A Kansas City, Kansas, Underground Railroad site that sheltered enslaved people lacks federal recognition, and local lawmakers just introduced a bill to change that.

Why it matters: Quindaro Townsite is not open to the public, and the federal funding that comes with a National Historic Landmark designation would make that possible.

Driving the news: Reps. Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) this week introduced the Quindaro Townsite National Historic Landmark Act, which would designate the site through congressional action after the standard federal process stalled.

• National Historic Landmarks are designated through the National Park Service System Advisory Board, a federal body that formally recommends sites to the Secretary of the Interior.
• In May 2025, a federal committee unanimously recommended that Quindaro be designated. But the NPS advisory board's charter expired before it could act, leaving it without members.
• Schmidt's office told Axios the Interior Department plans to reconstitute the board, but that could take months. The Department of the Interior declined to comment.

Context: Founded in 1857 along the Missouri River in what is now KCK, Quindaro was established by the Wyandot Nation, abolitionists and African American settlers during "Bleeding Kansas," a violent pre-Civil War struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces over slavery's expansion in the territory.

• Quindaro became a sanctuary for enslaved people crossing into free territory in Kansas via the Underground Railroad.
• After the Civil War, it became a center of Black advancement, home to Western University, the first Black school west of the Mississippi River, and Douglass Hospital, the first Black community-owned hospital west of the Mississippi River.
• The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and designated a National Commemorative Site in 2019.

What they're saying: Johnny Szlauderbach of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, which shepherded the nomination, said his group never heard back from the Department of the Interior after last year's vote.

• "NHL designation is a crucial step for Quindaro, providing the national recognition it deserves and the resources needed to become a driver of tourism and economic development in Kansas City, Kansas," Szlauderbach tells Axios.

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City Council yesterday voted 11-1, with one abstaining, in favor of an incentive package up to $600 million aimed at bringing the Royals downtown.

Why it matters: The ordinance, backed by major downtown stakeholders, opens a path to funding nearly a third of a new $1.9 billion stadium at Washington Square Park.

What's inside: City staff will look at issuing bonds that would be repaid yearly by the city over the next three decades.

• It's not an unconditional subsidy; it's contingent on reaching a broader lease and development deal with the Royals that could include infrastructure upgrades and additional development.
• The city would account for the payments with tax increment financing (TIF), using future taxes generated from the ballpark district.
• All of this is subject to future City Council approvals.

Friction point: Advocates opposed to the ordinance have accused the city of giving the Royals a handout, saying the package would pull funding from the city budget, which faced a $100 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026-2027.

The other side: Proponents have said the stadium and surrounding new development would generate revenue that could add to the city's funds.

Flashback: In 2006, the city executed a TIF plan to provide nearly $300 million for the Power & Light District.

• Taxes generated from the district have not kept up with annual payments, requiring the city to set aside millions from the general fund each year.

What they're saying: "We don't want to draw on our general fund" for the potential bond payments, city manager Mario Vasquez said, adding "We are really building conservatism" into tax revenue projections.

• The city is basing tax assumptions on current revenue generated by Kauffman Stadium, the Kansas City Business Journal reports.

What we're watching: A lawsuit challenging Missouri's Show-Me Sports Investment Act, which could give the Royals up to 50% of the cost of a stadium, was appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court in February. No ruling has yet been issued.

🌱 The USDA canceled a grant program mid-project, leaving Cultivate KC, a Kansas City urban farming nonprofit, without $2.5 million it had planned to use for farmland development. (KCUR)

🎵 The Chainsmokers, Flo Rida, The All-American Rejects and Tech N9ne were announced as headliners for the free FIFA Fan Festival, set for June and July at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. (Press release)

👋🏼 Abbey here. I love running into these hearts around town — this one I was lucky to pass by on a morning walk just outside City Market.

"Welcome to the Party" is one of the heart sculptures in this year's Parade of Hearts, designed by KCMO-born artist Mandolyn Bingham.

• She says she used neon colors and overlapping patterns to represent KC's mix of cultures, and hung a disco ball at the center to evoke the city's nightlife.

💜 What heart should we spotlight next?