The Palm Tree Club is planting its fourth location, not in a warm-weather climate like its other three spots, but in Kansas City.

The big picture: The tropical "vibe-dining" concept that opens Friday may feel out of place in the Midwest — especially with other locations in Miami, Orlando, and Las Vegas — but the new restaurant's ties to Kansas City make a lot of sense.

Why it matters: Owners want to offer something completely new for KC: an energetic, music-powered dining experience suitable for both those with party plans and early bedtimes.

Why Kansas City? It's part of a complicated series of connections between the restaurant's owners, Power and Light, and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Zoom in: Palm Tree Club is part of Palm Tree Crew, an entertainment and investment company by Norwegian DJ Kygo and his manager, Myles Shear.

• Last year, Palm Tree Crew invested in Medium Rare, the entertainment company behind Travis Kelce's home-brewed music festival, Kelce Jam.
• Kelce attended Palm Tree Crew music festivals and repped a Palm Tree Crew hat during the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

What they're saying: Eric Coomes, brand lead for the restaurant and resident DJ at the P&L nightclub Mosaic, tells Axios that, as a Kansas City native, he's been looking for ways to elevate downtown's scene and make KC a travel destination.

• "How do we bring people from out of town into Kansas City … instead of people leaving Kansas City for experiences?" he said during a restaurant tour last week.

Between the lines: The Cordish Companies, which developed and owns KC Live!, also owns Live! at the Pointe Orlando, where the Palm Tree Club opened its second location last year.

What to expect: Palm Tree Club is a fine dining restaurant centered around tropical ambience and live music, with a DJ booth backdropped by projected beach scenes elevated above the first floor.

• That's right: It's a two-story establishment with the upstairs offering additional seating, two more spots for DJs, and Power and Light's only public rooftop bar.

The vibe: Coomes said it's about creating an energetic atmosphere that builds throughout the night — but never overblows on the volume.

• He said it's a place for "people that want to start their night and end their night early, or want to start their night and then go across the street and keep the party going."

If you go: Palm Tree Club is open Tuesday-Sunday for dinner and late-night drinks. Reservations are recommended.

Check out the food

At least 5,000 people filled the Missouri Capitol this week to oppose Gov. Mike Kehoe's push to redraw the state's congressional map and change how ballot measures are decided.

Why it matters: Labor and community groups leading the protest argue Kehoe's "Missouri First Map" is gerrymandering that would dilute working-class and minority representation.

• They also oppose his proposal requiring constitutional amendments to win both a statewide majority and majorities in each congressional district; a change organizers say would let 20% of voters block measures backed by most Missourians.

The big picture: The rally, led by SEIU Healthcare and allied unions and advocacy groups, followed Labor Day protests in Kansas City and St. Louis, where thousands objected to lawmakers' repeal of guaranteed paid sick days for more than 700,000 workers.

What they're saying: "What I saw convinces me of one thing: the people of Missouri are ready to fight for their voice. They are resilient, determined, and united," Jordan Herrera, a Democrat running for Congress in Missouri's 5th District, tells Axios.

State of play: The proposals are now before the Senate's Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee. Kehoe says his plan would protect Missouri values and reduce outside influence on ballot campaigns.

The bottom line: Lawmakers are weighing changes that could reshape Missouri politics and ballot access ahead of the 2026 midterms.

🏗️ Kansas City is considering loosening height restrictions on the Plaza to allow development of a tower on the lot left vacant by Nordstrom. (Kansas City Star)

👩‍🔧 The KC's Society of Women Engineers received a $15,000 grant to fund its Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, where 225 local high schoolers connected with mentors and hands-on STEM projects. (POWER Engineers)

📺 FOX NFL Sunday will air live from the Power and Light District from 10am to noon Sunday ahead of the Chiefs' home opener, while a Kelce-inspired "New Heights" tailgate runs 9am to 5:30pm. (FOX4KC)

We vanished to D.C. for three days with 250 other Axios reporters. Think summer camp, only with storytelling instead of s'mores.

Why it matters: The retreat was wall-to-wall brain-picking, story-sharpening and newsletter-nerding — all so this daily dose lands better for you.

What we did: Our home base was Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., which hosted our panels and sessions, along with a pretty neat experience at field level with batting practice and a caricature artist.

• We gifted this art to our lovely editor, who we KNOW has this hung up on her wall now.

The big picture: We're back to our regularly scheduled programming: full, unadulterated KC coverage.

• We missed you, and we hope you missed us (but don't tell us if you didn't).

💭 Abbey's thought bubble: DO tell us if you missed us. We're like Tinkerbell; we live off applause.