Nick’s Picks | Thanksgiving and All the News

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and nearly every Kansas City-area school district is taking the entire week off. 

Many of our local governments are also on a light schedule. Even Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has extended the Thanksgiving holiday by giving state workers an additional paid vacation day on Friday. 

But not everyone is kicking back.  

Leaders in Wyandotte County are ratcheting up efforts to break up the Unified Government. 

This week, the public gets its second chance to weigh in on a provocative plan to undo the county’s 25-year experiment in consolidated government.  

Voters approved a merger of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, in 1997.  

But Mayor Tyrone Garner says the promises of consolidation haven’t been realized and without radical change the county will be bankrupt by 2026. 

Should they stay together or start drawing up a separation agreement? 

You can have your say tonight at a community meeting at the Edwardsville Community Center.  

It starts at 6 p.m. 

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Last Week, Reviewed

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With the public’s attention diverted elsewhere, the Thanksgiving holiday has also been a traditional time for elected officials and business leaders to make less popular news announcements, from layoffs to firings. 

Could it also be the time for a surprise announcement in the ongoing stadium saga? 

Last week, Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman upended the debate over a new ballpark by declaring the team’s interest in a third location, the former Kansas City Star press building. The Royals had dismissed that site earlier this year, but it’s now being reconsidered. 

Will the team close the door on the location issue this week?  

Or will they open it wider, by declaring they’re not far enough along in their plans to put something before voters on the April ballot, after all?  

And what about all those phone calls I’m getting from Jackson County lawmakers who say the Royals are still toying with a Kansas location?  

Wouldn’t that be one of the biggest Thanksgiving surprises of all?  

Super Bowl Rematch  

After a bye-week break, the Chiefs are finally back in what is being called a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night football.  

Don’t count on Taylor Swift being in Kansas City tonight. 

The “Shake it Off” singer will be in the middle of a three-hour set in Brazil when her boyfriend Travis Kelce takes the field.  

Kick-off at Arrowhead is at 7:15 p.m. 

Sporting KC’s Playoff Run 

It’s a big week for Sporting Kansas City. 

The team takes on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday in the MLS Cup Western Conference Finals. 

Sunday’s game in Houston starts at 6 p.m. 

Milestones and Moments

Monday: President Joe Biden turns 81 today. In addition to blowing out a lot of candles, he’s scheduled to pardon two turkeys at the White House as part of a longstanding Thanksgiving tradition. 

Wednesday: Sixty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Get ready for a new wave of documentaries this week promising a fresh take on what happened. 

Thursday: “Doctor Who” turns 60. The first episode of the iconic British sci-fi series premiered on Nov. 23, 1963. Are you ready for a massive Thanksgiving Day binge-watching session? All 800-plus episodes are being released on streaming, along with a new series of specials to mark the doctor’s 60^th anniversary. 

All Week: Much of the news focus this week will be centered on the small town of Plains, Georgia, the home of former first lady, Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at age 96.  

The former first lady and former President Jimmy Carter were married for 77 years.  

The nation’s 39^th president is currently in hospice care. He’s now 99 years old. 

Funeral services for Rosalynn Carter are scheduled for next week in the couple’s hometown.  

Giving Thanks 

In addition to a roof over your head, here’s something else to be thankful for. After years of breathless coverage over runaway food prices, the cost of your Thanksgiving meal has gone down this year. According to the American Farm Bureau, that’s largely due to the plummeting price of turkey, which has dropped 22% since last year. 

And if you’re on the road this Thanksgiving, you can also be grateful for much cheaper gas prices. AAA says the average price per gallon is down 46 cents from a year ago. 

Plaza Lights 

The Country Club Plaza is getting ready for its biggest event of the year. 

The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is Thursday night. 

Tech N9ne is the official switch flipper.  

The Kansas City rapper will turn on more than 200,000 bulbs and 80 miles of lights, which for some Kansas Citians marks the official start of Christmas. 

The event starts at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, but the lights won’t get turned on until closer to 7 p.m.  

Tech N9ne, Quixotic and The Elders are all performing this year. There will also be fireworks. 

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Nichols’ Folly

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Bah, Humbug! 

Some of Kansas City’s biggest holiday rituals make their return this week. 

In addition to the Plaza Lighting Ceremony, it’s the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting at Crown Center. The free event starts Friday at 5:30 p.m.  

Also making a return visit is curmudgeonly skinflint, Ebenezer Scrooge.  

Bah, humbug, you might exclaim. But for more than 40 years, “A Christmas Carol” at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre has been one of Kansas City’s most beloved holiday traditions. 

The Rep’s latest edition of Charles Dickens’ famous work starts Tuesday night and runs through Christmas Eve. 

And Union Station is dialing up the yuletide cheer. Holiday Reflections begins tonight, a walk-through village of lit trees, that for the first time will also feature a massive indoor water show set to holiday music. 

‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ 

Move over Taylor Swift, there’s another singing sensation in town.  

Mariah Carey recently announced a 13-city holiday tour and Kansas City made the cut. 

Carey performs Friday night at T-Mobile Center.