KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes described efforts to bring a WNBA team to Kansas City as a “no-brainer” to reporters Thursday.

Mahomes took questions about his and his wife Brittany’s role in attempting to land a WNBA team during his regular weekly news conference with reporters.

“Obviously, we want to get basketball to Kansas City in general,” Mahomes said. “The WNBA and the success they had this last season and the last few seasons, it’s kind of a no-brainer to get a WNBA team to Kansas City.”

RELATED | ‘We’re the city for this’: Officials push for Kansas City to be considered for WNBA expansion team

The Mahomes’ are co-owners of the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League along with Chris and Angie Long. Mahomes spoke of the effort to bring the Current to Kansas City and hopes to use that as a foundation for a potential WNBA team.

Mahomes, who is also a co-owner of the Kansas City Royals and Sporting KC, said his business involvement with the clubs is “for life after football.”

Chiefs QB Patrick MAhomes says he wants to do as much as he can to help bring a WNBA team to Kansas City

“I love sports and I know how much this city loves sports,” Mahomes said. “Let’s bring as many sports in here and showcase how great Kansas City is not only as a city but the people as well.”

His involvement specifically in women’s sports is just as personal.

“I want to show (my daughter) she can follow her dreams and make an impact in this world in whatever that dream is,” Mahomes said.

Mahomes says Kansas City is a great place for the WNBA to continue its recent growth, but acknowledged that they’ll have to battle with other cities also vying for a WNBA expansion team.

The WNBA is expanding from its current 12-team league to 15 teams over the next few seasons. The Golden State Valkyries will join the league starting with the 2025 regular season. In 2026, the league is set to add teams from Portland, Oregon, and Toronto.

The league appears poised to add a 16th team, which is where Kansas City could come into play. CBS Sports reported Wednesday that Philadelphia, Miami, Denver and Nashville are also in the running for the 16th team.

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Advance voting locations statewide and in Topeka are experiencing a surge of people voting early in-person.

Shawnee County election commissioner Andrew Howell said that, as of around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, 17,800 voters had voted early in-person so far this election.

“We’re not quite double, but it’s — depending on which year you compare it to — it is double to some years,” Howell told The Capital-Journal.

“In a presidential (election), 10,000 to 12,000 for the entire two-week period is a fairly average number,” he said. “So I suspect that we’re going to be double what we normally see here. Over 3,000 people the first day. It’s a rare day in the past that we do 1,500 a day.”

The Shawnee County Election Office was busy Wednesday morning with early voters. One of those early voters was Gov. Laura Kelly. When voting early in other recent elections, Kelly has often been one of only a small handful of voters filling out their ballots. This time, several of the booths were filled.

“I think there’s a lot of energy and excitement around the races this year, particularly obviously at the presidential level, but I think even locally on the state level,” Kelly said of the turnout.

“I come out to vote early so that I make sure I get it done,” she told reporters. “It is fun to come to the polls on Election Day. I used to enjoy that a lot, but there’s always a chance that something — you know, ice storms or whatever — could happen. So I like to get it done.”

Early in-person voting is up in Kansas

Election offices across the state are experiencing a similar boom in in-person advance voting.

The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office reported that, through Tuesday, there had been 252,482 ballots statewide had been cast in person.

That’s 54% above 2020, when there had been 163,527 in-person advance ballots at this point. It’s 80% above 2016, when there had been 139,912 early in-person voters.

More: Saline County residents are voting early in droves, averaging 700 a day

Mail voting lags behind

While in-person is up, mail voting is down locally and statewide.

“Mail is down,” Howell said. “What I don’t know if people that normally vote by mail are now just coming and voting early, I wonder.”

Mail voting has also been the subject of criticism from some Republicans after former President Donald Trump in 2020 discouraged Republicans from voting by mail. He called voting by mail “corrupt” and alleged it led to cheating. Some Kansas Republican lawmakers have sought to end the three-day grace period.

Secretary of State’s Office statistics also show that Democrats are leading Republicans in voting by mail.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab has been critical of the U.S. Postal Service’s handling of election mail, blaming USPS failures for disenfranchising voters in the August primary.

More: Scott Schwab ’empathetic’ to USPS issues but says voters shouldn’t rely on it

Kansas election offices had mailed out 161,410 advance ballots through Tuesday, of which 87,600 had already been returned, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Compared to this point in the last two presidential elections: In 2020 — in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — there had been 501,446 mail ballots sent with 279,950 returned, and in 2016, there had been 191,307 sent with 102,130 returned.

At least on the state level, the total number of early ballots cast in-person plus mail ballots that have been delivered so far in 2024 outpaces 2016 by about 41%. But it doesn’t outpace 2020, when mail voting skyrocketed during the pandemic.

So far this year, 340,082 advance ballots have been cast. At this point in 2020, there had been a total of 443,477 ballots, including both returned mail ballots and in-person voting. In 2016, there had been 242,042 in total.

‘Don’t wait’ until last minute to vote early

Voters in Kansas can vote early by mail and in-person, or they can wait until Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Early in-person voting will continue until Monday. This week, voters can go to the Shawnee County Election Office at 3420 S.W. Van Buren Street between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays. Next week, voters can go between 8 a.m. and noon on Monday.

“Please, if you’re going to vote early, don’t wait until noon on Monday, because there will be a line,” Howell said. “We’ve managed to keep it under five minutes on average. Most people it’s two minutes or less, but occasionally it’ll get a five-minute line. Monday at 11 o’clock, there will be a line, and it will be significant.”

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a tear-filled, candle light vigil on Monday night, a family continues their fight for justice and answers.

35-year-old Jonathan Rodgers was found near Independence Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri’s, Northeast with serious injuries.

He later died at the hospital.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said officers found Rodgers with bodily trauma on Independence Avenue after receiving another call for a response near the intersection of east 6th Street and Monroe Avenue

Both calls were connected to Rodgers.

Later investigation revealed Rodgers’ injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.

Rodgers’ family is frustrated with KCPD over their lack of answers.

“Everybody’s just putting this off like, ‘Oh, he was homeless,’” Zelpha Rodgers, Jonathan’s mother, said. “He was not just a homeless person. He had a home, he had a family, he had children.”

Jack McCormick

Zelpha Rodgers has returned to the intersection of Sixth and Monroe many times, looking for any information about what led up to her son’s death.

She told KSHB 41 News police didn’t initially contact her, and now aren’t responding to her many calls for answers.

“I came down here searching that next morning,” she said. “They never notified me. Everything I know, I have found out on my own.”

Jonathan was living on the streets for periods of time, but would sometimes return home to his mother and three young children.

On Oct. 17, Zelpha says Jonathan decided to come home for good.

“He was just getting things back together,” Zelpha Rodgers said.

According to Zelpha, Jonathan had called her earlier that afternoon and had asked to be picked up at the dollar store on Independence Avenue.

“He tossed his bag in the front seat and said, ‘I’m running around to the ATM, I’ll be right back’,” Zelpha Rodgers said.

But that was the last time she saw her son.

After Jonathan did not return to the car for awhile, Zelpha says she had to take the children home for dinner and bed.

It wasn’t until her family pulled up a news article she realized her son may not be coming home.

“I want to know why my son’s case is being blown over like it’s just somebody that has no family, no nothing,” Zelpha Rodgers said.

KCPD has not identified any suspects or stated why Jonathan had bodily trauma. A spokesperson told KSHB 41 News detectives are actively investigating.

Unsolved crimes among the homeless community is an unfortunate occurrence Shelter KC’s executive director sees too often.

“It’s just not safe in the streets,” Eric Burger said. “It just isn’t.”

Brian Luton

Burger explained mental health issues and substance abuse struggles are contributing to the rising rates of chronic homelessness in the KC area.

“That already makes you vulnerable,” Burger said. “That already makes you into a situation where you are more susceptible to be victimized.”

Zelpha explained she refuses to let her son be just another victim.

“I cannot fully mourn or grieve until I got answers,” Zelpha Rodgers said.

If you are experiencing a housing crisis, you can call 211 to get in touch with the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness and learn about housing resources.

If you know someone or see someone who is unhoused, calling 311 will notify the Kansas City outreach team who works directly with the shelters.

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