Nick’s Picks | White, Garner, Lucas and More …

Frank Decision

Jackson County Executive Frank White has done something no one else has been able to accomplish over the past year. He’s managed to knock the stadium story off the front page.

White’s fate has become Kansas City’s newest and biggest political drama.

This week, we are waiting for a judge to rule on when a recall election can be held to oust him from office.

Jackson County lawmakers have called for a special recall election on August 26. But local election leaders say they don’t have time to prepare. They’ve filed a lawsuit asking that the question be delayed until November.

Picking a New KCK Mayor

Voters in Wyandotte County are preparing to pick a new mayor. Early voting begins Saturday in the race to replace Tyrone Garner, who is not seeking reelection. Garner has complained that the mayor’s office lacks the power to make big changes.

A crowded field of six candidates is running for Wyandotte County’s top job:

• Tom Burroughs, County Commissioner
• Mark Gilstrap, former state senator
• Christal Watson, Executive Director of the KCK School Foundation
• Rose Mulvany Henry, BPU board member and attorney
• Janice Witt, business owner and activist
• Gwendolyn Thomas, Unified Government Program Coordinator

Read more about the candidates from our news partner, The Beacon

Last Week, Reviewed

Brutally Hot Weather Continues

You may want to whip out the SPF 50 today, or even better, just stay inside. It’s going to be brutally hot this week.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Kansas City through 7 p.m. on Thursday. The “feels like” temperature will hit 105, with little relief at night.

If you haven’t made friends with someone who has a pool, now’s the time.

In National News You Can Use

• A year ago today U.S. President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection, creating political shockwaves around the world.
• His successor, Donald Trump, heads to Scotland this week. Trump will meet with the British prime minister during his four-day visit and stop at two of his family-owned golf courses. Scotland is the birthplace of Trump’s mother.
• You can expect lots of hushed meetings at hundreds of NPR and PBS stations across the country this week after Congress eliminated their federal funding for the first time since 1967. It’s also a big local story. The cuts represent a $1.7 million hit for Kansas City PBS. That represents 13% of the station’s budget.

Lucas Hard to Catch This Week

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas hits the midway point of his last term in office this week. He’s marking the occasion by racking up the air miles.

His official schedule has him in Philadelphia today speaking at a national summit of municipal leaders. He’s in Chicago on Wednesday where he will take in a Royals vs Cubs game at Wrigley Field. And on Friday, Lucas heads to Cleveland for the Democratic Mayors Annual Summit.

With all that travel, he must be thrilled he no longer has to take his shoes off at the airport!

Chiefs Begin Training Camp

The Kansas City Chiefs are in St. Joseph, Missouri, this week as training camp gets underway.

The equipment staff has been unpacking more than 24,000 pounds of gear, from helmets to shoulder pads, as the team takes up summer residence at Missouri Western State University.

The players report for camp today. The first open practice is scheduled for Tuesday.

And the Big Act in Town This Week?

Each week, there’s always one big performer that makes their way to Kansas City.

This week that honor goes to The Lumineers, who take the stage at T-Mobile Center on Saturday night.

All that’s left to say about that is, “Ho Hey!”

Nick Haines tracks the week’s most impactful local news stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 pm on Kansas City PBS.