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With of help generous Kansas Citians, families receive holiday gifts at Season of Hope toy drive

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With of help generous Kansas Citians, families receive holiday gifts at Season of Hope toy drive


KANSAS CITY, Mo — KSHB 41 News and the Salvation Army held the 2024 Season of Hope toy drive Thursday.

It’s the fourth year of a partnership to help Kansas City area families during the holiday season.

With it being this close to the holidays, stores were probably packed with last-minute shoppers, but so was the Salvation Army for the drive, with families picking out the perfect gifts for their loved ones.

Mariah Nicholas is a mom of four — two girls and two boys.

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Spending Christmas with them means a little more this year. She almost lost her life in a car accident right before Thanksgiving.

“I hydroplaned off the road and slammed into a tree line on my side,” Nicholas said. “So, I took the blunt of it but I’m hanging in there.”

She signed up for the Season of Hope toy drive to fill a void she couldn’t this Christmas. She says this will take off some of the financial burden.

“I lost my job right before Thanksgiving due to my wreck,” Nicholas said. “So, I’m waiting to go back, but without this help, I probably wouldn’t be able to do much.”

KSHB 41 News staff

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Mariah Nicholas

She’s one of 300 families that will benefit from the drive.

It was set up department style, allowing each family to get a personal shopping experience to pick out toys that their children would like.

“There are a lot of toys that my kids will actually enjoy,” said Nina Velazquez, a mom of two. “Usually, I’m very very stressed out because I’m at Walmart in line with 100,000 people and my pocket usually doesn’t have enough to cover everything.”

Nina Velazquez

KSHB 41 News staff

Nina Velazquez

In total, 11,250 toys were donated this year, and each family received gift cards to Aldi’s, helping to fill their table and tree.

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“They get not just a single toy,” Salvation Army Pastor Dawn Windham said. “It’s a big toy and a small toy, and stocking stuffers, and books and family games and clothing — it’s just amazing.”

Salvation Army Pastor Dawn Windham

KSHB 41 News staff

Salvation Army Pastor Dawn Windham

This event giving more than just hope this holiday season.

“To watch them open, you know more than what I could give them on Christmas this year,” Nicholas said. “So, I’m super grateful to the Salvation Army and them helping us.”

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KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. Share your story idea with La’Nita.





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Storms late Friday night into early Saturday morning caused damage across the Kansas City area

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Storms late Friday night into early Saturday morning caused damage across the Kansas City area


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Severe weather hit the Kansas City area late Friday night into early Saturday morning, leading to damage across the metro.

At St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, located near 40th and Main streets in Kansas City, Missouri, one of its fences was taken down due to the storm, as well as a tree that fell away from the property.

KSHB 41

Fence down at St. Paul's Episcopal Day School

KSHB 41

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LINK | KSHB 41 Weather forecast
LINK | KSHB 41 Weather Blog
LINK | KSHB 41 Weather Alerts

A tree fell onto the front of a duplex and a pickup truck in Merriam at around midnight. No injuries were reported.

tree down at 52nd and Knox Ave in Merriam

KSHB 41

In addition to the damage, a flood warning has been issued for the Marais Des Cygnes River at Osawatomie until early Monday morning.

As of 4 a.m. Saturday, the stage was at 27.9 feet, according to the Miami County Sheriff’s Office.

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The river is expected to crest Saturday afternoon at 28.6 feet, higher than the 28 feet at which low-lying areas along the river begin to flood, authorities said.





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Storm causes power outages in Kansas City metro

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Storm causes power outages in Kansas City metro


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Residents are without power after a storm swept through the Kansas City metro late Friday night into Saturday morning.

According to Evergy’s power outage map, as of 12:22 a.m., 76 active outages are causing 1,628 customers to be without power.

Over 1,000 customers are without power in the Kansas City area.(KCTV5)

WEATHER UPDATES: First Warn Weather Day: The final round of storms on the way. Here’s what to expect

This is an active situation. KCTV5 will make updates to this story as they’re made available.

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Chiefs President: New team facilities in Olathe will connect with schools, city

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Chiefs President: New team facilities in Olathe will connect with schools, city


KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She’s reported on the Chiefs’ decision to move its team facility to Olathe since the team made the announcement in December. That coverage has included amplifying the voices of residents who have different perspectives on the project, which has ranged from excitement to scrutiny. Share your story idea with Elyse.

Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan said Friday the team is drawing inspiration from recent team headquarters projects with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys as they develop plans for their own new headquarters in Olathe.

In December, the club reached an agreement with Kansas officials to move across the state line. The agreement called for a $3 billion, domed stadium in western Kansas City, Kansas, and a new team headquarters and practice facility near Kansas Highway 10 and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.

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Donovan’s remarks on Friday came during the Olathe Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.

Elyse Schoenig/KSHB

The Olathe Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.

The chamber’s theme for 2026, “Olathe Rising,” appears well-timed as the Chiefs work to build out their team headquarters vision.

Donovan said the team and its partners have been busy behind the scenes and hope to have updates on the project in the near future.

He said the club will look to work with the Olathe School District and the Olathe City Council in their plans.

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The club is exploring a unique component to the facility by incorporating flag football into the project.

Flag football has been a priority of the club and the National Football League. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

In April, the Kansas State High School Athletics Association is set to vote on whether to sanction girls’ flag football as a high school varsity sport.

Funding for the club’s Olathe project will come in part from the sale of bonds paid for by certain sales tax revenues.

In February, the Olathe City Council approved participation in a STAR bonds district to build the team’s new headquarters and training facility at College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road.

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Elsewhere on Friday, Kansas legislators introduced the Kansas Sports Authority Act. The act would create a nine-member board to oversee all aspects of sports facility construction.

Elyse Schoenig





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