Category: Kansas City Missouri

Kansas City part of 2026 World Cup bid

Kansas City has been included as an official Candidate Host City in the United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to be host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The United Bid announced its list of 23 Candidate Host Cities that will be included in the Bid Book.

If selected, Kansas City would offer World Cup soccer events at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

If the 2026 FIFA World Cup is awarded to the United Bid, FIFA will select up to 16 Host Cities from the proposed slate of 23.

“Kansas City is the absolute perfect place to host the World Cup Soccer tournament in 2026. This City is welcoming, inviting, it’s diverse, it’s rich in culture and rich in attitude,” said Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James. “We’re known for our food, we’re known for our barbecue, we’re known for our jazz, but most of all we’re known for our people. They are the nicest people in our country.”

“Kansas City is the soccer capital of the United States and is the ideal place to host games during the 2026 World Cup. As a region, KC and KCK offer numerous world class soccer facilities, from Children’s Mercy Park and the Pinnacle training facility in KCK, to Arrowhead Stadium in KCMO,” said Mayor David Alvey, Kansas City, Kansas, in a statement. “Being selected as part of the North American bid to host the World Cup shows what working together can accomplish. It also affirms the positive impacts of the economic development efforts the Unified Government has undertaken.”

Kansas City, Mo., man sentenced for trafficking meth in Topeka

A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced Tuesday to 24 years and six months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in Topeka, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Marco Antonio Cortes-Gomez, 42, Kansas City, Missouri, was found guilty in a jury trial on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that over a three-year period Cortes-Gomez distributed no less than 66 pounds of methamphetamine to buyers in Topeka.

The investigation began in 2015 when the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a car in Ellis County that was bound for Topeka carrying about five pounds of methamphetamine.

Investigators set up a controlled delivery at a Walmart parking lot in Topeka, where Cortes-Gomez was arrested when he attempted to pick up the load.

At trial, prosecutors presented testimony from witnesses who said Cortes-Gomez delivered one-pound and two-pound quantities of methamphetamine to them on a regular basis.

McAllister commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Topeka Police Department and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs for their work on the case.

Public comments being accepted on Broadway Bridge and loop project

Public comments are being taken on the future of the Broadway-O’Neil Bridge and I-70 North Loop, according to the Mid-America Regional Council.

Two open houses to receive public comments are planned:

• From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, at Mid-America Regional Council, 600 Broadway, Suite 200, Kansas City, Missouri.
• From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at iWerx, 1520 Clay St., North Kansas City, Missouri.

Reservations for the meetings should be made online at www.beyondtheloopkc.com/event.

According to MARC, the Beyond the Loop study began in early 2017 to lay the groundwork for future improvements to the Broadway Bridge, renamed the John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Memorial Bridge, and the north side of the downtown loop. The Broadway Bridge is also known as U.S. 169. At its south end, the bridge connects with I-70 on the north side of the downtown freeway loop, providing a critical east-west connection between downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and downtown Kansas City, Kansas.

After an initial public kickoff meeting, study partners drafted a formal statement of purpose and need, and then sought further input from the public and stakeholders on future infrastructure investments and potential design changes. Participants expressed strong support for a new bridge that would strengthen connections to downtown and nearby communities.

Since then, the team has examined a wide range of possibilities suggested by partner agencies and the public, using data analysis and modeling to determine which options are most feasible for the study area. At the upcoming open houses, study partners will present these potential options and seek further public input.

In addition to attending an open house, residents may also share their ideas and comments online at www.beyondtheloopkc.com and follow the project’s progress on Facebook and Twitter using @beyondtheloopkc.