Nick’s Picks | Juneteenth, Sharks, Dragons and More …

Friday marks the 50 years since the release of "Jaws," the film that made moviegoers terrified to enter the water. Johnson County Park & Rec is showing the film Saturday night at Shawnee Mission Park. (Flikr)

World Cup Countdown Party Last week, we marked the one-year countdown to the World Cup. Now, get ready for the big party. Kansas City’s host committee is planning a “Countdown to the World Cup Kick-Off Event” on Sunday at the Aspiria Campus in Overland Park. That’s the former Sprint headquarters site near 119th and Metcalf.…

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Ministering to Children With Disabilities

The special-needs ministry at Johnson County’s Grace Church has been a godsend for parents Holly and Lou Palacio and their son, Michael (far right), who has a rare genetic disorder that causes autism and epilepsy. Also pictured are the Palacio’s son, Daniel, and daughter, Anna. (Photo courtesy of the Palacio family).

When Michael Palacio was born 18 years ago this month, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, tuberous sclerosis, which causes epilepsy and autism. And Michael now has both. As his parents began to respond to Michael’s needs — and continue to parent Michael’s two older siblings — one issue that arose quickly was…

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Man deported after visiting family grave in Mexico is back in Kansas City

Evenezer Cortez Martinez, a DACA recipient who was detained and deported after returning from Mexico last week, has returned to his home in the Kansas City area. (Mary Sanchez/The Beacon)

This story was originally published by The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest. Evenezer Cortez Martinez is back on U.S. soil, landing in Kansas City Tuesday afternoon after being deported. The DACA recipient and Kansas father of three feared that he wouldn’t be able to return from…

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