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Royals ballpark designers want fans out of their cars

Kauffman Stadium ranked last in MLB for walkability. The Royals' new downtown ballpark is designed for fans who walk, bike or take the streetcar.

News

The Royals and design firm Populous want fans to walk, bike or take the streetcar to the new downtown stadium, a major shift from the current game-day experience.Why it matters: Kauffman Stadium ranked last in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2025 study of MLB stadium walkability" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/03/27/petco-park-walkability-walk-score-east-vilalge" data-vars-content-id="0f9b3027-1d90-4c44-b15c-59dee2e194e5" data-vars-headline="Royals ballpark designers want fans out of their cars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2025/03/27/petco-park-walkability-walk-score-east-vilalge" target="_self">2025 study of MLB stadium walkability</a>, and a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2019 ranking" data-vars-click-url="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-smart-growth-america-ballpark-championship/" data-vars-content-id="0f9b3027-1d90-4c44-b15c-59dee2e194e5" data-vars-headline="Royals ballpark designers want fans out of their cars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-smart-growth-america-ballpark-championship/" target="_blank">2019 ranking</a> found it had the league&#x27;s worst transit connections. Royals leaders say the new ballpark will change that.

Green paint is trending in KC and nationwide

Big paint companies named their top 2027 colors.

Culture

Next year&#x27;s paint palette is getting greener and more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="adventurous" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/05/01/playroom-custom-cost" data-vars-content-id="d46050f5-bfe2-4e85-9566-21ab11eef7fd" data-vars-headline="Green paint is trending in KC and nationwide" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/05/01/playroom-custom-cost" target="_self">adventurous</a>.The big picture: Paint companies Behr, Valspar and Sherwin-Williams recently named their picks for the next big hues in home design.

104-year-old building gets new life as cafe, apartments

Remedy Cafe and Bar offers a new breakfast and lunch option for downtowners.

A new coffee shop downtown is part of the historic redevelopment of a building more than a century old.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Remedy Cafe and Bar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594087629451" data-vars-content-id="9d2d3054-30c5-4bd3-a3aa-a616ebabf2d5" data-vars-headline="104-year-old building gets new life as cafe, apartments" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594087629451" target="_blank">Remedy Cafe and Bar</a> offers a new breakfast and lunch option for downtown workers and residents, while 44 new apartments above chip away at KC&#x27;s housing demand.

Your guide to Kansas' close Senate race

Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton are tied. Here's where all three candidates stand.

Kansas hasn&#x27;t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="in more than 90 years" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2026-08-12/has-it-been-more-than-90-years-since-a-kansas-democrat-was-elected-to-the-u-s-senate" data-vars-content-id="8be821b6-42e2-45b2-b82b-1ffceb0d6769" data-vars-headline="Your guide to Kansas&#x27; close Senate race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2026-08-12/has-it-been-more-than-90-years-since-a-kansas-democrat-was-elected-to-the-u-s-senate" target="_blank">in more than 90 years</a>, but this year&#x27;s race is a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="coin flip" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/13/2028-map-swing-states-democrats-red-conservatives" data-vars-content-id="8be821b6-42e2-45b2-b82b-1ffceb0d6769" data-vars-headline="Your guide to Kansas&#x27; close Senate race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/13/2028-map-swing-states-democrats-red-conservatives" target="_self">coin flip</a> that could tip Senate control.Why it matters: Whichever party holds the majority in January decides which bills reach the floor, which judges and Cabinet picks get confirmed and how much of the president&#x27;s agenda advances.

Flu is showing up early in KC

Flu is showing up in KC-area ERs at least twice as often as last year, an early start to flu season.

Flu is turning up in ERs on both sides of the KC metro about twice as often as it did a year ago, an early sign that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="flu season is starting early" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/09/flu-cases-rise-shot" data-vars-content-id="928a66a1-6efa-45d9-b76e-1f9f68acdc15" data-vars-headline="Flu is showing up early in KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/09/flu-cases-rise-shot" target="_self">flu season is starting early</a>.Why it matters: Time is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="running out" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season.html" data-vars-content-id="928a66a1-6efa-45d9-b76e-1f9f68acdc15" data-vars-headline="Flu is showing up early in KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season.html" target="_blank">running out</a> for folks who plan to get a flu shot, which typically takes about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="two weeks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines/keyfacts.html" data-vars-content-id="928a66a1-6efa-45d9-b76e-1f9f68acdc15" data-vars-headline="Flu is showing up early in KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines/keyfacts.html" target="_blank">two weeks</a> to start working.

How far KC walks in a year

Kansas City logged around 165 walking miles per person in 2024, just above the national average.

Kansas City logged <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="around 165 walking miles per person in 2024" data-vars-click-url="https://learn.streetlightdata.com/measuring-walking-and-biking-miles-traveled-ebook" data-vars-content-id="5e00f196-b85d-41fb-b72d-a49ea6f18701" data-vars-headline="How far KC walks in a year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://learn.streetlightdata.com/measuring-walking-and-biking-miles-traveled-ebook" target="_blank">around 165 walking miles per person in 2024</a>, or just under half a mile a day.The big picture: That puts KC at No. 52 out of the country&#x27;s 100 largest cities in a new report from StreetLight, a transportation data firm, and above the national average of around 150 miles.

AI bodies worry local eating disorder experts

Kids are comparing themselves to AI-generated bodies no one actually has.

Kids are measuring themselves against AI-generated bodies that no one actually has, local mental health experts tell Axios, and it&#x27;s showing up in eating disorder treatment.The big picture: The images hurt body satisfaction even when viewers know they aren&#x27;t real, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="research shows" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/08/ai-fitness-influencers-body-ideals" data-vars-content-id="f8dcfcff-b694-456d-935e-3439c5d7fd87" data-vars-headline="AI bodies worry local eating disorder experts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/08/ai-fitness-influencers-body-ideals" target="_self">research shows</a>, and hospitals already treat hundreds of kids each year for eating disorders.

Ticks are having a banner year

The lone star tick, not the Lyme one, drives most cases here. A new CDC report ranks Missouri second in the country for alpha-gal antibodies.

This year&#x27;s tick season has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="been a doozy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/tick-season-record-summer-fall" data-vars-content-id="9e7bc04b-b713-4909-a556-9ab3435c3962" data-vars-headline="Ticks are having a banner year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/28/tick-season-record-summer-fall" target="_self">been a doozy</a>, and another peak is coming in the fall.Why it matters: Tick bites can transmit diseases, like Lyme disease, but in Kansas City the bigger threat is the Lone Star tick, which spreads ehrlichiosis and can trigger <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="alpha-gal syndrome" data-vars-click-url="https://health.mo.gov/conditions-diseases/communicable-diseases/tickborne-disease/alpha-gal-syndrome" data-vars-content-id="9e7bc04b-b713-4909-a556-9ab3435c3962" data-vars-headline="Ticks are having a banner year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://health.mo.gov/conditions-diseases/communicable-diseases/tickborne-disease/alpha-gal-syndrome" target="_blank">alpha-gal syndrome</a>, an allergy to red meat.

How long ER visits take in Kansas and Missouri

A typical ER visit runs about two hours in Kansas and 2.5 in Missouri, both quicker than the national median.

A typical emergency room visit runs about two hours in Kansas and 2.5 in Missouri, per new federal data.Why it matters: These times are your baseline for the worst-day math — how long a trip to the ER actually takes here — and it&#x27;s less time than most of the country spends.

"Nothing has changed" for KC parents after Trump's vaccine order

Kansas City students still need the same vaccines to start school this fall.

The White House wants to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shrink the childhood vaccine schedule" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/trump-vaccines-midterms-measles-order" data-vars-content-id="791c3aca-cdf2-4c29-bc02-a4b2bb81f190" data-vars-headline="&quot;Nothing has changed&quot; for KC parents after Trump&#x27;s vaccine order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/trump-vaccines-midterms-measles-order" target="_self">shrink the childhood vaccine schedule</a>, but the shots your kid needs to start school in Kansas City this month haven&#x27;t changed.Why it matters: KC&#x27;s health director says families are confused about what the new order means, clinic traffic is down, and kids still need their required shots to start school in the next two weeks.

KC's pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing

Rates of gestational hypertension jumped in every state from 2016 to 2024. Missouri hit 12% and Kansas 11.1%, both above the national rate.

Rates of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="high blood pressure" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/hypertension-stress-high-blood-pressure-mind-body-wellness-pandemic" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/14/hypertension-stress-high-blood-pressure-mind-body-wellness-pandemic" target="_self">high blood pressure</a> during pregnancy have soared nationwide, and both Kansas and Missouri are above the U.S. average, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new CDC data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr75/nvsr75-04.pdf" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr75/nvsr75-04.pdf" target="_blank">new CDC data</a>.Why it matters: High blood pressure is associated with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="serious complications" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.html" data-vars-content-id="10badfb3-a6e2-490c-8b4d-23bb4705a42c" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s pregnancy hypertension rates keep climbing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy.html" target="_blank">serious complications</a> for mom and baby.

KC's blood supply is the lowest since COVID

The region's main supplier declared a blood emergency shortly before the Red Cross's crisis announcement.

Health

The blood supply serving Kansas City hospitals has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic, part of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="national shortage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/28/us-blood-supply-health-red-cross-donate" data-vars-content-id="047c4c8a-e08f-4b6c-af30-97155af4735d" data-vars-headline="KC&#x27;s blood supply is the lowest since COVID" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/28/us-blood-supply-health-red-cross-donate" target="_self">national shortage</a> the Red Cross now calls a crisis.Why it matters: A prolonged blood shortage could delay surgeries, trauma care and other treatments at the more than 70 hospitals that rely on the region&#x27;s main supplier.

CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas

The number of states with a cyclosporiasis outbreaks rose to nine on Friday.

The CDC on Friday added Kansas to a list of states with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cyclosporiasis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/07/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/07/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak" target="_self">cyclosporiasis</a> outbreaks, a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="diarrhea-inducing illness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" target="_self">diarrhea-inducing illness</a> that officials say is linked to infected lettuce.The latest: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html" data-vars-content-id="d1b5dcdb-25e5-41bc-8ed7-0dbc8f598e40" data-vars-headline="CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html" target="_blank">CDC</a> this week reported 4,173 confirmed cases in the U.S. between May 1 and July 20. That&#x27;s already more than the total number of U.S. cases reported for all of 2025.

Kansas City has a World Cup hangover

Hosting the World Cup was "like doing ecstasy."

KC is coming off the high of hosting the World Cup, and now that the tournament is officially over, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="World Cup blues" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1350456786466450" data-vars-content-id="b6a7899f-704c-4c3b-833d-8fd6da8c59e8" data-vars-headline="Kansas City has a World Cup hangover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1350456786466450" target="_blank">World Cup blues</a> are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=28740180575571745" data-vars-content-id="b6a7899f-704c-4c3b-833d-8fd6da8c59e8" data-vars-headline="Kansas City has a World Cup hangover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=28740180575571745" target="_blank">here</a>.Why it matters: Emotional letdowns after major life events are common — and the World Cup was exactly the kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience that can trigger one.

Health 🩺

Flu is showing up early in KC

How far KC walks in a year

AI bodies worry local eating disorder experts

Ticks are having a banner year

How long ER visits take in Kansas and Missouri