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KS - June 11 2025

World Cup Clock; Troopers on Standby; Strip Club Owner Indicted; MO Stadium Package Approved; Mahomes Clue Missed

Greg Loving

11 Jun 2025 • 3 min read

A countdown clock is revealed during the One Year To Go press conference for the FIFA World Cup at Union Station on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com

Kansas City Unveils World Cup Countdown Clock as Preparations Advance

Kansas Troopers on Standby as Immigration Protest Plans Emerge Statewide

Topeka Strip Club Owner Indicted on Machine Gun Charges

Missouri House Approves Stadium Package to Keep Chiefs, Royals in State

Jeopardy Contestants Miss Patrick Mahomes 'Dad Bod' Clue

1. Kansas City Unveils World Cup Countdown Clock as Preparations Advance

Kansas City officials unveiled a one-year countdown clock at Union Station Wednesday, marking the days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, with KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer declaring the region is on schedule to host the world's largest sporting event. The World Cup is expected to bring an estimated 650,000 visitors for six matches and three base camps, making it the largest event in regional history.

Kansas City became the first of 11 U.S. host cities to secure a dedicated fleet of 200 buses, part of a transportation strategy designed to spread economic impact beyond downtown to areas including Lee's Summit, the Northland and Lawrence. The city will host four group-stage games on June 16, 20, 25 and 27, followed by knockout-stage matches July 3 and 11, with base camps expected at Compass Minerals Sporting Fields, the KC Current's Riverside facility and Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence.

Kansas City Star

2. Kansas Troopers on Standby as Immigration Protest Plans Emerge Statewide

State troopers are on standby across Kansas as demonstrations against federal immigration raids are planned following increased tensions and protests in Los Angeles, with the Kansas Highway Patrol monitoring Kansas City-area protests this week and Col. Erik Smith telling legislators Tuesday that a Johnson County area protest was planned.

More than 1,800 protests are scheduled nationwide for Saturday, with over a dozen planned in Kansas cities from Garden City to Hiawatha to Arkansas City and the Kansas City area.

Kansas Reflector

3. Topeka Strip Club Owner Indicted on Machine Gun Charges

Leonard Rrapaj, 61, owner of Topeka Sports Cabaret on NE Seward Avenue, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of illegally possessing a machine gun following an FBI investigation, though details of the allegations remain sealed as the federal investigation continues.

Capital-Journal

4. Missouri House Approves Stadium Package to Keep Chiefs, Royals in State

The Missouri House Wednesday approved a sweeping stadium incentives package on a 90-58 vote that would allow the state to pay up to 50% of new or improved stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals using team-generated tax revenue, sending the plan to Gov. Mike Kehoe for his expected signature in a direct response to Kansas efforts to lure the teams across state lines with a competing program that could cover up to 70% of new stadium costs.

Kansas City Star

5. Jeopardy Contestants Miss Patrick Mahomes 'Dad Bod' Clue

Three "Jeopardy!" contestants failed to identify Patrick Mahomes as the answer to a $400 clue about a quarterback with three Super Bowl rings in the 2020s who "hasn't been shy about his 'dad bod,'" despite the Chiefs star's well-documented physique being the subject of multiple stories alongside his Super Bowl LIV, LVII and LVIII victories.

Kansas City Star

Hutchinson

Salina

McPherson / Lindsborg

Many more cities coming soon!