After what should have been a celebration to start a new year.

A grim headline as Kansas City records its deadliest year on record.

Somebody's got to stop and say, look.

We've got to try something different.

It's the final countdown.

Just 18 days left to put a stadium issue on the April ballots.

Less time if you're watching our Sunday rebroadcast, what is Kansas City about to score a home run or about to strike out?

Plus, we track the big projects you can expect in 2024.

It's all coming up on this New Year edition.

Hope we can review.

We can review is made possible through the generous support of AARP, Kansas City RSm.

Dave and Jamie Cummings, Bob and Marlese Gourley, The Courtney S Turner Charitable Trust.

John H Mize and Bank of America NA co Trustees.

The restaurant at 1900.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Hello and welcome.

I'm Nick Haines.

Can I also say Happy New Year?

Or is there a statute of limitations that's already rather out on that greeting?

It's our first show of 2024 and getting into fighting fit shape to lead you through our metro's most impactful, confusing and befuddling local news stories is Brian Ellison, who tracks the region's politics for KCUR News, former star, newshound and editorial writer Dave Helling from our own newsroom here at Kansas City, PBS Flatland KC Mary Sanchez and at the helm of our metro's newest newspaper, Next page, KC Eric Wesson.

Now, while many of us were celebrating the New Year, Kansas City was recording a grim milestone, the deadliest year on record.

The news is all the more jarring when the national news networks are reporting the biggest single year drop in murders in American history, with places like Detroit reporting the lowest number of homicides in more than 50 years.

Even Chicago chalking up a 13% drop in murders.

This going on year to year of the year, you know.

So somewhere that somebody's got to stop and say, look, we've got to try something different.

Something new, you know, something we never did before.

Eric, any evidence we have any plans to do something different, something new, as that person just said?

Absolutely not, unfortunately.

Earlier this week, the chief of police and the mayor had a press conference about a plan to deal with violent crime, specifically homicides in the Kansas City area.

And I left not knowing any more about what a plan was.

And before I got there, what I did learn, of course, was that the police are getting ready, I think on the 21st of this month, they're going to go to an 11 hour work day.

So it's 44 hours on, four days off.

They have a ten hour shift right now and they would go to 11 hour shift.

But what difference would that make and would that make it even harder, Mary, to recruit police officers if they're so short of people willing to go into the police department.

Perhaps with the longer shifts?

I mean, the hope is some of that is just because of that, though, the numbers they are down.

Officers, even people who are fairly critical of policing will say that for our jurisdiction, for as large of a geographic area as we have, we don't have enough patrol officers.

But what are these other cities doing, Brian?

That's so right.

Even Saint Louis saw a big decrease in murders this last year, and yet they operate with exactly the same laws as Kansas City.

Yeah, it is a vexing problem, to be sure.

But one of the cities that Kansas City says it is trying to model its efforts on is Omaha, where there's this 360 program that involves a combination of reporting and accountability and efforts to rehabilitate.

It's unclear exactly, though, what programs that's going to take the form of.

It's unclear how easily that can be implemented under the existing police structures.

And that's one of the mayor's criticisms as well, is whether our police department has adapted adequately to sort of modern policing techniques, which clearly are in place in some of these other.

Cities during the holiday break.

Your former newspaper, The Kansas City Star, out a headline that said something, We cannot accept this level of violence and it don't.

We do that every day.

Isn't there a sense of shrug and we sort of fixate on other issues like stadiums and Taylor Swift and Super Bowls?

This just just becomes something we sort of hide from?

I think you're exactly right, Nick.

And that's one of the problems, of course, is that we talk about it and talk about it.

And there's a lot of finger pointing in Kansas City more than other jurisdictions.

One believes that it's someone else's responsibility.

It's the police.

No, it's the mayor.

No, it's the police board.

No, it's the governor.

And no one actually takes ownership of the idea that violence needs to be reduced in Kansas City.

And I think that leads, as Eric suggests, to discussions of plans that don't really reveal anything new.

And so, you know, this week it's Omaha, next week at Saint Louis, this one this month, we're going to go to Jeff City.

And there's no coherent plan to address these ongoing concerns.

And I think that's a huge problem.

Perhaps Kansas City's biggest.

But who's going to be held accountable because the mayor is now a lame duck mayor, He's not going to be running for reelection again other than the Jackson County prosecutor will be was announced.

He's not running for reelection.

That will be a big race this upcoming year.

Is that the only area where the public really gets a voice in what's happening?

I guess you could say yes.

But one of the things that the chief of police said yesterday at the press conference was that Kansas City has a culture of violence.

And every time people point to Omaha, she brought up to the fact that it took him 15 years to get to this point.

So what do we do in the meantime?

One of the things that I thought we would hear yesterday is a plan by city hall, because when you look at Omaha plan, it involved the city council, it involved neighborhood groups, it involved the police department.

I think here is more of a concept of the police need to do this.

And even though they talk about all of these efforts of everybody working together, noticeably absent at the press conference was the Jackson County prosecutor, the people from the border police commissioners.

It was nobody there but the mayor and the chief of police.

So how are you saying, hey, let's all work together when you all are working together?

Because I think everybody should have been there.

It's the final countdown.

There are now just 18 days left to put a stadium issue on the April ballot.

Less time if you're watching our Sunday rebroadcast.

While we were unwrapping presents and overindulging on eggnog, is there any evidence that our sports leaders and politicians, they were putting aside their own merriment to strike a deal behind the scenes that everyone can now get behind?

Well, there's a lot of talk of a deal, but there's nothing on the table that I'm aware of that everyone can get behind.

I mean, that that may be one of the great challenges going forward.

The next 72 to 96 hours, Nick, will be crucial.

Talks are going on with the county, both teams.

The city is involved.

There is a belief among some members of the county legislature that they need to wrap this up.

Monday, the eighth.

I think it's the eighth, right, Because of changeover in leadership with the legislature and because of the veto calendar, depending on what the legislature comes up with and what Frank White might do.

So pay attention over the weekend.

There are so many unanswered questions still that going getting something fixed by Monday seems very unrealistic, but that's what people are aiming for.

One quick note.

The chiefs really want to go in April on the ballot, in part because they think they have commitment from the state of Missouri, from Governor Mike Parson and others.

That would expire after April, in part because Mike Parson is a lame duck and won't be back next year.

So the calendar is crunching.

Time is of the essence.

And by the way, we're 90 days away from Election Day.

Is the media, though, forcing this agenda because really the leases don't expire until 2031, Can you conceivably still put something on the ballot in August or November and still all everything would still be good?

Well, everything might be different.

I mean, you could, but for all the reasons that Dave just outlined, that might not be the best course.

The problem is there has been so much coverage.

There just was another recent piece on TV over the weekend about the our former employer, the Kansas City Star's Press Plant Building, still being in the works of this, as long as you've got that much that.

Seem to be the owners of the building trying to.

Well and.

That's one part that rather I yes.

I didn't report that myself, but that was my impression and I question that because that keeps coming up and it keeps just muddling all the conversation.

But the people who are in charge have not gotten this done.

While it may seem like a muddled mess, can we at least end those rumors that the Chiefs are ready to move to Kansas or someplace else after the Chiefs win this week did call?

Can't make the most definitive statement yet that the team is staying at Arrowhead for the long haul.

Nothing's changed.

From our perspective, we're still focused on Arrowhead.

We believe it's one of the.

Best stadiums in the in the National Football League and we hope to make it to our home for at least.

Another 25 years.

The Eric.

So as we start this new year, can we put to rest all those rumors they are staying.

Absolutely.

I think that was more media hype or political hype that they could leave and go somewhere else.

But in my experience with listening to Clark Heart, he has no desire to go to Kansas or Nashville or any of those other places.

You just quickly, the Chiefs seem committed to Arrowhead Stadium and the Truman Sports complex, but there is some talk in Jackson County of putting the Chiefs only on the ballot in April 3/8 of a cent for whatever the Chiefs want to do, and the Royals are left to fend for themselves, in part because of what's going on with the city.

There's some talk of the city issuing a debt for a new stadium and maybe they'll contribute to it to a certain degree.

Here's the problem, Nick.

None of these questions have been addressed publicly and the clock is ticking.

We don't know what the chiefs want or where.

We don't know what the royals want or where we don't know how much money any of it would cost.

And I'll just repeat, we're 90 days away from Election Day.

Well, and I think that's why it is so important that this actually do go on the April ballot.

The longer this stretches out, the greater the public fatigue with the whole issue will be.

I think the harder this gets, especially for the royals, too, to see any kind of public support for their plan.

I think there's another consequence, which is that in this election year, part of the funding package for whatever plan the Royals come to with Jackson County or Kansas City or the area is going to depend on some state funding as well.

We know there's probably going to be $350 million or so of county funding for this project.

The stadium's going to cost $1,000,000,000.

Some of it's going to come from the state in this election year.

The longer you wait, the more complicated that gets, too, to identify the contours of that kind of support.

So listening to Dave Helling, Monday is the day we should be all tracking before we move on and that we may have a lot of questions that we're going to have answered by next week's program.

I think also this week, there will be a conversation about the community benefit agreement and labor union.

And but one of the things about the community benefit agreement there was a question mark was do they talk about it and say, we're putting this in place before the election?

Because if I remember correctly, the community benefit agreement for the airport didn't come in place until edge more.

A developer was appointed.

Nobody knows where the royals are going, who the developer is going to be, if there is one.

So there's a different undertone with that.

But I know those are the things that people listen to and they have to have a lease.

In a few minutes, we're going to take a look at all the big projects and changes you can expect in 2024.

But as we start this new year, a number of new laws and changes have already taken place.

On the more lighter side, you no longer need time tickets to go and see the new aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo.

You can now enter reservation free starting now.

If you live in Kansas, did you notice your weekly shop at the grocery store was a lot cheaper this week.

The state sales tax on food has been cut in half.

It's now just 2%.

It will drop to zero next year as part of legislation signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly.

I think every little bit helps and I think it sounds fantastic.

Now, some of our viewers, though, said they were surprised that their receipts were still showing taxes of about 4% on those purchases.

Is that because there's still lots of local taxes you're still on the hook for?

Yes.

And that's often forgotten that this is just the state levy on food, the local levies.

And by the way, that's also true in Missouri.

You know, Missouri has a relatively low food sales tax, but local taxes can be five or $0.06 on the dollar.

Still, it's a welcome break.

When it gets to zero from the original 6%, that's actually four or $500 a year on the typical family bill for food in Kansas.

That's a significant amount of money.

And it it's about time.

But I was just checking though it's still cheaper to get your grocery shop in on the Missouri side of state line if you live in Kansas driving over there that their sales tax rate there is 1.2%, which means they're still lower than Kansas.

Well, yes and no.

As as Dave said, remember that in addition to the state tax, there's going to be a county tax, a city tax, and indeed certain neighborhoods in certain taxing districts have additional.

Tax receipts still collected in.

Which is to.

Say, yes, it might.

Be a penny or two cheaper.

I'm not sure, especially in the way people buy food a week at a time, month at a time.

They're going to notice the kind of difference that this is going to have, the kind of political payoff, and also just sort of consumer satisfaction payoff that the governor and others in Kansas were hoping for.

You know, there's an even larger gap between the two states on another big economic indicator, the minimum wage.

This week, Missouri's minimum wage increased to $12.30.

It leaves Kansas in the dust.

It's now more than $5 an hour below Missouri.

The Kansas minimum wage is now the lowest in the country, among them at 725.

How come Kansas has been so reluctant to follow its neighboring state, Mary?

Well, they're reluctant on a lot of things.

I think the the marijuana issue is one that they're also very Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid expansion, which Laura Kelly is also going to try and go after again this year.

There's just that hesitancy.

But I think when you start talking about minimum wage, you kind of do need to understan had wages kept up.

Minimum wage would be an incredible high amount like in the thirties right now.

Had it kept up, but it hasn't.

I did an interview with a gentleman this week actually Monday, and he said that he's already $44 a month in the hole because his rent went up because the taxes in Jackson County went up.

The minimum wage is only going to get you about $12 more a week.

And after taxes, you might get an extra $22 a month.

This could be a big election issue in Missouri this year, too.

While we've been sort of fixated on thinking about what's going to happen with an abortion amendment that voters will have this year, but possibly also sports betting in Missouri.

But there's also an effort to put a $15 minimum wage on the ballot in Missouri.

And I think that very well could pass.

Nick, I think remember that the current 12 something minimum wage in Missouri only happened because voters approved it back in 2018 and it gradually increased to its current level.

I think voters could very well approve it.

Again, I think it's a compelling argument.

It's not a particularly partizan proposal.

Folks who are in a tough income spot really appreciate a $15 wage which which by the way, we were talking about a $15 minimum wage five or six years ago.

There's been inflation since then, $15 isn't what it used to be.

Just quickly, the reason there's a difference between Missouri and Kansas is that Missouri has an initiative and petition process.

Kansas does not.

And so Missourians put a higher minimum wage on the ballot, put Medicaid expansion on the ballot, put marijuana on the ballot, and the voters enacted those measures, not the legislature.

And no evidence that Kansas lawmakers would start a process like that to allow voters to do that, would.

Oppose it with all their might.

And in fact, one of the biggest political battles in Jefferson City this year will be an effort to limit the initiative and petition process by increasing the number or type of signatures that are gathered because Republicans there don't like people actually having a vote or a voice in their public.

By the way, our state lawmakers aren't getting back to business.

Kansas lawmakers returned to Topeka on Monday.

Missouri lawmakers are already back at work in Jefferson City.

We've been told, by the way, that this is a big election year, including a big race for governor.

Little will actually get accomplished.

Bryan, what's the best we can expect to cross the finish line at the end of the session?

Well, I suppose best depends on your perspective, but I do think that that Citizen initiative reform is one of the things that could have the most significant implications for Missouri government and politics.

And it actually may have one of the better chances of passing.

That is to say that legislators not only want to perhaps increase the number of signatures required to get something on the ballot, but increase the thresholds that would be required for an amendment to the state constitution to be.

Approved that would make it harder then for an abortion vote to be successful.

It would have meant that votes on minimum wage, votes on marijuana legalization wouldn't have passed under some of the proposals that are going forward.

If they get anything done, I would be totally surprised.

I think are somebody will try to have a conversation about sports betting again, because that's.

Even to even the teams want that a referendum effort to do that.

Yeah so I think that's one of the things but like they both David said you know is these initiative petitions that they're going to fight against.

So I think something should be done with that area as well.

And that actually has federal implications, you know, national implications because everyone is watching this area, given what happened with Kansas, that they were the first state to go ahead and reinstitute through the voters, you know, some abortion protections.

How that plays out, just state to state is what we're watching now.

So Missouri is going to be in the spotlight.

The Republican Senate president says they're going to put on the back burner issues relating to LGBT, to restrictions, restrictions on books this upcoming session.

But recruiting and retaining police officers will be a big part of the session, he says, And also potentially making Jackson County assessor were an elected position.

Right.

And taxes will be a huge issue in both state capitals that in an election year.

Nick cutting taxes is the simplest, easiest thing for lawmakers to do and you can look forward to that.

In addition, in Missouri, I think there will be an effort in broad property tax reform based in part on the experience in Jackson.

You said that was also the biggest issue in Kansas in our year in review show.

Right.

And they're already talking.

Do we go to a flat tax in Kansas, which is one income tax level for everyone?

Do we exempt Social Security income from Kansas taxation?

Currently it's taxed.

There's an effort to do property tax reform.

On the Democratic side in Kansas, taxes are always on the table in even numbered years, and this is no exception.

At the end of last year, Missouri Governor Mike Parson made a splash in a new video with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly touting his ability to bridge political divides, find common ground and to disagree better.

Apparently, that courtesy doesn't extend to China in this first big decision of the new year, Parson signed an executive order banning the Chinese from owning any Missouri farmland within ten miles of any military base in the state.

To ban China and other nations that may wish us harm from owning Missouri agricultural land within ten miles of any critical military facilities in the state.

Now, it's definitely an issue that's gathering steam across the country.

Interestingly, China isn't even listed in the top ten foreign countries owning American farmland.

For the record, the biggest is Canada, followed by the Netherlands and the UK.

But Missouri is different.

China is the biggest foreign owned a farmland in the state, followed by New Zealand.

Brian Why?

And is this going to be one of the hottest campaign issues of the election?

Yep.

A lot of the reason is that China owns Smithfield Foods.

That happened about ten years ago and they owned a lot of hog farms in the state.

But the reality, the interesting political reality, Nick, is that that deal went through because state lawmaker was voted to allow it to go through and exceed what were previously the limits on foreign ownership.

Every senator, including then Senator Mike Parson, voted for that legislation.

And I think we are looking at a different season, obviously, and I think we are looking at a time when there's unlikely to be very much political pushback to this effort.

It is gaining resonance.

And I think even in Kansas, they try to do the same thing.

Attorney General Kris Kobach has proposed similar legislation in the state of Kansas, even though China owns less land in Kansas.

This is one of those issues that it is just so politicized and it just needs to be moderated on what is realistic, understanding that we are part of the Midwest very much breadbasket of a global food chain.

This kind of absolute that, oh, China, bad, Netherlands, bad, New Zealand bad.

That is just ridiculous.

By the way, this would be China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela, who would not be allowed to purchase the British actually fight the Dutch, the Spanish and the New Zealanders are not going to be touched by this.

When you ban certain countries or a certain interest from buying farmland, you depress the price of farmland.

By the way, the Missouri Freedom Caucus is all in favor of these bans.

There's some irony in people who tout freedom saying, But you can't sell your land to whoever pays the highest price.

But there are a lot of Democrats on board with this too, though, Eric.

Yeah, and I was wondering why.

I think for the most part, people in Missouri don't even know or understand what all of that entails.

So it was kind of interesting.

All the other issues we have, I-70, all these other things that that would be a topic of discussion.

Instead of our Big Story Missed segment this week, we're going to track some of the big projects and changes you can expect in this brand spanking new year.

Which of these stories should we be most excited or alarmed about this year?

There's no doubt about it.

Picking a president is going to be one of the biggest stories of the year closer to home.

Josh Hawley is back on the ballot and Missouri voters will be picking a new governor.

But before he heads out the door, Mike Parson's got you a big gift.

His new book drops in March.

Big changes ahead in health care this week.

One of the largest hospital chains in Saint Louis takes over hometown St Luke's.

Could a name change be on the way?

The new Kansas City Current soccer stadium opens in March.

It's being touted as the world's first purpose built stadium for a women's professional sports team.

The Kansas Turnpike goes cashless this year, starting this summer, there'll be no tollbooths or searching for loose change.

Instead, Kansas will capture your license plate and mail you a bill even though they don't have all the money.

Kansas City leaders are expected to break ground later this year on the so-called South Loop project that will put a lid over full blocks of downtown Highway, turning it into a destination park.

And finally, an end to traffic snarls is the new buckle New bridge is scheduled to open.

And speaking of bridges, what is being described as America's first entertainment District over a river will open this year.

The Rock Island Bridge in the West Bottoms will open this spring.

Already, Eric Wesson, did you pick one of those stories or something completely different?

I was at a loss because, you know, the mayor here in Kansas City holds up this shiny coin.

Kansas City had a great 2023.

We had the NFL draft, we had the Super Bowl, We had all of these things.

Taylor Swift, we get beyond, say, 2024 is going to be a letdown because none of those things are going to happen again.

So I guess if I had to choose one, you know, people are not warm and fuzzy about Biden and Trump rematch.

I don't know what's going to be the big story for 2024.

Did you have one, Mary?

Well, I think that the federal election is going to just color so much.

I mean, it really does even get into that conversation about China.

Mike Parson.

Dave.

I'm terrified by the idea that 2024 could be a let down compared to 2023.

If that turns out to be the case, we are in serious trouble.

I think.

I think Kansas City will have a big conversation, Nick, in 2024 about mass transit, the free busses, light rail, rail, transportation up and down Main Street now under construction.

I do think that that's the next sort of hurdle for Kansas City to figure out.

And by the way, the stadiums would be tied into that in terms of getting people in and out of downtown, if that's where the ballparks end up going or a ballpark.

So I think mass transit will be on the agenda.

And then I would hope that indeed 2024 does become the year we focus on violent murders in Kansas City to the exclusion of brick and mortar projects, which we all obsess about.

And instead, let's focus on human capital and the loss of it in some parts of our community.

Brian I think I'll be following elections, particularly in Missouri, for two really important reasons one Democratic and one Republican.

They're going to tell us about the future of the state's politics in each of these parties.

In the case of governor who Republicans select to be their gubernatorial candidate, will tell us a lot about the face of the party, whether they go with a more conservative ideological choice like John Ashcroft or more pro-business choice like Mike Kehoe.

On the Democratic side, the race for U.S. Senate, where Lucas Koonce is the leading candidate to challenge Josh Hawley, whether Lucas Coons can gain any kind of traction across the state will say a lot about whether Democrats have any future at all in competing for statewide office in the state.

And all of those were Missouri side issues because there are no statewide elections going on in Kansas this year and no big election issues on the ballot.

And on that, we will say our week has been reviewed courtesy of Mary Sanchez from the Kansas City PBS newsroom Flatland and Brian Ellison of KCUR News from Next Page KC Eric Wesson and former star news icon Dave Helling.

And I'm Nick Haines from all of us here at Kansas City, PBS.

Be well, keep calm and carry on.