Nick’s Picks | Temperatures Rise, Crash Memorialized, Ramadan Begins and More …

Spring Has Arrived Early?

It’s a bad news, good news week…

The Bad News: For the first time in weeks, our kids will have to spend all five days in the classroom.

The Good News: We get to bask in spring-like temperatures. The National Weather Service is forecasting 60-degree weather today and Tuesday. And we’re going to take a run at 70 on Friday.

But our local TV meteorologists keep reminding us “winter isn’t done with us yet.” They say more storms could be on the horizon. Kansas Citians are being advised to keep their snow shovels handy, at least for now.

Big Deadlines and Ultimatums

Thousands of federal workers in Kansas City have been issued an ominous deadline.

The Trump administration has given them until midnight tonight to provide five bullet points detailing what they accomplished in the last week.

According to an email that employees received from the Office of Personnel Management, “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Last Week, Reviewed

The move follows the firing of a hundred IRS workers in Kansas City last week.

Schools and universities in Kansas and Missouri are also feeling the political heat.

They have been issued a Friday deadline to eliminate diversity programs or risk losing federal funding.

Local school administrators were sent the ultimatum in a letter from the U.S. Department of Education. It directs institutions, from pre-schools to colleges, to stop using “racial preferences” in admissions, financial aid, and hiring.

Kehoe’s Crime Crackdown

Kansas City, Missouri, is the only big city in America where the state controls its police department.

But this week, that’s about to change. 

Missouri lawmakers are set to send to the governor’s desk a bill that also places the St. Louis Police Department under state oversight.

The measure has already passed the House and is awaiting a final vote in the Missouri Senate this week.

Supporters say the move will improve public safety and officer retention.

The measure is part of a larger crime-fighting bill pushed by new Gov. Mike Kehoe.

In addition to state control of St. Louis Police, it would:

• Increase penalties for stunt driving and street takeovers
• Expand the legal definition of a riot
• Require law enforcement to report the immigration status of suspects

Wichita Plane Crash Tribute

This week, U.S. Figure Skating remembers the lives lost in last month’s deadly flight out of Wichita that killed 67 passengers and crew. It was the worst commercial plane crash in the United States in over two decades.

Twenty-eight of those on board the American Airlines flight had links to the figure skating community.

Now some of the sport’s biggest stars, past and present, will gather in Washington D.C. to pay tribute in a memorial event called “Legacy on Ice.”

The televised tribute airs this Sunday at 3 p.m. on Peacock.

Some Other News You Can Use

Ramadan starts: Thousands of Muslim families in Kansas City will be marking Ramadan on Friday. Islam’s holiest month is observed with dawn-to-dusk fasting.

New Month Alert: Wow, that went fast… Saturday is the first day of March.

The party’s over: Party City, which filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2024, will close all its stores by the end of the week, including its remaining locations in Overland Park and Lee’s Summit.

And The Oscar Goes To …

The movie world gathers at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday for the 97^th Academy Awards.

Conan O’Brien will be hosting the Oscars for the first time.

Amid the devastating LA wildfires, many on social media called for the awards telecast to be canceled this year. But the show will go on, though with multiple adjustments to honor the victims of the devastation and to pay tribute to first responders.  

Have you seen any of the nominated films?

“Emilia Pérez,” “Anora,” “The Brutalist.” and “Conclave” are competing to win Best Picture.

“Big Slick” Tickets Go On Sale This Week

Hollywood may have the Oscars; we have the Big Slick.

It’s the closest Kansas City comes to rubbing shoulders with dozens of celebrities.

Tickets for the annual event to benefit Children’s Mercy Hospital go on sale Friday.

Last year, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce joined Kansas City’s homegrown A-listers — Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet, Rob Riggle, David Koechner, and Heidi Gardner.

The two-day party, show, and celebrity softball event takes place May 30-31 at T-Mobile Center and Kauffman Stadium.

Last Symphony in the Flint Hills

The Kansas City Symphony has announced it’s killing off one of its longest-running and most popular events.

This year will be the last “Symphony in the Flint Hills.”

The orchestra has been packing up its instruments and making the trek to Cottonwood Falls in the heart of the Kansas tallgrass prairie since 2006.

But this milestone 20^th anniversary year will be the event’s grand finale.

If it’s been on your bucket list to go, tickets to the last-ever “Symphony in the Flint Hills” go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. on the orchestra’s website.

The outdoor concert is June 14.

KC Royals Stay Winning

The games may not count, but the Kansas City Royals are on a roll.

The team is enjoying a perfect start, winning all three of their pre-season spring training games in Surprise, Arizona.

Is it too early to be thinking about a World Series appearance this year?

The Royals are back in action today against the Oakland Athletics. Game time is 2:05 p.m.

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.