The KC Streetcar Shuts Down and VP Candidates Face Off Nick's Picks: The host of Kansas City Week in Review prepares you for the week ahead, before it happens…
Published September 30th, 2024 at 9:35 AM
The Big Streetcar Shutdown
Be warned…
Starting today, the Kansas City Streetcar is shutting down for an entire month.
That’s not a typo.
The transit system’s leaders say they need that time to connect the existing tracks to the new extension line down to the Plaza and UMKC.
Also beware… some sections of Main Street will be closed, and street parking won’t be available along parts of the streetcar route.
The 3.5-mile extension line is set to open in early 2025 but no official launch date has been announced.
Kansas City Turns Blue
Along with the yellows and reds of changing leaves, Kansas City turns an unexpected shade of blue this week.
The Royals are playing October ball for the first time in nearly a decade.
The team launches its playoff run on Tuesday, in a best-of-three Wild Card series against the Orioles.
Tuesday’s game in Baltimore begins at 3:08 p.m.
The Royals haven’t made the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2015.
Ribbon Cutting for Buck O’Neil Bridge
After more than three years of construction and traffic headaches, the new Buck O’Neil Bridge is getting ready to open.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson will join Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning.
The $220 million bridge will speed up travel for thousands of commuters crossing the Missouri River between downtown and north Kansas City. But not quite yet.
While you might think a ribbon cutting would signal the opening of a project…not in this case.
MoDOT officials say it’s still going to take a couple more weeks before the bridge opens to traffic.
The Vice-Presidential Debate
Are you going to watch the big debate this week?
JD Vance and Tim Walz face off Tuesday night, in what is likely to be the only Vice-Presidential debate before Election Day.
The televised exchange will take place at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. There will be no studio audience.
You can watch the debate live on Kansas City PBS, Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Justice on the Ballot
Kansas City PBS moves into debate mode this week, as we bring you “Justice on the Ballot.”
Amid growing public anxiety over crime, we’re hosting the candidates for Jackson County Prosecutor and Johnson County District Attorney.
From shootings to car thefts, business break-ins to violence on the road, are any candidates offering a fix?
Join me Friday night at 7:30 p.m. for back-to-back debates between Jackson County Prosecutor candidates Melesa Johnson and Tracey Chappell, and Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe and his opponent Vanessa Riebli.
Jimmy Carter Turns 100
Birthday wishes are flooding in for former president Jimmy Carter who turns 100 years old on Tuesday.
America’s oldest living ex-president will celebrate in Plains, Georgia, the same small town where he was born in 1924.
Carter who left the White House in 1981 has been defying the odds. He’s been in hospice care for the past 19 months
Last Week, Reviewed
Package Delivery Slowdown?
Here’s a national story with big local implications…
America’s dockworkers are set to strike Tuesday in a move that could seriously disrupt your holiday gifting plans.
The work stoppage would delay imports of everything from electronics to Christmas decorations.
Economists say even a weeklong strike could cost the economy as much as $7.5 billion as ports close and shipping containers are blocked from unloading.
The 45,000 dockworkers are in a dispute over pay and the increasing use of automated technology.
Kemper Museum Turns 30
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is celebrating a big milestone this week.
Missouri’s largest contemporary art space opened 30 years ago on Wednesday.
The Kemper Museum permanent collection includes more than 1,400 works from acclaimed modern artists like Jackson Pollock, Dale Chihuly and Georgia O’Keefe.
Located just one block east of Main on 44th Street, the Kemper is hoping to be one of the big winners from the new extended streetcar line that will stop just outside its front door in 2025.
Admission to the museum is free.
Five Notions for a Night Out
- Nicki Minaj | Tuesday, Oct.1
“The Queen of Rap,” Nicki Minaj stops at T-Mobile Center as part of her first tour in five years. - Foreigner | Saturday, Oct. 5
Azura Amphitheater is marking its 40th season with one of the bestselling classic rock bands of all time, Foreigner. - KC Oktoberfest | Fri & Sat, Oct. 4-5
Crown Center turns into a Bavarian beer hall this weekend, as the KC Bier Co. hosts the two-day KC Oktoberfest. - Greater KC Japan Festival | Saturday, Oct. 5
Experience Japanese snacks and sweets, and learn about Japanese martial arts, calligraphy, Bonsai, kimonos and kintsugi (the art of repairing broken pottery.) This Saturday at Johnson County Community College. - Weston Applefest | Sat and Sun, Oct. 5-6
How many ways can you serve apples? This weekend, Historic Weston is dishing up apple butter, dumplings, pies and cookies. Plus, an apple themed parade.
Other News You Can Use…
• Happy New Year! Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Wednesday.
• And it’s a Chiefs-less week! The 4-0 Chiefs won’t be back in action until next Monday night, when they take on the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.
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.