Early Voting Underway The Presidential Election is now just two weeks away, but the voting floodgates open this week as Missouri begins in-person advance voting on Tuesday. Early voting is already underway in Kansas. The Johnson County election office says more than 3,000 people cast ballots within the first hour of advance voting starting on Saturday.  Some people were waiting in line before poll workers arrived.   Here’s another important election reminder: If you live in Missouri, and aren’t going to be around on Election Day, this Wednesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Every local election board has its own application. Here’s the one for Kansas City.   Davids vs. Reddy While most of us are fixated on the race for the White House, control of Congress is also on the line on Election Day. This week, Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids joins us at the Kansas City PBS studios to debate her Republican opponent Prasanth Reddy. It will be the first and only time these two candidates meet before Election Day. You can watch the debate Friday night at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS. This is a partnership program with the Johnson County Post and KCUR News. From Highway to Greenway? An important deadline this week on a bold plan to cap a downtown highway and turn it into a destination park. It’s called the South Loop Project, and it involves placing a concrete lid over Interstate 670, that divides downtown near T-Mobile Center, and covering it with greenspace, trails, artwork and public gathering spaces. This Tuesday is the deadline for construction firms to bid on completing the $200 million project.The city has pushed to open the park in time for the throngs of visitors expected to arrive in Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup. But despite an aggressive fundraising campaign, City Hall still doesn’t have all the money. And City Councilman Eric Bunch, who represents that area, has been quietly walking the project back. In a Kansas City Business Journal report, Bunch says, “people are probably going to be upset with me, but there’s absolutely no way we’re going to get the lid done in time for the World Cup.” Renderings of the South Loop to cap I-670 downtown show expansive green space. (Courtesy | City of Kansas City) New Ice Hockey Arena Opens Kansas City gets a new ice hockey arena this week. The 1,500-seat venue is the marquee attraction inside the new AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk in south Overland Park. The rink will be the new home for the University of Kansas ice hockey team and for dozens of youth league teams. The 260,000-square-foot sports facility also includes a turf field, basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts and an indoor zipline. It opens on Saturday. Another ice hockey arena is set to open soon in Olathe. It’s being headed up by Lamar Hunt Jr,. who owns the Mavericks hockey team. Another Sporty Week The Kansas City Chiefs continue to be one of the biggest and most talked about news stories in town. The Chiefs are now the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team. They stay on the road this week with a Sunday matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. Also, this week… Game 1 of the World Series starts Friday between the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The NBA season starts Tuesday. And while the return of college hoops is still a few weeks away, the Big 12’s top players and their coaches will all be in Kansas City this week for the Big 12 Basketball Media Days. The two-day televised event starts Tuesday at T-Mobile Center. And are big changes now on the way at Sporting KC? The club ended its season Saturday with the worst record since rebranding as Sporting KC in 2010. Fireworks go off before a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri last September. (David Eulitt | Getty Images). A Starry-Eyed Week in KC There’s no shortage of big names coming to Kansas City this week… Legendary country musician Alan Jackson takes the stage at T-Mobile Center on Saturday night. He’ll be competing with fellow country star, Trace Adkins, who’ll be performing at the same time at Kauffman Center.And splitting the loyalties of country music fans even further, Travis Tritt also performs Saturday night at the Ameristar Casino. It’s also a week for big-time comedians. Gabriel Iglesias brings his “Don’t Worry be Fluffy Tour” to the Cable Dahmer Arena Saturday night.Former late-night talk show host and comic Chelsea Handler takes the stage at the Midland on Sunday.And for something completely different… Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits star Amy Bruni is bringing a night of terror and paranormal activity to the Kauffman Center on Friday night. The post New Ice Rink Opens, Davids Debates Reddy and Country Music Stars Visit KC first appeared on Flatland.