Category: Kansas City Missouri

Kansas City will hold World Cup soccer matches in 2026

by Greg Echlin, KCUR and Kansas News Service

FIFA officials announced on Thursday that Kansas City is among the cities selected to host soccer matches in the world’s biggest singular-sports event.

Kansas City will hold World Cup tournament soccer matches in 2026, FIFA announced Thursday afternoon.

Kansas City is among 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico that will hold matches in the world’s biggest singular-sports event. It will be the biggest sports event ever in the Kansas City area.

“The city is going to show out in 2026,” Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said in a pre-recorded message that accompanied FIFA’s announcement. “We can’t wait to welcome fans from across the globe to the heart of America and to the world’s loudest stadium.”

FIFA officials said 2026 will be the first time three countries are hosts for the World Cup. The other U.S. cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. In Mexico, host cities are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver will be hosts.

In a newly expanded format, the total of 48 teams and 80 matches will be the largest FIFA World Cup in history, FIFA officials said.

Though the teams and dates for 2026 have yet to be determined, the tournament is expected to have an enormous economic impact on the Kansas City region when it takes place, most likely in the month of July.

“We definitely presented the best argument for Kansas City,” said Jeff Sittner, Burns and McDonnell’s project manager for global facilities, who worked with the city’s organizing committee for more than two years to create a unique experience when the FIFA delegation visited Kansas City in October 2021.

Arrowhead Stadium hasn’t hosted a soccer match since 2015, when the national teams from Mexico and Paraguay squared off in a friendly match. But when FIFA delegates arrived in the fall, a team from Burns and McDonnell greeted them with Oculus headgear designed to give them a 3-D virtual reality look into Arrowhead in 2026.

When the FIFA committee members donned the headgear, they saw a soccer pitch image from an end zone view at Arrowhead. Because a soccer pitch is wider than an NFL football field, some lower bowl grandstand seats would be temporarily removed from one side.

“I think the Oculus and the presentation definitely is a wow factor,” Sittner said.

Through his 25 years in the sports venues design business, Sittner has worked with FIFA before. But he had never given FIFA a virtual reality picture of what was going to happen in the future.

“It was definitely the first time that FIFA has been presented concepts in this manner,” said Sittner. “They were very complimentary about that.”

The presentation required some last-minute adjustments after the delay of a meeting that was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. with an Oculus device that was sensitive to sunlight. It didn’t start until two hours later.

“By that time, as you can imagine, the sun was changing positions we had set up on the field,” said Sittner. “It was starting to get rather warm. We moved from the field up to the press box. We tried to in advance (know) where they’re going to be and prepare for when they were going to see the VR. Our team was scrambling to put them in the right position.”

On Sunday, representatives of the Chiefs, Sporting Kansas City, the Kansas City Sports Commission and the Visit KC bureau will travel to New York for a series of FIFA workshops and meetings. FIFA is expected to relay a business model for each host city to follow during the next four years leading up to the 2026 matches.

“Modifying existing stadiums certainly come with its own set of challenges,” said Kansas City bid director Katherine Holland. “But at least you’ve got the infrastructure there from which to work and that’s been a lot of the conversation that we’ve engaged with them (FIFA) during the bid process, insuring them that Arrowhead can support these modifications.”

Sittner added, “When you consider what we’ve done when the Royals won the World Series, when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, all those events and the NFL Draft coming to Kansas City, there is a team of people that do an amazing job to make sure that people who attend those events have no idea how complicated and how much energy goes into it.”

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-16/kansas-city-will-host-world-cup-soccer-matches-in-2026

39 defendants indicted in metro-wide drug bust

Twenty Mexican nationals are among 39 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $4.7 million conspiracy to distribute more than 335 kilograms of methamphetamine and 22 kilograms of heroin over the past two years, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Western Missouri.

“This operation took a significant amount of illegal drugs off the street, and disrupted a large Mexican drug-trafficking organization in the Kansas City metropolitan area,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “State, local, and federal law enforcement agencies worked together in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation to bring drug traffickers to justice and protect our community from the violence and other harms that result from the flow of illegal drugs.”

On June 8, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations led an operation that involved 140 officers and agents from 14 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. The takedown resulted in the arrests of 31 defendants charged in the indictment as well as three additional felony state arrests. Three of the federal defendants were already in custody at the time of the takedown and five of the federal defendants remain fugitives from justice.

On the day of the takedown, officers executed 16 search warrants and seized 84.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4.5 kilograms of heroin, 10.4 kilograms of fentanyl, 7.6 kilograms of cocaine, 10.5 kilograms of marijuana, 687 Xanax pills, 3.1 kilograms of unknown pills, a quantity of bulk cash, five firearms, a 3D printer with manufactured ghost gun parts, and a liquid methamphetamine conversion lab.

“This indictment represents HSI and our law enforcement partners’ dedication to removing deadly narcotics from our community,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City area of responsibility Katherine Greer. “We stand alongside our community leaders, stakeholders and the public, to continue our work toward a safer community without the significant dangers associated with these illegal substances.”
The 91-count indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 1, 2022. The indictment was unsealed and made public following the arrests and initial court appearances of the defendants.

The federal indictment charges Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, also known as “Michoacano,” 41, Jesus Morales-Garcia, also known as “Don Jesus,” 43, Luis Eduardo Pineda-Zarao, 26, Juan Bernardo Galeana-Aguilar, 45, Baltazar Flores-Norzagaray, also known as “Sinaloa,” 50, Rafael Perez-Esquivel, 51, Jose Eliazar Valle-Rivera, 39, Uziel Morales-Baltazar, 31, Erick Fernando Martinez Contreras, also known as “Alex,” 34, Joel Enrique Roman, also known as “Pelon,” 44, Miguel Angel Juarez-Lopez, also known as “Chapo,” 47, Jonathan Zuniga-Villafuerte, 30, Sergio Armando Valencia-Ochoa, 36, Juan Humberto Lemus-Mejia, 24, Yuliana Del Carmen Perez Ciprian, 38, Trinidad Torres-Meza, 41, Miriam Veronica Bustos-Martinez, 37, and Liliana Valencia-Mendoza, 40, addresses unknown and all citizens of Mexico; Flor Gonzalez-Celestine, 52, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Missouri; and Jose Bernabe Zamora-Cardenas, also known as “Mufa,” 52, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Kansas.

The federal indictment also charges Tina Marie Cruces, 36, Lisbet Espino, 24, Frank Anthony Valdivia, 43, Melissa A. Bates, 55, and Monica L. McCubbin, 39, all of Kansas City, Missouri; Santiago Raul Mendieta-Sanchez, 41, a citizen of Honduras residing in Kansas City, Missouri, Jennifer S. Lawson, 35, of Buckner, Missouri; Felton Stone Jr., 45, Donald R. Moses, also known as “Moe,” 51, Felipe Antonio Alcala, 30, Anthony C. Hughes, 37, Maria Nancy Valdez, 32, Ignacio Barragan-Vazquez, 32, Yvonne Guzman-Carpio, also known as “Morena,” 39, Kongmhink Her, 41, addresses unknown; Marco Antonio Salazar, also known as “Tono,” 29, and Nelson Alirio Garcia-Guerra, 28, both citizens of Guatemala, addresses unknown; Arantxa Sabrina Valderrama-Barros, also known as “Sabri,” 25, a citizen of Venezuela, address unknown; and Daniel Felipe Suarez-Reinoso, 30, a citizen of Colombia, address unknown.

All of the defendants are charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin from Feb. 28, 2020, to June 1, 2022, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Sanchez-Mendez, Zamora-Cardenas, Valencia-Ochoa, Valencia-Mendoza and Suarez-Reinoso are charged with participating in a money-laundering conspiracy related to transporting or transferring the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy to Mexico.

Sanchez-Mendez and Morales-Garcia are also charged with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise related to the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and other offenses alleged in the indictment. The indictment alleges Sanchez-Mendez and Morales-Garcia occupied a position of organizer, supervisor, or manager of the ongoing criminal enterprise, from which they obtained substantial income.

The federal indictment charges various defendants in various counts of distributing heroin and fentanyl, distributing methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine and heroin with the intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, money laundering, reentry by an illegal alien, and using cell phones to facilitate drug-trafficking crimes.

The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations that would require the defendants to forfeit to the government $4,718,700, which represents the proceeds of the alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy and criminal enterprise. The indictment alleges the conspiracy involved the distribution of more than 335.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an average street price of $300 per ounce, and more than 22.1 kilograms of heroin, with an average street price of $1,500 per ounce.

The forfeiture allegations would also require the defendants to forfeit to the government $277,440 that was seized by law enforcement officers from a vehicle driven by Suarez-Reinoso and $51,445 that was seized by law enforcement officers while executing two search warrants at Kansas City, Missouri, residences.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron H. Black, Patrick C. Edwards, and Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Olmsted County, Minn., Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI, the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Traveling Vietnam Wall currently at National World War I Museum and Memorial

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute’s Vietnam Wall is on the southeast lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial today, Monday, May 30.

An 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the wall measures almost 400 feet long. The traveling wall contains every name etched on the original memorial.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute also will display the “Cost of Freedom Tribute,” smaller tribute panels honoring American soldiers in conflicts through the 20th and 21st centuries, including World War I, World War II, 911, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Memorial Day ceremony

A Memorial Day ceremony will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, May 30, at the memorial courtyard.

The program will include remarks from dignitaries and a keynote address from Lt. Gen. Larry Jordan. The ceremony is free to the public.

Walk of Honor dedication

A Walk of Honor dedication and AVTT Vietnam Wall closing ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, May 30, in the Memorial courtyard.

New granite bricks will be dedicated during a special ceremony. This ceremony also is free to the public.

The museum and memorial will have discount admission for veterans for Memorial Day. Admission is free for veterans and active duty military personnel. General admission for the public is half-price on Memorial Day Weekend. The museum is at 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.

Many other events and displays are at the museum. For more information, see https://www.theworldwar.org/memorialday.