried about how they’ll get to work. The metro’s largest bus agency, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has been struggling to keep the service afloat after federal pandemic money dried up and…
Nick’s Picks | USDA, LBJ, Streetcar and More …
Trump Set to Move Thousands of USDA Jobs to KC We are waiting to hear more details this week about a new plan by President Donald Trump to move thousands of federal agriculture department jobs to Kansas City. It is part of a new push by the White House to shift government offices closer to…