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Kansas Lt. Gov. ‘thrilled’ to bring Chiefs to Sunflower State

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Kansas Lt. Gov. ‘thrilled’ to bring Chiefs to Sunflower State


OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) – As Kansas lawmakers and the Chiefs held negotiations to get the team to leave Missouri, Lieutenant Governor David Toland led those conversations. He spoke to KCTV at the Kansas Department of Commerce office in Overland Park on Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled,” said Toland. “We’re so excited to be able to bring the Chiefs to Kansas, keep them in the Kansas City region, and to add an entirely new facility to the ecosystem of assets in Kansas City, which is a modern, domed facility that can host a Super Bowl, Final Fours, and big bowl games among many other things.”

Toland, who is also the state’s Secretary of Commerce, describes the last few days as a whirlwind, but a happy one, and they weren’t sure it was a done deal until around 2 p.m. on Sunday. He acknowledges the teamwork from state politicians in getting this done.

“This is a massive win,” said Toland. “It’s a massive project. We’re talking about a $4 billion project, 21,000 construction jobs, $4 billion in economic impact just during construction and then $1 billion a year in new revenues to Kansas. Our main message is one; this is a great deal for the taxpayers. Two, we’re going to be able to do things that we’ve never done before in Kansas and in Kansas City. Three, and most importantly, this is great for the Chiefs.”

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The new stadium in Wyandotte County and team headquarters and practice facility in Johnson County, along with entertainment districts at both, are part of a new STAR Bond District. The Sales Tax and Revenue bonds, or STAR Bonds, will help finance this project. The cost of the projects will be split 60-40, with Kansas paying 60% and the Chiefs paying 40%.

“This is a project that pays for itself with new revenues and at no risk to the taxpayers,” said Toland. “It’s going to create new money that is not currently here. That sales tax from the district in that area is pledged to the STAR Bonds. The risk for those STAR Bonds is born by the people who buy those bonds, not by the taxpayers. That’s about 80% of the capitol stack for the project. The other 20% comes from the state’s Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which comes from the lottery and from sports betting. You put those two pieces together and that’s how we’re able to accomplish a $4 billion deal for Kansas.”

There have been questions of the success rate of STAR Bonds for past projects. KCTV5 investigated the 25-year history of the program and found a mixed record: some projects paid off early, while others closed before the bonds were retired. Toland stands by them.

“STAR Bonds are a proven tool that we’ve been using for over 25 years in Kansas,” said Toland. “We’ve done huge projects with them, like the Kansas Speedway, and we’ve done smaller projects all over the state, like the Amelia Earhart Museum in Atchison, for example.

“This is a proven model. We’ve done them successfully and it’s a tool that’s particularly good on a large project like this. We’re going to have a STAR Bond District that’s very strong, and we know that this is going to be a win, not just for the Chiefs and the communities, but for the investors.”

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With the plans for the new stadium to have a dome and an entertainment district, Toland says it can be used for much more than Chiefs’ games. He listed Super Bowl games, Final Four games, collegiate bowl games, and concerts, on top of hotels, restaurants, and more. He says this is a win for the whole metro.

“When you have a large-scale event like that, the impact is felt not just in Kansas, but across the region,” said Toland. “I think this is going to be, without question, a net positive for the Kansas City metro and that’s always been a goal of ours. We want a destination that’s going to be active, vibrant, and alive 365 days a year with people who live there and work there and come for restaurants and entertainment any night of the year. That’s a major part of how this project will differ from what’s currently at the Truman Sports Complex.”

The plan is to have the Chiefs in the new stadium by the start of the 2031-2032 season. Toland acknowledges the team leaving Arrowhead and Missouri is difficult for some fans.

“I’m an economic development professional,” said Toland. “I’ve been on both sides of winning deals and losing deals, and I know what it feels like both ways. I know this is tough for a lot of people in the region. I love Arrowhead as a venue. It’s an amazing place, but it’s time to go to the next level. That’s what we’re doing with this stadium project, with the headquarters and practice facility and these entertainment districts in Kansas. It’s making sure that the Chiefs remain best in class, that we’re growing the economy not just in Kansas but in the Kansas City metro, and we can have new opportunities to, among other things, finally realize Lamar Hunt Sr.’s dream of bringing a Super Bowl to Kansas City.”

When asked if he’s leading continued talks with the Royals, Toland declined to answer, saying they’re still focused on the Chiefs at this time.

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Kansas Baseball Advances to NCAA Super Regionals After Sweeping Arkansas

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Kansas Baseball Advances to NCAA Super Regionals After Sweeping Arkansas


In the last four years, the University of Arkansas has gotten the better of the Kansas Jayhawks in postseason play.

In 2022, the Razorbacks defeated KU football 55-53 in a triple-overtime thriller in Memphis during the Liberty Bowl. A year later, No. 8 seed Arkansas upset No. 1 seed KU (and reigning college basketball champions) in the NCAA Tournament by a single point (72-71) to end Kansas basketball’s chances of a repeat. In 2025, Arkansas pulled off another upset in the Big Dance when the No. 10 seed Razorbacks defeated No. 7 KU 79-72 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Needless to say, there were plenty of Jayhawk fans hoping for revenge this weekend when Arkansas was announced as the No. 2 seed in the Lawrence Regional – and KU baseball delivered in a big way with a sweep over the Razorbacks to reach the program’s first-ever Super Regionals appearance.

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KU came from behind in both games to earn a 5-3 victory on Saturday and a 13-10 win on Sunday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

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On Saturday, Arkansas took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second before a Tyson LeBlanc RBI tied things up in the bottom of the third. Each team scored two in the fifth and remained deadlocked until KU pulled away late with a Dairel Osoria run in the seventh and a solo home run by Augusto Mungarrieta in the eighth to seal the win.

After Arkansas beat Northeastern in a narrow 10-9 contest on Sunday afternoon, KU and Arkansas met again on Sunday evening in a highly anticipated matchup that saw a lot of offensive firepower on display.

The Razorbacks jumped out to a 5-0 lead through three innings before KU had a monster performance in the top of the fourth. Osoria led things off with a solo home run before Brady Ballinger hit an RBI single to score Jordan Bach and Max Soliz Jr. had an RBI single to score Dylan Schlotterback. Then LeBlanc showed his All-American talents once again in a big moment by hitting a three-run home run to deep center field to put the Jayhawks ahead 6-5.

From there, KU would never relinquish the lead after scoring two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth. The Jayhawks tacked on two more in the top of the eighth to give the team its 13th score of the game.

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The Jayhawks are now 45-16 on the season – tied for the most wins in a season in program history with the 1993 team that reached the College World Series.

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KU will now move on to the Super Regionals which start Friday, June 5. If Oklahoma beats Georgia Tech tomorrow, KU will get the chance to host as they did this week. If Georgia Tech wins, the Jayhawks will head to Atlanta with a spot in the College World Series on the line.  

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Leawood’s Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center expands services as diagnoses climb

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Leawood’s Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center expands services as diagnoses climb


KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.

If the motto to live by is to get 1 hour of movement a day, the Parkinson’s community in Kansas City is exceeding it.

Bob Zipse has been fighting Parkinson’s for 10 years. He said the diagnosis hit him hard.

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Leawood’s Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center expands services as diagnoses climb

“I was super depressed. I mean, I was in a chair. Did you want to move? Look around, just horrible. Because there’s no resources. Where do I go with the time?”

Zipse said the disease can be an isolating experience.

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Bob Zipse

“Parkinson’s, I say, is a very lonely, lonely disease. Either people don’t want to deal with you, or you’re embarrassing.”

He found the Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center at his lowest point. Now, he sees people around him pushing past their limits.

“You see people out here, they’re in the mid-70s, they’re doing push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights. I mean, it’s amazing, really,” Zipse said. “In here, we’re all the same.”

Sarissa Curry founded the center after seeing the power of healing through exercise and recognizing that diagnosis rates were increasing. An aging population and younger diagnoses are among the biggest factors driving that trend.

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Kansas consistently ranks as having one of the highest Parkinson’s disease diagnoses and mortality rates in the United States, second only to Nebraska. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, an estimated 20,000 people in the Kansas City metro alone are living with the disease.

“You see your neurologist once every six months to a year, and you see a physical therapist maybe a couple of months out of the year. Community-based programs are here every day to support this community,” Curry said.

Curry said the warning signs of rising Parkinson’s rates have been visible for years.

“They have been predicting this increase in Parkinson’s for many years. They were able to see the writing on the wall, they were able to see how the population was aging, and they knew that this was coming. We paid attention.”

She expanded the center to serve as an all-encompassing resource for people like Zipse.

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Sarissa Curry

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Sarissa Curry

“I’d hate to wager what I would have been like. Life would have stopped for me, I think. This at least gives me hope, gives me some work towards and see some benefit of it,” Zipse said.

The PEWC will host a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 3, at 3:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend to learn more about the center’s services and the disease as incidence rates continue to rise each year.

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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Olivia Acree





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Kansas City liquor store increasing international options ahead of World Cup

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Kansas City liquor store increasing international options ahead of World Cup


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