Nick’s Picks | Gerrymandering, Brewing, Haunting and More …

Final Redistricting Vote

Missouri lawmakers are expected to sign off this week on a new congressional map that could force out Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.

The full House is expected to vote on the measure today.

If approved, some dramatic changes are on the way.

Downtown Kansas City, the Plaza, and Brookside would all be carved out of Cleaver’s 5th Congressional District. The 11-term Democrat would gain more reliably Republican areas, including big parts of central Missouri, from the Lake of the Ozarks to Jefferson City.

But wait…there’s more!

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe isn’t just pushing lawmakers to change the state’s political maps.

He’s also urging the legislature to reform Missouri’s initiative petition process. He wants to make it tougher to pass citizen-led ballot questions.

If approved by lawmakers this week, the constitutional change would be placed before Missouri voters next year.

Last Week, Reviewed

Streetcar Shutdown

If you’ve got visitors coming to town this week, it’s probably not the best time to add the streetcar to the sightseeing list. The entire service is shut down from today through next Monday.

KC Streetcar says it needs the downtime for critical maintenance work, ahead of its planned expansion to the Country Club Plaza next month.

A dedicated bus will operate along the streetcar route during the weeklong shutdown.

World Cup Tickets

Trump has just been presented with the first ticket of the World Cup. Now you can get yours.

Your first chance to get single-game tickets for all 104 matches starts this week.

FIFA says its ticket lottery will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. on the FIFA website.

With just nine months to go, we still don’t know which teams will be playing in Kansas City. That won’t be decided until December 5 during the official World Cup Draw, a live event from the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Chiefs’ First Home Game

After a disappointing loss in Brazil against the Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs are now back in town and preparing for their first home game against the Eagles.  Game time is Sunday at 3:25 p.m.

In advance of the game, the Kelsey Brothers are co-hosting their popular podcast from the Power and Light District. The first-ever “New Heights Tailgate” will run from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the KC Live Stage.

While organizers are promising free BBQ, music, and giveaways, it’s unclear how much time Travis Kelce will spend at the event as he prepares for what could be the Chiefs toughest game of the season.

Beer Boom to Bust

Here’s a local trend worth watching this week, as another local brewery bites the dust…

Is it a challenging economy, a hyper-saturated market, or a sign of changing drinking habits?

If you didn’t catch the news…after 11 years of serving sour ales and farmhouse-style beers along the Rock Island Trail, Crane Brewing has permanently closed its doors. It is the fourth brewer in the Kansas City area to shut down in 2025.

While the Kansas City Business Journal claims equipment failures and leasing problems prompted the move, breweries are facing a tough market as more younger consumers switch to hard seltzers, tariffs drive up the cost of aluminum beer cans, and the increasing use of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic is taking a sizeable bite out of overall alcohol consumption.

The TV Meteorologists Were Right

Summer isn’t done with us, after all.

After an invigorating bout of fall-like weather, the heat roars back this week with temperatures well above normal.

Saturday’s high is expected to be 95 degrees.

Memorial Hall in KCK Turns 100

Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, is marking its 100^th birthday this week.

It’s had quite a history.

It’s the last place Patsy Cline played before dying in a plane crash in 1963.

Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osborne, and Elton John have all graced its stage.

It’s also the first place Pink Floyd performed in Kansas City.

The Unified Government, which now owns the building, is marking the milestone with a free community centennial bash this Friday night, with historic displays, food and music.

Designating Sept. 11 a Federal Holiday

Thursday marks the 24^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, many of them trapped inside the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

Despite the passage of time, it remains the deadliest act of terrorism in American history.

This year’s anniversary comes amid a new push by Trump to take federal control over New York’s 9/11 Memorial site and a renewed effort in Congress to make September 11 a national public holiday.

Out & About: 5 to Try

• Home runs will be flying out of Kauffman Stadium this week as the MLB Home Run Derby X event comes to Kansas City for the first time. The 3-on-3 competition features former pros, rookies, and celebrity players. Saturday night’s showcase at The K will also feature legends from the Royals’ 2015 World Series-winning team, including Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon, and Ben Zobrist.
• The Kansas State Fair continues in Hutchinson this week. Hip-hop icon Ludacris is the big headliner.
• Huzzah! Grab your helmet, shield, and fur… It’s Viking Invasion Weekend at the Renaissance Festival in Bonner Springs.
• It’s time for blood-curdling screams as Kansas City’s “Haunted Houses” open for the season this weekend. The Beast and Edge of Hell accept their first victims Friday night in the West Bottoms.
• And if getting off the couch feels like just too much effort this weekend, don’t forget the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards are on Sunday. Comedian Nate Bargatze is the host.

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.