Johnson County, Kansas

Orange cones and jack hammers have slowed drivers on U.S. Highway 69 for years. Officials announced Tuesday that express toll lanes running north and south will be open on Feb. 21. The new lanes are designed to reduce traffic and accidents.

The projects use community land trusts to sell homes at a reduced price and keep them affordable in the future. Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City is using the real estate tool to build entire neighborhoods that aim to help address the state’s affordable housing shortage.

City documents reveal the exact proposed location of a new team training facility and headquarters: at the corner of College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City Royals said the much-watched Aspiria site at 119th and Nall does not meet "our criteria for a stadium." Kansas City leaders are still pushing a downtown location, but the team has yet to make its decision.

The sheer size, scope and total projected dollar amount of the Chiefs' project — which includes a new stadium in Wyandotte County and a new headquarters in Johnson County — dwarfs existing incentive districts in Overland Park and Olathe.

The Chiefs are building a new headquarters in Olathe, in addition to their stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. A big Kansas City company is jumping state lines. Add elections on top of all that, and you have the recipe for a dramatic year in Johnson County.

The Chiefs want to build a nearly $1 billion headquarters in Olathe, but the project still needs the city council's approval — because Olathe must chip in a portion of local sales tax revenues to help fund it.

The state of Kansas is luring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line with funding from STAR Bonds, a unique kind of tax incentive. The team plans to build a $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County and a practice facility worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Olathe.

Under pressure from President Trump, some Kansas Republicans want to gerrymander congressional maps in order to oust Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids. But Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins said he's about 20 votes short.

Around 80% of bus stops across the metro do not have somewhere for riders to sit. Even fewer have a shelter. An interactive map from KCUR shows where to find amenities at each bus stop in the metro, and what the area transit agencies are doing to add more.

Fred Sherman had served as Johnson County election commissioner since 2021. "I was given the option to resign or be terminated from the position, and I elected to resign," Sherman wrote on social media.

The Kansas City Royals still haven't committed to a location for their new stadium, but the Aspiria campus at 119th and Nall in Overland Park is under consideration. Residents living in that neighborhood say they have concerns about local businesses, traffic and affordability.