People Magazine has recognized The Weather Room in downtown Topeka’s Cyrus Hotel as the most beautiful restaurant in Kansas and one of the 50 most beautiful in the U.S., Downtown Topeka, Inc., announced Tuesday.

People, along with the editors of Open Table, crowned one restaurant in each state as part of the 2024 Beautiful issue, DTI said in a news release.

“These super-stylish stunners deliver unforgettable dining experiences,” said People, an American weekly magazine published since 1974 that focuses on human interest and celebrity news and has 96 million weekly readers.

“I am thrilled to see The Weather Room receive this national recognition by such a popular magazine,” said Ashley Gilfillan, DTI’s president.

The Weather Room has become an important destination on S. Kansas Avenue, she said while expressing excitement that “more may discover what it has to offer as a result of this recognition.”

What is The Weather Room?

A modern steakhouse serving creative Midwestern cuisine and American dishes inside the Cyrus Hotel at 920 S. Kansas Ave, The Weather Room Restaurant & Bar offers upscale, casual dining in the heart of Topeka.

Designed by its owner, Topeka-based AIM Strategies as a place where people can experience both progress and nostalgia, The Weather Room introduced to downtown Topeka an American grill that combines classic and modern flair, DTI said.

The Weather Room evokes the state’s pastoral landscape with emerald green banquettes and golden-hued curtains, it added.

Seth Wagoner, CEO of AIM Strategies, expressed excitement about the recognition.

“Our aim for the Weather Room was to provide an excellent dining experience to both our city guests and locals,” he said. “It is exciting to have People magazine recognize the work and design that went into the Weather Room.”

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ work is never done, even with the first game not for many more months. While we wait for who they play in Week 1, the organization is readying for the dog days of summer where much of the roster takes shape.

If you pull up Kansas City’s depth chart on their team website, you will notice plenty of open spots in the starting roles. I mean, there is no point in updating the depth chart right now, but it is an ironic representation of how many jobs are up[ for grabs right now. Between departing free agents and underperformers, Chiefs Kingdom deserves to see some new blood in the starting 25.

Not all of these battles are for the top dog, but still important roles nonetheless. Let’s take a look at the five roster battles you need to watch this offseason.

Primary participants: Matt Araiza, Ryan Rehkow

The punting battle brewing in Kansas City is not your typical camp news—it promises to be an entertaining showdown. Chiefs Kingdom rejoiced when Veach added “Punt God” Matt Araiza to the roster, with his legal issues behind him. The Buffalo Bills released their 2022 sixth-round pick, who had been named their starting punter, following allegations from 2022, despite already having assigned him the role. With the lawsuits settled in December 2023, Araiza had a clear road back to the NFL.

Araiza’s collegiate resume is impressive, boasting achievements like being a unanimous All-American and clinching the 2021 Ray Guy Award for the nation’s top collegiate punter. But professional sports is all about what a player has done lately, and it will be nearly two years between Araiza’s preseason with Buffalo and his performance in St. Joseph. Camp competition is always good, but Veach brought in an insurance policy for Araiza in rookie Ryan Rehkow.

The BYU alum signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs after spending four years with the Cougars. He played in 50 games, landing on the Ray Guy Award watch list for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, he concluded the season as the Big 12’s top punter, maintaining an average of 48.4 yards per punt, a feat that also secured him the second position nationally. His 31 punts greater than 50 yards led the conference by a wide margin as well. Rehkow has a powerful leg, one that could rival the rusty Araiza.

Tommy Townsend became a first-team All-Pro after the Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent a few years ago. Townsend signed with the Houston Texans at the beginning of the season, which opened up a spot alongside Harrison Butker. Araiza and Rehkow both have booming legs, with their drawbacks. In any case, Kansas City boasts two exceptional punting options to kick off the summer.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker recently called out President Biden over his “delusional” support for abortion as a practicing Catholic. 

The three-time Super Bowl winner laid into the 81-year-president during a fiery commencement speech Saturday at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where the NFL star also criticized the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and aired out his frustrations with a litany of other political, religious and cultural issues. 

“As a group, you witnessed firsthand how bad leaders who don’t stay in their lane can have a negative impact on society,” Butker, 28, said early in his 20-minute address to the graduates of the small Catholic liberal arts school, referring to the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

“While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” the kicker argued. 

“Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.”

And the buck stops with Biden, according to Butker. 

“Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally,” he said. 

The line was a reference to Biden’s bizarre use of the gesture, which Catholics often make before and after prayer, while listening to pro-abortion remarks delivered by Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried last month. 

 Biden is America’s second-ever Roman Catholic president.

“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” Butker went on.   

“He is not alone. From the man behind the Covid lockdowns, to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common — they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it,” he argued. 

The NFL player urged the new grads to “stop pretending that the ‘Church of nice’ is a winning proposition,” encouraging them to speak out in opposition to what he called declining morals.

Biden has repeatedly called on voters to re-elect him in 2024 and to elect a Democratic House and Senate that will codify the right to an abortion nationwide since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.