High Winds and Hail Forecast for Parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas
KANSAS (USA Today) — Following a day of violent weather in the South, another round of severe storms is forecast to fire up across parts of the southern and central Plains on Thursday. USA Today reports that widespread severe storms that include damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes are expected Thursday afternoon and evening. The Storm Prediction Center says large hailstones and strong wind gusts will be possible along the more intense parts of a fast-moving line of storms. The states at greatest risk for severe storms Thursday are in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.
Much of Oklahoma is under a "moderate" risk for severe storms Thursday. That's level 4 out of 5 on the severe storm risk scale. The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, warned of a "significant severe weather" outbreak. People "should be prepared for hail up to the size of baseballs and winds up to 80 mph with the stronger storms," the weather service said.
The active weather will not conclude Thursday. Another round of intense thunderstorms is possible Friday.
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Cleanup of Explosive Waste Complete at Army Ammunition Site
DE SOTO, Kan. (KSHB) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced a major milestone in the ongoing cleanup of the old Sunflower Army Ammunition plant near DeSoto. KSHB TV reports that the army has completed the clean-up of explosive materials at the site. Decades of explosives produced at the site meant that many dangerous chemicals seeped into the earth and required special cleaning on the nearly 10,000-acre site. The huge installation provided ammunition throughout World War II as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. On Wednesday, the Army Corps announced that the site's explosive material had been entirely removed, which clears the way for the continued construction of the Panasonic EV Battery plant.
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Kansas City Warehouse Blaze Hospitalizes 3 Firefighters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Workers at a massive Kansas City wood-pallet warehouse fire escaped to safety Thursday, but three firefighters have been hospitalized, a spokesman said.
The firefighters were hospitalized for minor burns and heat exposure after battling flames at Pioneer Pallet's warehouse, said Kansas City Fire Department spokesman Jason Spreitzer. Another seven firefighters were treated at the site of the fire.
Spreitzer said about 160 firefighters were helping to put out the flames in an effort that he expected to last at least through the night.
There are no threats of hazardous materials catching on fire at this point, Spreitzer said. He said firefighters protectively drenched a propane refilling station for forklifts in water.
It's not yet known what caused the blaze. Investigators are waiting for the flames to die down before searching for more clues.
The area includes residential homes, a small baseball park and some industrial sites, including a commercial transportation business. The neighborhood is separated from downtown Kansas City by a rail line.
Spreitzer said nearby homes so far appear safe.
(– Earlier reporting –)
Firefighters Injured Battling Large Warehouse Fire in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF/KMBC) — Firefighters continued to battle a massive warehouse fire this (THUR) afternoon in east Kansas City. At least seven firefighters have been injured. WDAF TV reports that three were taken to the hospital. The fire began just after the noon hour at a wood pallet-making business in Kansas City’s Northeast Industrial District (near Monroe and Nicholson Avenues). Since then, 160 firefighters have joined the fight.
KMBC TV reports that the flames are so hot that firefighters must be rotated in intervals to avoid overheating. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital. Another four were treated at the scene.
7 Firefighters Injured Battling Warehouse Fire in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At least seven firefighters have been injured while battling a massive warehouse fire in east Kansas City. WDAF TV reports that more than 160 firefighters from dozens of units have been fighting flames at a wood pallet-building business. The blaze broke out just after the noon hour (near Monroe and Nicholson Avenues) in Kansas City’s Northeast Industrial District. Three firefighters have been hospitalized for treatment. Another four firefighters were treated at the scene.
More Than 160 Firefighters on Scene of Large Warehouse Fire in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — More than 160 firefighters were fighting a large fire Thursday afternoon that consumed a wood pallet-building business in Kansas City’s Northeast Industrial District. WDAF TV reports that crews responded to the blaze (near Monroe and Nicholson Avenues) shortly after noon today (THUR). One firefighter has been sent to a hospital for heat exhaustion. Other firefighters are being treated for minor burns after being exposed to the heat generated by the fire.
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Parents of Girl Who Drowned at KC's Oceans of Fun File Lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The parents of a 6-year-old girl who drowned at a popular Kansas City water park last year allege in a lawsuit that the park repeatedly hires young, inexperienced lifeguards and does not adequately train them. Therron and Debra Stewart, of Grandview, Missouri, filed the lawsuit against Oceans of Fun and its parent company, Cedar Fair. Their daughter, Adeline Stewart, died at a Kansas City hospital days after she was pulled from the Coconut Cove pool on July 5, 2022, The Kansas City Star reported. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday. Lawyers for the family say in the lawsuit that pool lifeguards did not detect Adeline for several minutes, even while park patrons made “frantic attempts” to get their attention. After she was pulled from the pool, the lifeguards were not equipped to give her first aid, according to the lawsuit. The Stewarts are seeking a jury trial. After Adeline's death, the water park made some changes to improve safety, including increasing height requirements for wearing life jackets in the pool, and requiring children shorter than 3½ feet to be accompanied by a supervisor.
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25,000 Suspected Fentanyl Pills Seized in Wichita, One Man Arrested
WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) — One man has been arrested in Wichita after thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills were seized. The counterfeit drugs are believed to contain fentanyl. Authorities were notified of suspicious activity (near the intersection of Central and Oliver Avenue) Monday afternoon. WIBW TV reports that the resulting investigation led to the seizure of an estimated 25,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills. The pills have been suspected to contain fentanyl and weighed about 11.5 pounds. Officials say a 27-year-old Wichita man was detained for questioning. He was later arrested on outstanding warrants and booked into jail. Officials have not identified the man arrested.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced Wednesday that it has formed a new task force with the Kansas Highway Patrol. This is the first major bust by the Joint Fentanyl Impact Team, which is made up of KBI special agents and state troopers.
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Kansas Doctor Dies After Saving Daughter from Drowning on Colorado Raft Trip
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP/KPR) — A Kansas doctor saved his daughter when she became trapped by their overturned raft in a rushing Colorado river, but later died of brain trauma he suffered. Authorities say 47-year-old Dustin Harker, a neurologist from Hutchinson, was on a whitewater rafting trip Friday with friends from church and four of his 13 children when the accident happened in the Sunshine Falls area on the Arkansas River. The family had rafted the same river in previous years but the rapids were more turbulent than usual due to high amounts of rainfall, Harker's sister-in-law, Sharon Neu Young, said in an email to the Hutchinson News.
A raft carrying Harker and three of his children capsized. “Everyone struggled to get above water,” Young wrote. “In the tumult, Dustin threw the capsized raft off his youngest daughter who was trapped underneath.” She did not disclose the girl's age. Everyone made it to shore and Harker was even able to speak, but he “had already taken on too much water” and soon became unresponsive, Young wrote. He died despite CPR efforts. Young says Harker died from two cerebral hematomas. "They suspect his head crashed against some rocks in the river when he was thrown from the boat," Young said. Cheryl Gonsalves, marketing manager for Hutchinson Clinic, said Harker cared deeply about his patients. “He was absolutely revered here,” she said.
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Kansas Insurance Commissioner Diagnosed with Cancer
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has announced she has breast cancer. The diagnosis came following a routine mammogram and a biopsy. Schmidt says she expects to make a full recovery and she's encouraging everyone to schedule preventive health screenings. She will continue to work at the department while undergoing treatment at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Schmidt, a Republican, just started serving her second, four-year term after being reelected last fall. Previously, she served as a state senator for more than a decade.
(– Additional reporting –)
Insurance Commissioner Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has been diagnosed with breast cancer and plans to undergo treatment in the coming weeks. Schmidt disclosed the diagnosis in a statement Wednesday. She said she will continue to work as the state's top insurance regulator while undergoing treatment at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Her statement was not more specific about her treatment. “I expect to make a full recovery,” Schmidt said, adding that operations at her department “will not be interrupted.” Schmidt, who is 67, said a doctor found “an area of concern” during a routine mammogram and ordered a biopsy. She informed her staff of her diagnosis on Wednesday morning. A Republican, Schmidt was first elected commissioner in 2018 and reelected last year with 63% of the vote, the largest percentage of any candidate running statewide. She is a pharmacist who represented a Topeka-area district in the Kansas Senate for 14 years before her election as insurance commissioner.
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KBOR Approves Tuition Hikes for Public Universities
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Board of Regents has approved tuition hikes for all six state public universities. Campus administrators say they need the increase to offset inflation and make up for tuition freezes imposed during the COVID pandemic. Tuition will go up 5% at most schools. Fort Hays State University will raise tuition 7%, and Wichita State University 5.9%. Regents chairman Jon Rolph says colleges need to charge more to pay faculty and stay competitive. “We do have to deliver a high level of excellence for the people that are coming. And so it does cost money to do that," he said. This year’s increases are the steepest in nearly a decade. Most Kansas universities also plan to raise student fees.
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Grain Belt Power Line Construction Could Begin in 2024
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The controversial Grain Belt Express power transmission line could begin construction next year in Kansas and Missouri now that regulators have approved an amended agreement. The years-long project has faced opposition along the way. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved energy company Invenergy Transmission’s request to build the project in two phases. The company can begin construction on the first portion while still acquiring land needed in Illinois for the second phase. The more than 780-mile transmission line is designed to take wind energy from southwest Kansas to homes in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Some landowners have opposed the project over the private company’s use of eminent domain to purchase property needed for the massive towers that carry high-voltage transmission lines.
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Demise of Pallid Sturgeon Spells Trouble for the Missouri River
UNDATED (HPM) — For millions of years, the pallid sturgeon has thrived in the Missouri River. The fish made it through mass extinctions and multiple ice ages. But populations have plummeted over the last century as humans installed dams and engineered the river current. Wayne Nelson Statsny leads the Missouri River Recovery Office at the U.S .Fish and Wildlife Service. He says the pallid sturgeon has evolved into a creature perfectly suited to the environment of the Missouri River. “If you were going to design a fish in an engineering class, programmed to the Missouri River, where you can’t see, you can only smell and hear, a pallid sturgeon is what you would design," he said. But those traits didn’t help when the sturgeon came up against the massive construction projects of the 20th century. Engineers built dams and narrowed the river and those projects nearly eliminated the fish’s habitat.
Biologists say the demise of the sturgeon is a warning that the river itself is in trouble. “The eco-system is in trouble on the Missouri River. It’s not just the pallid sturgeon that's in trouble," Statsny said. Harvest Public Media (HPM) reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working to re-create the sturgeon’s habitat.
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Royals Officials: Possible Sites for New Ballpark Narrowed to Two
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Officials with the Kansas City Royals say the team has narrowed the search to two possible locations for a new ballpark and entertainment district. One location, known as the East Village site, is in downtown Kansas City. The other possible site is in North Kansas City. KMBC TV reports that officials in Clay County, Missouri, have been working on a proposal to bring the Royals to the north side of the river. The Clay County Commission says the proposal for a stadium in North KC would ultimately be up to voters. They would be asked to approve a sales tax to fund construction of the stadium. Jackson County would also have to put a sales tax extension on the ballot in order to move the team to the proposed downtown location. Kauffman Stadium is 50 years old. It opened at the Truman Sports Complex in 1973.
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Winfield Man Pronounced Dead After He Was Thrown from Cement Mixer
WINFIELD, Kan. (WIBW) — A Winfield man is dead after he was thrown from a cement mixer as it flipped along a South-Central Kansas highway. The Kansas Highway Patrol was called to a location (2500 W. 9th Avenue) in Winfield Tuesday morning to investigate a single-vehicle crash. WIBW TV reports that when troopers arrived, they found that a cement mixer had veered off the road. The truck hit a culvert and eventually flipped over on its side. The driver, 50-year-old Charles R. Velz, of Winfield, was thrown from the vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Troopers say he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
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Missouri Man Guilty of Attempting to Have Sex with Teenage Girl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — A federal jury has found a Kansas City man guilty of traveling across state lines with the intent to have sex with a teenage girl. KSHB TV reports that an investigator with the Osahe County Sheriff's Office posed online as 17-year-old girl as part of an undercover sting operation to communicate with 58-year-old Steven E. Spradley. Federal prosecutors say Spradley traveled from Jackson County, Missouri, to Osage County with the intent to have sex with the teenager. He was arrested in July 2021 and now faces up to 30 years in prison.
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Kansas City Sues Auto Manufacturers Over Rash of Car Thefts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Officials in Kansas City have filed a lawsuit against auto manufacturers Hyundai and Kia after a surge of vehicle thefts in recent years. The city’s complaint blames the car companies saying the thefts were “easily preventable if the manufacturers had installed basic, common technology in those vehicles.” KMBC TV reports that a popular series of videos on TikTok, YouTube and other online sites shows step-by-step instructions on how to start and steal Kia and Hyundai automobiles — using only a screwdriver and a USB cable. Police departments across the country say the videos have caused thefts to spread rapidly over the last three years.
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Kansas Attorney General Testifies About Growing Retail Theft Problem in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach testified about retail theft Tuesday before a U.S. House committee in Washington, D.C. Kobach claimed Kansas is in the top 10 states hit by organized retail crime in terms of money lost. Kobach highlighted cases such as the owner of a Kansas City pawn shop who pleaded guilty to gathering items stolen from retailers and reselling them online. The Kansas Reflector reports that Kobach cited several factors in the legal system that worsen the problem: a lack of prosecution, the threshold amount that must be stolen in order to prosecute the theft, investigative capacity, bail being set too low and the speed at which suspects are released.
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Granny Basketball Underway in Kansas, Iowa, Texas
KANSAS & IOWA (KPR) — Women’s professional basketball is underway in the WNBA. But there's another group of women playing and they are — to quote them — “off their rockers.” It's called Granny Basketball and it challenges the perception that the game is just for the young. More women, aged 50 and older, are signing up to play in Kansas and nine other states. “We’re just getting contacts all the time from new women wanting to join the league,” said Michele Clark, the league’s executive director based in Berryton, Kansas. “They hear about Granny Basketball. They want to learn more,” she said. Clark, retired from the health care industry, is among six women and one man on the board of directors from Kansas, Iowa and Texas who invest their time as volunteers.
Two Granny League teams from Kansas, the Sunflowers and the Kansas Cougars, will participate in the national tournament July 14-16 in Decorah, Iowa. The Sunflowers, who practice in Olathe, will be the host team next year when the national tournament returns to Kansas. The 2024 tournament, which will be played in Kansas City, may even draw more women... off their rockers. (Read more.)
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Why Cat Owners Should Be Aware of "Bobcat Fever"
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — “Bobcat fever.” It's a tick-borne disease that could claim your feline’s life and fast. Doctors say indoor cats are not immune. WDAF TV reports that bobcat fever is killing more and more cats every year. One pet owner's cat died after it was bitten by a lonestar tick carrying the disease. Dog ticks can also carry the disease. Dr. Rebecca Morrison, a veterinarian in Harrisonville, says she sees about a case a month. “It’s increasing each year,” she said. “It seems to be getting worse and it goes with how many ticks we have too. And this year does seem like a very bad tick year, too, and those little bitty seed ticks that you can’t hardly see, those can transmit the disease too.”
Morrison says there is a treatment that gives animals a 60% shot at surviving bobcat fever. But it’s not easily at veterinarians fingertips. It takes about a day or two to get to their office and by then she says "the cat may have already died from the disease.” Morrison said your best bet is to keep ticks off your cats using flea and tick protection.
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Rare Tick-Borne Disease Identified in Southeast Kansas Resident
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – State health officials have identified a rare tickborne illness in southeast Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recently confirmed the Heartland Virus Disease in a Crawford County resident. KWCH TV reports that this is the first case of Heartland Virus in Crawford County and only the third case identified in Kansas since the virus was first discovered in northwest Missouri in 2009. The previous two cases in Kansas were identified in Miami County in 2015 and Anderson County in 2018. To date, there have been more than 50 cases of Heartland Virus diagnosed across the Midwest and Southern United States. The Crawford County resident was diagnosed in late May.
Heartland Virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Lone Star Tick, the most common tick in Kansas, which is most active from May through August. The symptoms of Heartland Virus Disease are vague and include fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, headache and occasionally a rash. Healthcare providers should consider Heartland in patients with compatible clinical illness and bloodwork findings when other common tickborne illness testing is negative.
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Rural Broadband Improvements Approved for Communities in Southeast Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas internet provider Craw-Kan has received a $50 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build out broadband infrastructure in southeastern Kansas. Christy Davis, with the USDA, says the investment could help stem decades of population decline and disinvestment in the area. “Because people can work remotely, because you can provide some of the same educational and health care resources to these communities that you would have in urban areas, broadband is essential to not only maintaining these communities in rural Kansas but continuing to grow them," she said. The project will cover Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties, and will include rate subsidies for low-income households. The money is part of more than $700 million the Biden administration has allocated to boost rural broadband access across the country. The latest announcement is part of a larger national announcement totaling $714 million in USDA investments in Kansas and 18 other states.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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Kansas Directs Grant Money to Youth Suicide Prevention
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) — Kansas is directing the money from a $3.6 million federal grant toward youth suicide prevention in Wyandotte County and southeastern Kansas. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Kansans aged 15 to 24 and has risen 64% in the state over the past two decades - outpacing the national rate. Mary Jones is president of the Mental Health Association of South-Central Kansas. She says the pandemic intensified social isolation and made it harder to screen young people for mental health issues. “When COVID happened and you have lack of resources, a lot of stress and trauma, you just see all of those mental health conditions at an exacerbated level," she said. The five-year grant will go toward suicide risk education, screening and treatment for young people. The Suicide Prevention and Lifeline number is 988.
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Bud Light, America's Top Beer for Decades, Falls to Second Following Flap over LGBTQ+ Marketing
UNDATED (AP/KPR) — After more than two decades as America's best-selling beer, Bud Light has slipped into second place. Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, overtook Bud Light in U.S. retail dollar sales in the month ending June 3, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Bump Williams Consulting. Modelo controlled 8.4% of U.S. grocery, convenience and liquor store sales; Bud Light fell to 7.3%. Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewer, is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the same parent company of Bud Light.
It's a milestone in Bud Light's months-long sales decline since early April, when critics who were angered by the brewer partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney vowed to boycott the brand. Bud Light has also faced backlash from Mulvaney's fans, who think the brand didn't do enough to support her.
Dave William, Bump Williams' vice president of analytics and insights, said Bud Light has been the top-selling U.S. beer since 2001, and it could still retain that crown this year. He noted that Bud Light's year-to-date market share of 9% is still outpacing Modelo's, at 8%. And Bud Light's sales volumes are higher.
But Modelo appears to have the advantage, with its dollar sales increasing by double-digit percentages every week. Sales in bars and restaurants, which are harder to track, aren't included in the retail numbers, and Bud Light far outpaced Modelo in those venues prior to April. But David Steinman, the vice president and executive editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, said Modelo's bar and restaurant sales have been growing quickly, and it's believed that Bud Light took an even steeper sales hit in bars and restaurants than in groceries.
Bud Light's U.S. retail sales were down 24% the week ending June 3, while Modelo Especial sales were up 12%, according to Dave Williams.
Last month, InBev said it will triple its marketing spending in the U.S. this summer, with a focus on sports and music festivals. Bud Light also continues to be a high-profile sponsor of LGBTQ+ Pride events.
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Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs Enjoy Spoils of Super Bowl Win During Wild Offseason
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whoever came up with the saying, “To the victor go the spoils,” could never have had the Kansas City Chiefs in mind.
They wouldn't have believed the amount of spoils that have come their way since their Super Bowl title.
There was Patrick Mahomes, the All-Pro quarterback and widely regarded as the league's best player, jetting from the Kentucky Derby to the Formula One race in Miami to the Met Gala, where he walked the red carpet alongside his wife, Brittany.
There was Travis Kelce, the All-Pro tight end widely regarded as the league's best at his position, taking some time out from his popular podcast with his older brother, Jason, to handle hosting duties on “Saturday Night Live.”
Then there was the entire team who, along with two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Andy Reid, flying to the White House for a meeting with President Joe Biden. It's a trip the Chiefs were unable to make after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 2020 because of the pandemic, and one they certainly relished after topping the Philadelphia Eagles in February.
“The hospitality was phenomenal,” Reid said. “They had different military guys in each of the rooms they let us go in, and the guys were experts on the paintings and the architecture and who's special room this was and that room, so you got the history, from the oldest table to the oldest picture, and you got the history of that. I think the guys appreciated that.”
That, and the food.
“I've never had this before,” Reid said, “but they had a French toast-grilled cheese-and-ham sandwich that they sprinkled a little bit of powdered sugar on. It was phenomenal. There was an abundance of this. Then they had chicken fingers — exotic chicken fingers. Maybe the best part was, which I hadn't seen before, little bit-sized squares of the heart of the watermelon. My hat went off to the chef. I went back and talked to him and I just go, ‘You guys are unbelievable.’”
Unbelievable is a good way to describe the Chiefs they days.
They wrapped their final mandatory minicamp of the offseason Thursday, and now have about a month before reporting to training camp. They will do so having won eight consecutive division titles, three of the past four conference championships and with two championship rings — they got their latest in a closed-door ceremony Thursday night.
So quite naturally, the biggest stars on the league's best team have been in demand.
“I've always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby,” said Mahomes, who gave the call for riders up in May, “but I wanted to win the Super Bowl before I went, and obviously the last one we had COVID that canceled that, so I was glad we were able to experience that. It was an awesome race. It's just about picking and choosing what you can do.”
Mahomes will be in the spotlight some more in the coming weeks.
He's the central figure alongside Kurt Cousins and Marcus Mariota in “Quarterback,” an eight-part docuseries produced by the NFL and Netflix that takes viewers behind the scenes last season. The show, which premiers July 12, is produced in part by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions company.
“I wanted to for sure have some editing rights,” Mahomes said Thursday, " because I've realized I'm kind of wild on the field. I don't even remember the things I say. It was cool to go through that process, having Peyton and his company. I have full trust in him. Thanks to the Chiefs and Coach Reid for having full trust in us during the season. It's going to be cool for people to see."
Mahomes, who became a father of two last November, is also trying to squeeze in some time on the links. He's teaming with Kelce to play the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the latest edition of “the Match,” an exhibition golf event June 29 at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. It will air on TNT.
“I'll play a little here and there. I have a charity golf tournament coming up. Other than that, we'll roll when the lights come on,” Mahomes said. “Travis hits the ball really far, just not always straight. If I can hit it straight, Travis will hit some shots that help.”
Kelce has been busy, too.
There was the moment he went viral for his epically poor first pitch before a Cleveland Guardians game, and an opportunity this past week to redeem himself before a Kansas City Royals game. He hosted a music festival in Kansas City the same weekend as the city hosted the NFL draft. And he earned mostly positive reviews for his hosting duties on “Saturday Night Live,” highlighted by an opening monologue that featured his entire family.
“It was a machine, man. It was a very strategic, structured machine,” said Kelce, who has since hired acting representation with an eye on a post-playing career. “Everyone works great together. All the writers, the production — it's like a team effort.”
The Chiefs certainly know something about that.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.