KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Discussions are paving the way for community initiatives aimed at addressing housing and public transit needs in Kansas City, Kansas.

Several community leaders met Wednesday to talk about a new collaboration between ARES CDL Institute, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Turning Point Consulting and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

Dr. Fabiola Riobé, a vice president at Kansas City Kansas Community College, emphasized the importance of collaboration in creating meaningful change.

“It’s only when we come together are we actually going to have something that pushes the needle forward,” she said.

This initiative stakeholders met about, including Mayor Tyrone Garner and a representative from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, aims to provide Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training to clients of the Housing Authority.

Dale Messing/KSHB 41

“Housing someone is not the end all,” said Andrea Tapia, executive director of the Kansas City, Kansas Housing Authority. “They still need wraparound services. There are still issues like transportation, issues like finding a job, childcare. All of those things still need to happen.”

Transportation is a central theme in the second initiative: the development of Redbud Reserve, a 192-unit garden-style affordable apartment community to be built on 10.63 acres at 6909 State Avenue.

Marian Development Group leads the project under Redbud Reserve LLC.

The Kansas City Transportation Authority’s (KCATA) Economic Development and Real Estate Committee approved the proposal, meaning that it now needs two votes of approval from the organization’s full board.

The first vote would take place on June 25 and the second vote on July 30.

“[The developer] helps build out transit infrastructure, and then we offer affordable housing to the region, and especially to our riders,” said Michael Riley, KCATA director of transit-oriented development and transit-oriented community.

The project, if approved, would be scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and end around the second quarter of 2027.

KCATA

It will also feature eight, three-story buildings, a clubhouse, playground and open spaces.

The vacant site is located within the RP-5 multifamily zoning district and has already received support from 8th District Commissioner Andrew Davis and KCKCC President Greg Mosier.

“This would be the first Transit-Oriented Community Development (TOCD) in Wyandotte County along the Bi-State Corridor supported by KCATA,” Riley said. “This would be pretty rare for KCK since it’s our first KCK facility.”

Riley says KCATA has approved eight TODC facilities in Kansas City, Missouri.

The development is expected to generate approximately $18 million in taxable construction purchases and long-term property tax revenue, while also increasing KCATA ridership.

Riley confirmed none of the cost comes from KCATA, which recently announced it was cutting the frequency of routes and service hours due to lack of funding.

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“All that money comes from the developer, so for the most part, the developer brings the capital to us, they’ll help buy our bonds,” Riley said. “Our bonds help facilitate TOD, transit-oriented outcomes, and then they get the savings for the tax exemption.”

The $52.5 million development will be funded through various public-private partnerships, including 4% federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), tax-exempt START conduit bonds, conventional debt, and sponsor equity.

Riley says the development team will fund the construction of a new bus stop and support KCATA’s Community Ambassadors program, which aims to enhance bus safety and provide social service support to riders in need.

Additionally, the developer has agreed to an impact payment contribution of $367,500 to Wyandotte County.

“I am excited about the prospect of this project, providing additional high-quality, safe, and affordable housing options for our students just across the street from the college,” said Mosier said in a release.

The first training event for the ARES CDL Institute project will take place on June 27 at Wyandotte Towers Community Center, 915 Washington Boulevard from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for anyone looking to learn more about employment opportunities.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — People gathered in parts of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday night holding signs of “solidarity.”

KSHB 41 News reporter Isabella Ledonne followed with protesters as they demonstrated underneath an Interstate 35 overpass just south of downtown near Kansas City’s Westside.

Protesters want ICE raids to stop

Demonstrators said they were showing support to their community in Kansas City and Los Angeles.

Parts of Los Angeles have been ground zero in a demonstration against federal government immigration enforcement efforts. Many in attendance on Tuesday in downtown Kansas City told KSHB 41 News they are immigrants themselves.

“I know what this feels like; it’s heartbreaking,” Kansas City protester Jessica Saucedo said. “I hate it. I don’t sleep.”

Protesters marched from the underpass east toward one of Kansas City’s iconic locations – the north lawn of the World War I Museum and Memorial.

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“I felt it was my right and my duty to come here as what I had to go through to come here and yell,” Saucedo said.

Leonardo Hernandez and Michelle Ramos explained public safety was top of mind, as numerous reports fled out of the protests in LA.

Jack McCormick

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“I was a little nervous,” Hernandez said. “I’m not going to lie. I thought, you know, you never know what could happen at these events.”

Hernandez and Ramos told KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne they saw a fight break out between two men in the street, and they heard a firework explode.

“One little thing can trigger the whole crowd and we were doing a peaceful protest and that fight was so unnecessary,” Ramos said.

Jack McCormick

Even with that isolated incident, Hernandez said he’s glad he came out and share his voice.

“At the end of the day, what you are, what color it doesn’t matter, we’re here to support, make a change. Unity is very important,” he said.

Protesters marched around downtown for several hours on Tuesday evening, eventually blocking the intersection of Pershing and Main in front of Union Station. Several fireworks were set off in the evening, disrupting both lanes of traffic.

Jack McCormick

The crowd eventually dispersed around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. KCPD said no arrests were made, no injuries were reported and the demonstrations remained peaceful.

KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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• Louisville basketball will play Kansas in an exhibition on Oct. 24 at the KFC Yum! Center.
• The Cardinals and the Jayhawks will then meet at Allen Fieldhouse before the 2026-27 campaign tips off.
• Our take: The obvious pros of a marquee preseason game outweigh the speculative cons.

Since taking over the reins of Louisville basketball, Pat Kelsey has made a statement with scheduling: Anyone, anytime, anywhere.

That mentality, and an NCAA rule change, has led to this: an Oct. 24 exhibition vs. Kansas at the KFC Yum! Center.

The high-profile matchup between the storied programs, both of which are likely to enter the 2025-26 season ranked, is the first of a two-year series. U of L will visit Allen Fieldhouse for a game against the Jayhawks before the 2026-27 campaign tips off.

In years past, exhibitions between Division I programs needed to be approved through a waiver process. The proceeds from those games were donated to charity. But in January, the DI Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee approved a proposal allowing programs to play up to two preseason exhibitions against any four-year school.

Expect this to be the norm moving forward — other noteworthy preseason games on the 2025-26 docket include Kentucky vs. Purdue and Creighton vs. Iowa State. The obvious pros outweigh the speculative cons.

Here are the arguments for and against scheduling a marquee exhibition:

Pro: Big-game experience, no strings attached

With the annual showdown between Louisville and Kentucky scheduled for Week 2 of the regular season (Nov. 11 at the Yum! Center), it’s no surprise the Cards and Wildcats are using an exhibition to get some big-game experience.

An opponent like Kansas can expose weaknesses in ways DII and DIII programs can’t. Why not get throw into the fire and see what you’re made of? Ideally, the kinks can be worked out before the results start counting for real.

Last summer, Kelsey used an exhibition tour of the Bahamas to expedite U of L’s progression in the wake of a complete roster overhaul. Opportunities like that come around once every four years, so it makes sense for him to take advantage of the rule change and ramp up the urgency in preparations for Act 2 of his revival.

Plus, Louisville will feature more players in 2025-26 who are new to the DI ranks (four) than it did in 2024-25 (one). The sooner they get a taste of a high-level college game in what should be a raucous environment, the better.

Con: What if Louisville falls flat?

Year 2 of the Kelsey era is shaping up to be Louisville’s most anticipated season in quite a while. Cards fans are starving for a deep NCAA Tournament run, and national pundits have been reassuring them that they’re not crazy for thinking that this team is capable of doing just that.

Beat Kansas, and those expectations go up a notch. Lose valiantly, and the buzz isn’t going anywhere.

But it’s worth pondering — a pessimistic byproduct of deflating exhibition losses to Lenoir-Rhyne and Kentucky Wesleyan during Kenny Payne’s tenure, perhaps — what the vibes would be around the program like entering the 2025-26 campaign if U of L falls flat like it did when Tennessee visited the Yum! Center in Week 1 last November.

We’re not saying it’s going to happen. Even if it does, Louisville’s record and March Madness résumé won’t reflect it. There will be plenty of chances for a bounce-back signature win out of the gate. It’s just that, when a team schedules an exhibition like this, it’s vulnerable to the wind being knocked out of its sails.

Pro: More fans, more money

The seismic House v. NCAA settlement received final approval last week, meaning Louisville can begin paying athletes directly soon. The projected revenue-sharing cap for 2025-26: $20.5 million.

With that extra burden on the budget, packing the Yum! Center for an exhibition vs. Kansas is a no-brainer.

Last season, the Cards drew announced crowds of 10,928 and 11,556 for preseason games against Young Harris and Spalding, respectively. U of L says announced attendance reflects the total number of tickets sold.

With all due respect to the Mountain Lions and Golden Eagles, the Jayhawks are a much bigger draw. Combine their prestige with the hype surrounding Louisville, and there shouldn’t be many empty seats.

Con: Could an intense exhibition lead to injuries?

Anytime a player steps onto a court, there’s the potential for them to suffer an injury. It doesn’t matter if the opponent is Kansas or the scout team.

But, assuming this exhibition will be played with more intensity than Louisville’s dominant wins over Young Harris and Spalding last season, the case could be made that there’s a heightened risk of having someone go down with something that could affect the trajectory of the 2025-26 campaign.

The last thing the Cards need is for the injury bug to rear its ugly head after it hit hard in Year 1 of the Kelsey era. One returner, Kasean Pryor, is still recovering from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis championship game last November.

Will the 6-foot-10 forward be at full strength by the time this exhibition against the Jayhawks rolls around? We’ll have to wait and see. The good news is, U of L can be cautious with managing his minutes considering the game’s low stakes.

Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.