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New Toll Road Opens

Kansas City’s first toll road opens this week.

Starting Saturday, you’ll pay up to $3.50 to travel the new express lanes on U.S. Highway 69 from 103^rd to 151st streets in Overland Park.

There are no toll booths — cameras scan your license plate, and a bill arrives by mail. KTAG users pay less.

Prefer not to pay? Stick with the regular lanes — they’re still free, bumper-to-bumper traffic included.

For neighbors along the corridor, it marks the end of three years of round-the-clock construction, detours and bridge closures. State officials call it the busiest stretch of highway in Kansas.

President’s Day Holiday

Here’s a reminder that banks, post offices and most government buildings are closed today in honor of President’s Day. There’ll be no mail delivery.

Last Week Reviewed

Tuesday’s Triple Holiday

It’s a rare calendar collision: three major cultural holidays overlap on Tuesday.

Mardi Gras lines up with the Chinese New Year and the opening of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month.

And for those following the lunar calendar, it’s the Year of the Horse, which in Asian culture is your signal to take bold steps and pursue new opportunities.

Another Shutdown?

We start the week with another government shutdown after Congress stalemates on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Senate Democrats have blocked the spending bill, demanding new guardrails on immigration enforcement, including body cameras, a mask ban and warrant requirements.

The single-agency shutdown, which affects about 4% of the government, is not likely to slow down the work of ICE or the Border Patrol, which received a huge amount of funds from an earlier bill.

Instead, the squeeze is expected to hit less controversial corners of DHS — including the Transportation Security Administration, the United States Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency — potentially slowing airport screenings and disaster response efforts.

No deal is currently in sight. Congress is on recess this week for the President’s Day holiday.

Missouri Map Fight

A judge is expected to rule this week on Missouri’s new congressional map, five months after lawmakers redrew the state’s political battlelines. The move was widely seen as an effort to squeeze out Kansas City Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.

Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe must determine if the 2026 elections move forward under the new lines or revert to the old map while a voter-led referendum challenge plays out.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is expected to testify in a separate lawsuit against the map in a Jackson County courtroom on Wednesday.

The clock is ticking. Candidates can begin filing for congressional office next week.

Bathroom Spat in Kansas

Just days after Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill requiring transgender Kansans to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth, Republican lawmakers say they’ll move this week to override her.

The measure would also ban multi-stall gender-neutral bathrooms in government buildings, public schools and state-owned sports venues, including the proposed new Kansas City Chiefs stadium in Wyandotte County.

Save Our Costco? Lucas Joins the Fight

Costco is on the agenda at City Hall this week amid growing concerns that the company is going to convert its Midtown location into a Costco Business Center – a move that would strip out the pharmacy, food court and many customer-friendly staples, from clothes to toys.

Lucas is set to meet with Costco representatives on Wednesday.

The location at 31st and Main streets was Kansas City’s first Costco. It opened 25 years ago.

Royals Funeral

Funeral services will be held Friday in Georgia for former Royals outfielder Terrance Gore.

Gore died after complications from appendix surgery. He was 34.

Best known for his blazing speed, Gore became a key weapon during the 2015 World Series, helping lift the Kansas City Royals to a championship title.

Olympics Closing Ceremony

Get your final fix of double axels, triple lutzes and gravity-defying camel spins before the flame goes out — the Winter Olympics glide to a close this weekend in Italy.

The Closing Ceremony takes place Sunday, when the Olympic flag is passed to France, host of the 2030 Winter Games. After that, the torch makes its way to Salt Lake City, which will welcome the world again in 2034.

See, Watch and Do Around KC

• KC Brew Fest returns to Union Station on Saturday, with 120 beers from more than 40 local and international breweries.
• Don’t throw away your shot: Hamilton begins a two-week run on Wednesday at the Music Hall.
• The biggest celebrity in town this week? Eric Church. The country star plays T-Mobile Center Saturday night.
• Free admission continues this week at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Kansas City Royals are picking up the tab for Black History Month.
• And Kansas City PBS brings its annual Reel Black Film Festival to the historic Gem Theater and the American Jazz Museum on Friday. The two-day movie showcase highlights documentaries by Black filmmakers. On Saturday, Mayor Lucas introduces “Hoops, Hopes & Dreams,” an ESPN production telling the untold story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to connect with young voters.

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.