Good morning, it’s the First Day of Fall.
And Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts tonight.
Here are some of the local news and trends we’re tracking this week…
New Missouri Map Awaits Governor’s Pen
Missouri’s new congressional map is stuck in limbo, more than a week after lawmakers approved a rare mid-decade redistricting plan.
The state’s redrawn political map is still awaiting the governor’s signature.
Why the delay?
Gov. Mike Kehoe says it’s clearing his office’s legislative review process.
Despite multiple lawsuits and at least one petition effort that could force a referendum vote, Kehoe says he stands by the map. He calls reports that it mistakenly puts some voters in two different districts “bogus news.”
New Push for East-West Streetcar Line
Just weeks before the new streetcar line to the Country Club Plaza officially opens, Kansas City leaders are revisiting plans for an east-west streetcar line.
Mayor Quinton Lucas will be at the 18th & Vine Streetcar Kick-Off Event later today. The city is exploring a proposal to run streetcar tracks to the east side entertainment district.
A more ambitious east-west route that would have connected the KU Medical Center in Kansas to the Truman Sports Complex was considered “financially unfeasible.”
Early Voting Underway in Frank White Recall
Early in-person voting continues this week in the special Frank White recall election.
Voters will issue their final verdict on the Jackson County executive on Sept. 30. White participated in a Sept. 15 debate on his recall, hosted by Kansas City PBS and the Kansas City Public Library.
Watch ‘A Frank Decision’ Debate
In National News You Can Use …
Shutdown Looms: Can the government keep the lights on? There could be another federal shutdown next week if Congress can’t agree on a path forward. The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a stopgap bill that will keep the government cash flowing, at least through November.
UN 80th Anniversary: World leaders converge on New York this week for the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. President Donald Trump is expected to speak to the world body on Tuesday.
While the UN may be celebrating a big birthday, there may not be a lot to celebrate. Conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Gaza are dividing member nations. And just as pressingly, the UN is out of money, as an increasing number of member states refuse to pay their dues. Trump calls the UN “terribly run” and has eliminated funding for many of its programs.
A Sports First: This week, Trump will become the first sitting president to attend the Ryder Cup. The biennial golf match-up between the United States and Europe starts Friday in New York.
In Local Sports News …
Last Game of the Season: It looks like the party’s over for the Kansas City Royals. While they’re not officially eliminated from the playoffs, only a miracle can now push them into the postseason. Both Houston and Cleveland would have to lose every single game this week for that to happen.
If you don’t believe in miracles, the Royals’ last outing of the season is this Sunday in an on-the-road matchup against the A’s.
No Longer Winless: The Kansas City Chiefs have finally stopped the skid, defeating the New York Giants Sunday. Can they scratch out another win this week?
The Chiefs are back home at Arrowhead as they take on the Baltimore Ravens.
If you want to beat the crowds at Costco this week, then go on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. That’s the game’s official kick-off time.
Atlas9 Opens Thursday
Move over “Meow Wolf” … Atlas9 opens this week on the site of the doomed Schlitterbahn Water Park.
If you don’t know what “Meow Wolf” is, it’s likely you’re not the audience for Kansas City’s newest attraction.
I had the chance to nose around the place during a special media preview over the weekend.
While Atlas9 is being described as an immersive art experience, it feels more like a mash-up of an escape room, jungle gym, haunted house, and children’s museum, with lots of secret passageways and plenty of buttons and levers to push.
You’re either going to love it or consider the attraction totally bizarre, strange, and confounding.
Atlas9 opens Thursday, next to the new Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas.
Nick Haines tracks Kansas City’s most impactful, confusing and downright head-scratching stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.
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