Kansas
Kansas City snowstorm delays flower shop deliveries ahead of Valentine's Day
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Flower shops across the Kansas City metro are gearing up for one of their biggest holidays of the year, but the winter weather storm put a thorn in the delivery plans.
It’s petal to the metal for Tobler’s Flowers in Kansas City.
“Keep on making, working and grinding away,” floral designer Brea Oglesby said.
But Wednesday morning’s snowfall kept the petals indoors. Tobler’s Flowers had to reschedule all their Wednesday deliveries.
Jake Weller
“[Wednesday] was a little too winter weather heavy so we were like let’s just call it off for our drivers’ safety,” Oglesby said. “We’ve been prepping for [Thursday] to get back on the roads. Our drivers do this all the time so they’re really good about driving.”
Florists are taking extra precautions to get the flowers out safely for Valentine’s Day orders, like wrapping the arrangements in plastic to create a humid dome.
Jake Weller
“Flowers generally don’t mind the cold temperatures but when it gets below freezing they just immediately die so you have to protect them,” Oglesby said. “It’s been challenging but we make the best of it and utilize the time we have to make sure that we better prepare for the coming days.”
Up in the Northland, Dianne Fortner got her deliveries out early on Wednesday but still ran into trouble on the road.
Jake Weller
“This morning you couldn’t even see what lanes were what,” Fortner said. “They were snow-packed, most of them.”
Dianne and her husband, Steve, have owned their floral business since 1985, Steve’s Floral Shop.
“He makes the flowers, I do the deliveries,” Fortner said.
Steve and Dianne used to have a shop in downtown Kansas City but transitioned to their home garage after COVID-19.
“You can keep your doors locked here as well as you can downtown,” Fortner said. “We just moved home and we don’t have to pay rent downtown or worry about parking.”
Dianne knows the safest routes for neighborhood deliveries, even in bad weather.
“I was going slow,” Fortner said. “People were a little upset with me but I’d rather get there than have somebody come get me out of a ditch.”
Unlike roses, Dianne and Steve’s love and business have lasted more than 40 years. That’s why Dianne isn’t expecting a bouquet from her husband this year.
“We see flowers all the time,” Fortner said. “I’m like, buy me a margarita instead.”
Tobler’s Flowers is still accepting Valentine’s Day flower orders.
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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.
Kansas
On the road again: Arkansas baseball heads to Kansas after brief stop in Fayetteville | Whole Hog Sports
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (WIBW) – An early-morning police chase on Wednesday came to an end when the vehicle being pursued crashed out in Montgomery County in southeast Kansas, officials said.
The crash was reported at 2:48 a.m. Wednesday at the south junction of US-75 and US-400 highways. The location was about six miles north of Independence.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 2006 Infiniti M35 four-door sedan was headed south on US-75 as it fled from law enforcement officers.
The Infinit’s driver failed to yield at the stop sign at the US-75 and US-400 highway junction and traveled across US-75 at a high rate of speed.
The car then left the roadway to the east, where it struck a signpost and a fence before coming to rest off the east side of the roadway.
The Infiniti’s driver, Darrius B.S. Scott, 26, of Independence, was transported to Wilson Medical Center for treatment of suspected minor injuries. The patrol said Scott was wearing his seat belt.
Additional details weren’t immediately available.
Check wibw.com later for more information as it becomes available.
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, homeowners capitalize on World Cup with streamlined short-term rental licensing process
KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Kansas City, Kansas, is making it easier for homeowners to get short-term rental permits as the city prepares to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches this summer.
The Unified Government loosened its short-term rental requirements ahead of the World Cup and launched a new digital licensing system starting in February.
KCK homeowners capitalize on World Cup with short-term rental licensing process
With three weeks left before the World Cup begins, about 10 applications remain under review out of more than 70 applications for short-term rentals.
Kalin Callewaert is a real estate agent navigating the process for the first time.
She received her special use permit from the Unified Government a week ago.
“The short-term rental situation was outside of my comfort zone,” Callewaert said. “This was just a really good opportunity because it’s supposed to bring more volume.”
Now that her property has been approved, Callewaert can begin marketing it — though she has some uncertainty about demand.
Jason Gould/KSHB 41
“What I’m hearing in the community is that there’s not as much traffic as what they were initially anticipating,” Callewaert said. “So I don’t know, I just have to hope for the best.”
She says that could have an impact on short-term rental pricing, meaning people who rent may pay less.
KCK Mayor Christal Watson, who is also new to her role, sat down with me Tuesday afternoon.
The updated requirements were in the works before her term began, but she supports them.
“I’m still floating the newbie mayor right now,” Watson said jokingly.
Jason Gould/KSHB 41
She emphasized the changes are about efficiency, not weakening oversight.
“Not so much in laxing it so they’re taking advantage of our policies, but just doing it in a manner that expedites the process,” Watson said.
The hosting period goes from May 4, 2026, until July 31, 2026.
Visit the Unified Government’s website to learn more about the steps to obtain a short-term rental license.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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