Kansas City News Lights: Thoughts In Transit, Conflict & Royalty

For late night/early morning readers we take another peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Latest Cowtown Homeless Payout

Clean Up KC gives the homeless a chance to earn money cleaning up the city while reconnecting with family

KANSAS CITY, MO - KSHB 41 broke a story in September 2022 about a new KCMO program to help the homeless. Clean up KC offers the homeless a fresh start, paying them a living wage, to work 20 to 25 hours a week cleaning the streets of our community.

Show-Me Airline Concern

Missouri Rep. Sam Graves calls FAA computer outage 'huge vulnerability in our air transportation system'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Rep. Sam Graves, who represents Missouri's 6th District, which includes parts of the Kansas City area and most of northern Missouri, has released a statement on the FAA computer outage that happened Wednesday morning.

Toy Train Gets Rail

Final track deliveries arrive for Kansas City streetcar expansion

A significant milestone for the Kansas City streetcar arrived this morning. The final shipment of track started coming in near 49th Street and Brookside Blvd., Wednesday morningThe delivery was about 600 tons altogether.Truck after truck rolled in on Wednesday with new rail, marking the beginning of the final stage of the KC Streetcars expansion.

Another Head Check For Metro

Kansas City-area mental health nonprofit hiring for more crisis responders

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - ReDiscover, a nonprofit in the Kansas City area, is hiring co-responders for its expanded Mobile Crisis Response Services. The service partners with local law enforcement to provide crisis intervention to people dealing with a mental health episode.

Weed Finds Home In Kansas City

Kansas City new home to cannabis manufacturing facility

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri adults will be able to buy marijuana for recreational use beginning next month. The new market is also bringing jobs to the Kansas City area. A Missouri-based company called Terrabis announced it plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Kansas City.

Diva Shares Sneak Peek

Chantel Jeffries flaunts her perky behind in a tiny bikini

Chantel Jeffries shared a video to her Instagram stories on Wednesday that showed off her fantastic figure. The 30-year-old DJ, who is rumored to be dating Diplo, showed off her perky derrière and almost spilled out of her bikini top as she did different poses inside a spa.

Prez Biden's Dox Debated

Biden's legal team found more classified docs, according to a person familiar with the investigation

Biden's lawyers notified government agencies, and the Justice Department opened an investigation to see how the classified material got there and whether there were additional documents elsewhere in Biden's possession. The person familiar with the second discovery said those materials were also turned over.

Legacy Deal Questioned

Penn Biden Center where classified papers were found is a 'dark money nightmare'

The Penn Biden Center, where lawyers found classified materials linked to the Obama White House, is a patronage mill for the Biden administration that has helped the University of Pennsylvania rake in tens of millions in donations from Chinese investors, critics say.

MAGA Words Well-Remembered

Judge will allow prosecutors to use Trump's 'stand back and stand by' comment in Proud Boys trial | CNN Politics

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that prosecutors can use video of then-President Donald Trump telling the far-right group the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" in the trial against several of the group's leaders charged with seditious conspiracy.

Rep's Résumé Rebuked Again

Rep. George Santos rebuffs calls for his "immediate resignation" by Long Island Republicans

Washington - Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York said he won't resign from Congress on Wednesday, rebuffing calls from fellow New York Republicans who denounced him in a press conference for lying about his background. "I will not," Santos responded when reporters on Capitol Hill asked if he'll step down.

Vlad Launches Greater Tech Attacks

Russia's cyberattacks aim to 'terrorize' Ukrainians

The pace of cyberattacks directed against Ukraine has been unrelenting over the past 12 months. While attacks have been aimed at military targets - such as a widely condemned attack on Ukrainian satellite company Viasat early in the conflict that disrupted Ukrainian military communications - hackers are taking aim even more at critical utilities used in daily life.

Tax Man Stays Winning

Huge tax on Mega Millions $1 billion jackpot causes outcry on social media: 'CONGRATS to the IRS'

Some Twitter users calculated what the value of the Mega Millions jackpot would be after tax - and the results are disappointing. The Mega Millions grand prize shot up to $1.35 billion after Tuesday's night's drawing passed with no official winner.

Burning Debate Fizzles

White House says Biden doesn't support banning gas stoves

The White House is pushing back on Republicans who have accused the Biden administration of wanting to prohibit the use of gas stoves in U.S. households. "The president does not support banning gas stoves," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday's briefing.

Airline Skyfall Sparks Fear

US travellers confront worst winter flight chaos in a decade

Airlines have cancelled tens of thousands of US flights this winter, and imposed even more delays, resulting in the worst chaos in more than a decade and straining a country dependent on planes for long-distance trips. The latest disruptions came on Wednesday when a computer glitch at the US Federal Aviation Administration grounded planes across the nation for two hours.

European War Teaches Lessons

Intense fighting in eastern Ukraine showed the benefits - and limitations - of HIMARS, experts say

US-provided HIMARS rocket artillery aided Ukraine's rapid advance around Kharkiv in September. HIMARS destroyed Russian positions and depots, allowing Ukraine to retake a huge swath of territory. But Russian forces adapted and were able to limit HIMARS' effectiveness in fighting around Kherson.

Far East Far Old School Impact

Chinese fret over infecting elderly as holidays prompt COVID warnings

BEIJING, Jan 12 (Reuters) - People in China worried on Thursday about spreading COVID-19 to aged relatives as they planned returns to their home towns for holidays that the World Health Organization warns could inflame a raging outbreak. The Lunar New Year holiday, which officially starts from Jan.

South Of The Border Royal Legacy Offers Life Lesson

What Can Maximilian Von Hapsburg's Failed Empire Teach Us About Modern Mexico?

it's still not clear whether Mexico's President Lopez Obrador will be remembered like Benito Juarez as a figure who helped preserve Mexico's democratic traditions or whether, like Maximilian, he will be lumped together with a larger group of maligned Latin American autocrats.

Fighting Threatens Royal Family

Prince Harry's Unwitting Case for Abolishing the Monarchy

The prince's memoir, Spare, is a scorching account of life in a golden cage. Imagine a fairy-tale city-on the coast, perhaps, with sailboats bobbing in the breeze. This is Ursula K. Le Guin's Omelas, a fictional utopia where "the air of morning was so clear that the snow still crowning the Eighteen Peaks burned with white-gold fire."

DO TELL PR0N MOTEL!!!

Travelodge shame as 28 adult stars show up at quiet hotel to make saucy shoot

Travelodge was left red-faced after 28 porn stars checked into one of its hotels to shoot raunchy footage. Without getting permission the crew then started to roll cameras at the Travelodge at the Cobalt Business Park in Newcastle, according to horrified bosses.

Kansas City Christmas Forever

Christmas Con coming to OP this June with Hallmark stars

Christmas Con. // Courtesy Thats4Entertainment Was it Santa or Beyoncé who said, "I don't think you're ready for this jelly?" Either way, if you're a fan of Christmas or beloved, cheesy holiday Hallmark movies-boy, do we have news for you. People Magazine dropped the bells-and-bobtails bomb over the weekend that Christmas Con-in all its over-the-top splendor-is heading to the Midwest...

Pint-Sized Baller Earns Respect

How the Chiefs' undersized running back helped propel Kansas City to the playoffs

On a Monday night game against the Las Vegas Raiders in October, Jerick McKinnon almost looked like Gregory Hines. With left tackle Orlando Brown leading the way, McKinnon danced through the Raiders' defense, and powered his way to a season-best 30-yard run.

Barrio Redesign Underway

Placemaking open house for Westside neighborhood set for Thursday - Downtown Council of Kansas City

You are invited to a placemaking event from 6-8 p.m. Thursday for the Westside neighborhood around West 17th Street and Jarboe. The goal is to revitalize and transform community and education spaces at Jarboe Park, Primitivo Garcia School, and Mattie Rhodes Centers.

Tech Teams Teach Successfully

Four KC-area startups tapped for custom accelerator targeting diverse range of KS entrepreneurs

Only a handful of Kansas City startups - three of which hail from Johnson County - are among 21 companies selected for a Wichita-based accelerator designed for growth-minded startups in the thick of their product-market fit and customer-acquisition journeys. The NXTSTAGE Customer Traction Cohort is designed to help early-stage companies break through barriers to generate revenue and identify scalable offerings.

Kansas City Mixing It Up Again

Rain to snow mix overnight

NINE-DAY FORECAST SO YOU WILL KNOW FIRST, THIS IS FIRST ALERT WEATHER. NEVILLE: I AM EXCITED ABOUT THAT. A LOT OF REASON TO BE PROUD. SEE THAT SMILE ON NEVILLE'S FACE, WE LOVE THAT. NEVILLE: I APPRECIATE THAT AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT OUR BASKETBALL TEAMS ARE DOING WELL.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.