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World Cup demand sparks lodging scramble in Kansas City

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World Cup demand sparks lodging scramble in Kansas City

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Kansas City is preparing for a surge of visitors as it gets ready to host World Cup matches this summer, with hotel availability and short-term rentals already tightening months before the first game kicks off.

Tourism officials estimate hundreds of thousands of visitors could pass through the metro during the tournament, while the city has roughly 36,000 hotel rooms. Some of those rooms are under contract with FIFA and unavailable to the general public, adding pressure to an already competitive lodging market.

That demand is pushing some locals to take unusual steps. Adam Kinner, a short-term rental host who owns multiple properties in the Kansas City area, says he even plans to rent out his own home during the World Cup and move in with his parents.

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Short-term rental properties are booking up in the Kansas City area ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

“I will actually be moving back into my parents’ basement,” Kinner told FOX. “The opportunity is just so large here that it would be silly not to take advantage of it.”

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President and CEO for Visit Kansas City and the Kansas City Sports Commission, Kathy Nelson, says the city has been preparing for this moment for years and is closely monitoring hotel capacity as bookings accelerate.

“The energy, the excitement, the anticipation is unbelievable,” Nelson said. “Everyone’s about to show up on our doorstep.”

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A map highlights cities selected to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

Nelson says Kansas City is one of the smallest host cities in the World Cup lineup, alongside major destinations like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, but officials are confident visitors will spread out across the region to find places to stay.

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New hotel development is also racing the clock. A 45-room boutique hotel called River Market Hotel is set to open this spring, just weeks before matches begin. The hotel’s managing member, Mike Heitman, says the timing adds pressure but also opportunity.

Hotel construction continues in Kansas City’s River Market area as the region prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

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“It’s exciting and scary at the same time,” Heitman said. “There’s a good chance we will have been open by just a week or two.”

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Kansas City will host six World Cup matches at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, including group stage games, a knockout round, and a quarterfinal. Tourism officials estimate the event could bring more than $600 million in economic impact to the region, making it the largest tourism event the city has ever hosted.

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Detroit, MI

3 Trades That Would Instantly Elevate Detroit Lions

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3 Trades That Would Instantly Elevate Detroit Lions


With a majority of the big name free agents off the board, the focus for the Detroit Lions becomes acquiring depth or players that have a plus side as starters.

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The Lions have addressed two glaring holes so far in free agency, with the signings of Cade Mays and Tyler Conklin plugging holes at center and tight end depth, respectively. Now, the focus for acquiring talent can be with remaining free agents or the NFL Draft.

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However, there is a third option that general manager Brad Holmes can explore. The Detroit Lions can look to acquire the crucial depth and starting-level talent with trades.

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Trades do require giving up players or picks to acquire talent, and here are players that Holmes can trade draft picks for this year. These are players on the last year of their contract with their current team’s.

Safety Jeremy Chinn (Las Vegas Raiders) 

Jeremy Chinn would provide a crucial depth piece at safety with the Lions facing an unknown future and Week 1 status for starters Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, along with reserve Dan Jackson missing all of 2025. 

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Chinn signed with the Las Vegas in free agency before last season, and he took a two year deal with $12 million guaranteed. With the Raiders pressing against the cap, especially after the Maxx Crosby trade was revoked by Baltimore, Chinn could be a trade piece to help offset their spending spree.

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The one concern for Detroit here is that Chinn missed the ending two games of the 2025 season with a back injury after 114 tackles and two forced fumbles in 15 starts. He is productive, but another player off the injured reserve could scare away the Lions as a suitor.

OT Dawand Jones (Cleveland Browns)

Jones is a player facing an uncertain future after seeing his season shut down in September last year with a knee injury. Cleveland made the former Buckeyes’ status even more cloudy with a trade for Tytus Howard earlier this offseason.

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The Lions have their own uncertain future at offensive tackle, with longtime stalwart Taylor Decker released to free agency. The Lions did acquire Larry Borom during the free agency cycle, and his contract suggests he is a swing tackle option that can start. However, Borom is a downgrade from Taylor Decker in terms of tackle production. 

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Additionally, depth is needed beyond Borom, as tackle Giovanni Manu struggled in his limited appearances in 2025 before ending the year injured.

Jones provides a proven right tackle option, as he earned All-Rookie honors at right tackle after an injury to Jack Conklin forced him into a starting role as a fourth-round pick.

The concern on Jones is, much like Chinn, his injuries. He has ended the year on injured reserve for lower body injuries in all three seasons in the league, in addition to needing an offseason knee surgery last February.

CB Deontae Banks (New York Giants)

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Banks is a former first round selection that has struggled to meet expectations since entering the league out of Maryland, and enters his fourth season with the Giants recently announcing there was no consideration of picking up his fifth year option. 

He struggled in 2025, with his limited snaps having little to show for them. Banks ranked No. 112 of 114 qualifying corners among PFF grades last season, despite only ranking 88th of the 114 in snaps. 

However, he has speed and athleticism, along with a knack for returning kicks. Last season saw the athlete blaze in his first career touchdown, which is a spot that is now a need for Detroit after Kalif Raymond left to reunite with Ben Johnson in Chicago.

The Giants might be looking to ship Banks off before losing him for no cost, with his current play unlikely to even factor in for a seventh-round compensatory selection. With Detroit needing depth at corner and a potential starting return man, Banks provides hidden value for Detroit. 

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Milwaukee, WI

Spring Training Game Thread #25: Milwaukee Brewers (10-14) vs. Texas Rangers (15-10)

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Spring Training Game Thread #25: Milwaukee Brewers (10-14) vs. Texas Rangers (15-10)


We’re officially one week away from Opening Day. The roster is coming more into focus as the day gets closer, but there are a few games to still play this spring. Tonight, the Brewers host the Rangers.

Prior to today’s game, the Brewers announced a few (perhaps surprising) roster moves. Blake Perkins, Tyler Black, and Logan Henderson were optioned to Triple-A, and Cooper Pratt was reassigned to the minor league camp. Perkins appeared to be in line for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he will start in Nashville instead. While Perkins has not had a bad spring, Brandon Lockridge’s spring has been strong enough that he may have played his way into a roster spot. This also means Garrett Mitchell is likely ready for the regular season, especially if the Brewers are making this move a week before the start of the season. With these roster moves, 34 players — 18 pitchers and 16 position players — remain in camp, with eight more cuts between now and next Thursday.



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Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota Photojournalist Sues FAA Over Rule Banning Drones Near DHS Assets

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Minnesota Photojournalist Sues FAA Over Rule Banning Drones Near DHS Assets


A Minnesota photojournalist and press freedom advocates are suing the Federal Aviation Administration over a recently issued rule banning drone flights within 3,000 feet of Department of Homeland Security buildings and vehicles.

“You have no way of knowing in advance before you fire up the drone whether you are within a prohibited distance of, say, an unmarked car that ICE is using for immigration enforcement,” said Grayson Clary, a staff attorney at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which is representing independent photojournalist Rob Levine in the case challenging the rule.

On Jan. 16, while Operation Metro Surge was in full swing in Minnesota, the FAA issued a nationwide temporary flight restriction, known as a TFR, banning drones from flying within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically of Department of Defense, Department of Energy and DHS “facilities and mobile assets, including vessels and ground vehicle convoys and their associated escorts.”

News organizations immediately pushed back. A coalition of media organizations including the New York Times, Washington Post and the National Press Photographers Association sent a letter to the FAA on Jan. 28, arguing that the flight restrictions violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

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The press photographers’ association warned its members that lawful newsgathering could quickly become criminal.

“A moving, effectively invisible TFR, applying to unmarked or rented vehicles creates a constantly shifting restricted airspace that journalists have no practical way to identify or avoid,” NPPA President Alex Garcia said in the press release.

Clary said the situation creates a chilling effect on journalists’ exercise of the First Amendment.

“Which, candidly, I think, is likely what was intended,” Clary said. He also argues that the rule violates a fundamental portion of the right to due process — fair notice of what the law prohibits.

Levine, the plaintiff in the case, has run into FAA restrictions around newsworthy events before. In 2016, when the FAA issued a TFR around the protests at Standing Rock in North Dakota, Levine was the only journalist to receive an exemption, allowing him to document the events from the air.

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The new restrictions for drone flights near DHS operations has made him think twice before taking out his drone.

“Seeing how these federal agents treated constitutional observers, I was truly worried that going out and flying, I could get arrested, have my drone destroyed, and be roughed up, like they did to so many of those constitutional observers,” Levine said.

The petition for judicial review was filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.


The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell..





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