Kansas
Kansas bill offers bonding to cover 75% of cost to build Chiefs, Royals stadiums in Kansas • Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Legislation to be presented Monday to Kansas lawmakers to lure the Kansas City Royals or Kansas City Chiefs across the state line would allow issuance of bonds to cover 75% of stadium projects with a minimum capital investment of $1 billion.
The STAR bonds would have a 30-year payback schedule, rather than the 20-year timeline for other state bonded projects. Current STAR bond law in Kansas limited financial support for economic development projects to 50% of the cost.
In addition to state revenue from sports gambling and lottery gaming, sales tax revenue from businesses in the respective sports stadium development districts would be earmarked to cover bond debt. In another unusual move, the bill would allow up to 100% of sales tax revenue on alcoholic liquor sales within a stadium district to be dedicated to paying off bonds.
A 40-page bill outlining details of the incentives was prepared for consideration during the special legislative session called by Gov. Laura Kelly for the purpose of resolving a stalemate on state tax reform. The session formally opens Tuesday, but committees devoted to business and tax issues will convene Monday.
The scramble in Kansas to pull together a bill supporting construction of Kansas stadiums for the Royals or Chiefs followed the April rejection by Jackson County, Missouri, voters of a sales tax measure that would have generated funding for a downtown baseball stadium for the Royals and financed renovations to Arrowhead Stadium where the football team plays. The teams are bound to existing stadium leases through 2031.
Kansas House and Senate commerce committee members are to meet 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Capitol to wade through the stadium bill. The bill draft could be amended by committees in either chamber. Legislative leaders expect the measure to be voted on Tuesday by the full House and Senate and, if approved, sent to the governor.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Missouri would develop a “competitive” offer regarding the professional sports franchises if Kansas stepped forward with a package.
Big lobbying push
An army of lobbyists and other business interests have made informal presentations in recent weeks to any of the 165 Kansas legislators willing to talk about the STAR bond blueprint. Those conversations are expected to continue Monday night among lawmakers invited to a Lawrence steak house to hear from lobbyists, a Royals executive and representatives of organized labor.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, reached out to owners of the Chiefs to see if they were open to consideration of “mutually beneficial opportunities.”
An organization called Scoop and Score was formed to pitch the border-war idea, but much of that organization’s marketing has been on behalf of a stadium for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
“Here in Kansas, we have the unique opportunity to solidify our region as the forever home of the Chiefs at no additional cost to Kansas taxpayers,” Scoop and Score’s social media post says. “We need every Chiefs fan in the state to contact their legislator and urge them to vote to keep the Chiefs in Kansas City.”
Americans for Prosperity in Kansas, however, has campaigned against the STAR bond concept. Legislators with constituents long distances from the Wyandotte County or Johnson County suburbs where the stadiums would likely be constructed have expressed doubts.
Two-stadium solution
The proposed STAR bond bill addressed one financial concern raised by skeptics of the attempt to raid Missouri for the Chiefs or Royals. The bill says bonds for stadium projects issued by the Kansas Development Finance Authority would be obligations of KDFA and “shall not constitute a debt of the state of Kansas within the meaning of … the constitution of the state of Kansas.”
“They are not full faith and credit bonds” and would be “payable solely from the sources identified in the STAR bonds financing act, namely incemental sales tax, alcohol tax and expanded lottery money,” said a briefing document summarizing the bill.
That provision would forbid general tax revenue flowing into the Kansas treasury to be called upon to pay holders of STAR bonds issued for the NFL or MBL stadium projects if one of the sports business districts failed to generate sufficient revenue in the future.
Reports of revenues filed with the Kansas Department of Revenue in connection to STAR bonds for sports stadiums “shall be kept confidential and if unlawfully disclosed would be subject to penalties.”
The bill would make permanent a one-year budget provisio approved by the 2024 Legislature that would dedicate lottery revenue above $71.4 million annually, excluding revenue from sports gambling, to the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund.
Some fine print
Under the bill prepared for consideration by the Legislature, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce would have authority to enter into a STAR bond agreement with no more than two professional sports franchises. The bill proposed sports business districts would be established by June 30, 2025, but a council comprised top legislative leaders and the governor could extend the deadline for one year.
A final agreement with the Royals or Chiefs would have to be approved by the same bipartisan council of politicians, which is known as the Legislative Coordinating Council. The LCC would possess authority to approve or reject the deals whether the Legislature was in session or not. The agreement wouldn’t be considered a public record until the LCC by majority vote accepted an agreement.
The definition of “major professional sports complex” for purposes of the bill would be a stadium with more than 30,000 seats for holding National Football League and Major League Baseball contests as well as other events.
A memorandum summarizing the bill says franchises eligible for the incentives would be NFL or MLB teams located in “any state adjacent to Kansas.”
The Kansas bill would allow, but not require, local governments to dedicate tax revenue to the sports franchise developments for the Chiefs or Royals.
Kansas
Scare at underground storage caves sends 4 to hospital, prompts evacuation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Emergency crews treated nearly two dozen people after a carbon monoxide scare Friday morning. Four of those people were taken to hospitals.
The Kansas City Fire Department responded to a call about an unconscious person at a business located near NE Underground Drive near Missouri 210 Highway. The call came in around 8:30 a.m.
Emergency crews evacuated the business. They also began monitoring the air quality inside the area.
Crews later determined the issue was caused by high levels of carbon monoxide. Firefighters monitored the air quality for several hours after the call.
They cleared the scene shortly before 11 a.m. and people were allowed to go back to work inside the cave.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Severe weather sets back Kansas wheat harvest
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Severe weather and humidity are holding back the wheat harvest in Kansas and adding to historically low yields.
Justin Gilpin, the chief executive officer of the Kansas Wheat Commission said Thursday that nearly 20% of the acres planted won’t be harvested this year because of poor crop conditions.
“It’s been a challenging year for Kansas wheat farmers from production because of weather,” Gilpin said. “And ironically, the dry weather’s what caused the low, low estimates and low yields, and now, we’re seeing some crop losses because of too much rain and high humidity.”
He said some recent crop losses are piling on top of what was going to be one of the lowest productions Kansas has seen since the 1960s.
But some farmers have had more luck than others, Gilpin said.
While some are collecting yields of 10 to 15 bushels per acre, others are getting 50 per acre, depending on when the rain hits and how the wheat varieties respond.
Gilpin said harvest has been slow because farmers have had to pause for the weather multiple times.
Despite a 40% decrease in production compared to last year, Kansas remains the largest wheat producer in the United States, which Gilpin said, is being watched by people across the globe.
“A lot of eyes, you know, around the United States but also around the world are always eager to see how the bushels are going to come in from our Kansas farms because of the impact that we have,” he said.
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Kansas
Kansas City area boosted infrastructure for FIFA World Cup. Now, the games begin
An estimated 650,000 visitors will flood the Kansas City area over the course of the month-long FIFA World Cup, which chose Kansas and Missouri as the home for four teams and at least six matches.
The event catalyzed a major transportation expansion, created temporary diplomatic offices, and established dedicated health care infrastructure to support Kansas City visitors. The area is one of 11 American host cities for the North American tournament.
The first match between Mexico and South Africa begins Thursday in Mexico City.
Kansas City’s first match is scheduled for June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City between Argentina and Algeria, both of which will be based in the Kansas City area for the tournament’s duration, along with the teams from the Netherlands and England.
KC2026, the area’s nonprofit World Cup planning organization, estimated Kansas City could see more than $650 million in economic activity.
As home to the tournament’s smallest host city, the states of Kansas and Missouri, and local governments will be looking to recoup $111 million in public investments dedicated to the tournament. Combined with federal funds, almost $200 million in public money has laid the foundation for the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City.
Salma Aouam, a former Fulbright Scholar and graduate student at Kansas State University, said the Kansas City area has the opportunity to capitalize on the predicted tourism influx by promoting surrounding attractions beyond the World Cup.
“They’ll visit national parks in Arkansas, visit bison farms in Missouri, and hike prairies in Kansas. They’ll experience that classic version of Midwest America, and it’s something they’ll remember long after the tournament,” Aouam said on June 4, citing her graduate research, which examined the effect of major sporting events on urban mobility.
KC2026 brought in 200 new buses to create three new bus service systems: A regional service that will connect riders to area attractions, a stadium service that will act as match-day transportation for ticket holders, and an airport service that runs between the Kansas City International Airport and downtown Kansas City every 15 minutes.
The bus systems exist on top of existing bus, car and streetcar transportation. Aouam said the expanded park-and-ride bus options should be implemented long-term, if they prove successful. She encouraged KC2026 to continue its work after the tournament to provide long-lasting transportation solutions to the region.
“All of these are big ‘ifs,’” Aouam said. “We may see a lot of confusion when international tourists land in Kansas City for the World Cup and find out they can’t walk to the stadium, like they might in other big cities or in their home countries.”
The planning committee established in Overland Park a Consular Services Center, which provides temporary diplomatic and citizen support services for Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Ecuador and Netherlands, and Curaçao.
The countries’ governments expect the World Cup to draw “significant numbers of visitors” to the Kansas City area, according to the committee.
Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands have base camps in the Kansas City area.
The consulates will be located at the Overland Park Convention Center. They are equipped to help with emergency passports and travel documents, citizen registration, welfare checks and coordination during legal or medical emergencies, according to the committee.
“Providing direct access to consular support services helps ensure visitors feel informed, supported and connected while they are here in our region,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026.
The University of Kansas Health System is the designated medical provider for the World Cup, offering first aid and medical care planning.
Leading up to kickoff, the health system has published a series of short, informational videos under the banner “Before the First Kick” discussing firework and burn injuries, mass casualty events, heat illness, and the difference between urgent care and emergency care.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat representing a Kansas City-area congressional district in Kansas, delivered remarks Monday on the U.S. House floor, commemorating the start to the tournament.
“The matches will bring excitement, visitors and economic opportunity to the Kansas City metro area. And the impact won’t end when the final whistle blows,” Davids said. “The investments we’ve made in infrastructure, transportation, safety, and community development will benefit Kansas City and our surrounding communities for generations to come.”
Davids founded the Congressional FIFA World Cup 2026 Caucus, which helped lead federal preparations. The federal government allocated $625 million to the country’s host cities for safety and security costs and $100 million for transit operations. Her office estimated the tournament will generate 185,000 jobs and $17.2 billion in GDP.
But that depends on visitors actually arriving, staying and spending the projected amount of money in host cities.
A May report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association that surveyed hoteliers across the country warned of hotel bookings trailing expectations.
Between 85 and 90% of Kansas City-area respondents reported bookings were below expectations, falling short of a typical June or July without any major events, the report said.
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