Nick’s Picks | Stadium (Again), Fire, ICE and More …

A view looking north from the proposed Kansas City Royals stadium with the downtown skyline in the background.

Big questions loom as the week begins — from stadium drama to detention centers to a familiar cliffhanger: Are we heading for another government shutdown? Signs of a New Royals Stadium Deal? Could last week’s closed-door meeting between the governor, mayor, and county executive signal that a deal is finally ready to be made on…

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Nick’s Picks | Streetcar, Shutdown, Voting and More …

Streetcar 802 sits idle on Main Street near Country Club Plaza where it was undergoing testing on the Main Street extension on Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Carlos Moreno | KCUR 89.3)

Big Streetcar Opening Ceremony After more than three years of pain and disruption, Kansas City’s new streetcar extension line finally opens this week, allowing passengers to ride all the way down to the Country Club Plaza and on to UMKC. A grand opening ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. on Friday at the new Plaza…

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Nick’s Picks | White, Shutdown, KCI and More …

People use the moving sidewalks at the new Kansas City International Airport terminal.

Frank White’s Replacement We may find out today who is replacing Frank White as Jackson County executive. Two weeks after voters ousted him from office, county lawmakers are scheduled to meet this afternoon to consider their pick for the job. Nearly a dozen candidates have applied for the interim leader post, which will last only…

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Blue River Cleanup Targets Trash, Invasive Species

A restoration project is underway along the Blue River watershed, a collaborative effort by four nonprofit partners: The Heartland Conservation Alliance, Bridging The Gap, Deep Roots, and Mid-America Regional Council. The groups signed the contracts officially in May. “The day that we got our signed contract sent to us from the city kind of felt…

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Many ‘Moving Parts’ Complicate Work of KC Reparations Panel

When the Bruce R. Watkins Drive (the view here looks south from Linwood Avenue) was constructed, it cut in two the historic, predominantly Black Ivanhoe neighborhood, which runs from 31st to 47th streets and from Prospect Avenue to Paseo Boulevard. The freeway’s history is an example of how government decisions led to injustice for Black residents. (Bill Tammeus | Flatland

Kansas City’s history of racial division and injustice is painful and often appalling. But the city now has an opportunity through the Mayor’s Commission on Reparations to show other cities — and maybe the nation itself — how to begin repairing the vast damage inflicted on Black citizens by discriminatory, foolish, destructive, and indefensible past…

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