Today (Friday): areas of fog before 9 a.m., then mostly sunny, high near 82°F, southeast wind 2–6 mph. Tonight: mostly clear, low around 66°F, south wind ~5 mph. Saturday: a 40% chance of rain showers between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms; mostly sunny, high near 86°F. Saturday night: 50% chance of showers and storms, low ~66°F, with a tenth to a quarter inch of rain possible. Sunday: 50% chance of showers and storms, partly sunny, high near 86°F, east-southeast wind 3–10 mph with gusts to 18 mph. Monday: sunny, high near 90°F, south wind 12–16 mph. No heat-index values are in this forecast.
— NWS forecast & alerts for Independence (39.0911,-94.4155), office NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill (CWA EAX)
The city named four finalists Thursday, Sept. 10 for the police chief job: Gregory Dull, chief at Excelsior Springs PD since 2022 and more than 30 years with Kansas City, Mo., police; Steven Hebbe, police chief in Farmington, N.M., since 2014 and a former deputy chief in Anchorage; Keith Kirchhoff, a KCPD major who commands its Violent Crimes Division with more than 32 years in law enforcement; and Edward Turner, Grain Valley's police chief since 2023 and a 25-year Independence PD veteran before that. Three of the four come from the Kansas City metro. Residents can meet them at a community open house Thursday, Sept. 24, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Midwest Genealogy Center, 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road, ask questions and give feedback; the finalists will also sit for panel interviews before a selection is made. A city spokesperson told KSHB 41 the city hopes to have a new chief in place by the end of October. The department has been led by interim Chief Doug Brinkley since Adam Dustman resigned Aug. 15, 2025 following a three-month leave of absence. Public safety
— City of Independence, Sept 10 · KSHB 41, Sept 10 · KCTV5, Sept 10 · City, recruitment (July 20)
At Tuesday's (Sept. 8) meeting the City Council took up city staff's first round of proposed stricter data center rules — limits on siting and size, water and energy use, buffers from homes, more developer disclosure, and possibly stripping special use permits for ordinance violations — but bogged down in confusion from both residents and councilmembers and put the vote off by at least another month. First District resident Joanie Flanagan and others urged the council to “read the room” and hold resident-facing informational meetings; Mayor Kevin King said he'd look into organizing a public hearing before the council votes in October. Second District Councilmember Brice Stewart introduced 13 amendments, with more to come. City Manager Troy Anderson said the moratorium itself isn't affected by the vote and that the Planning Commission was “split” on advancing the ordinance. Independence is roughly halfway through its 180-day moratorium on new data center and battery-storage zoning approvals. The Patmos data center is under construction in a former warehouse, and the 16-count lawsuit seeking to stop the Nebius site is pending in Jackson County court. Paywalled — summarized from the published report
— The Kansas City Star, Sept 9 · KSHB 41, proposed regulations · City of Independence, moratorium (July 6)
A warehousing and distribution company signed a lease for 1,443,600 square feet at the Space Center, 1550 S. Geospace Drive — the underground industrial complex built into Missouri limestone. Hoodline reported it as the largest industrial lease signed in the Kansas City metro so far in 2026, citing a LoopNet listing that names Allen Distribution as tenant; landlord Link Logistics Real Estate. Economic development
Today's published city calendar is empty of meetings. Coming up: the Planning Commission meets Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. in the Independence Municipal Commons first floor, 20201 E. Jackson Drive (agenda posted at least 24 hours ahead), and the Southwest 353 Board of Directors meets Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m. The next full City Council meeting is Monday, Sept. 21, when the council is expected to take a first reading on the post-recall special election schedule. City government
— City, Planning Commission Sept 15 · City, Southwest 353 Board Sept 16 · KMBC, Sept 21 first reading
Police are investigating a fatal crash at southbound Noland Road and I-70 reported about 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8: a motorcyclist riding south on Noland Road collided with a van exiting eastbound I-70 and turning north. The helmeted rider was taken to a hospital with critical injuries and later died; his identity is withheld pending family notification, and the van driver stayed on scene and is cooperating. Tips: 816-325-7777. Separately, The Examiner reported that Independence police pursuits have “fallen dramatically” since interim Chief Doug Brinkley issued a new chase policy on May 20 — the department logged 541 pursuits in 2025, and city officials have cited just four in the roughly three months since the order. Public safety
— City of Independence, Sept 9 · FOX4, Sept 9 · The Examiner, Sept 9
The Independence School District Board of Education met Tuesday, Sept. 8 after a public hearing on the tax rate. The board approved the 2026-2027 tax rate levy — the operating levy moves to $4.5891 per $100 of assessed value while the debt-service levy stays at $0.9118, bringing the total rate to $5.5009, up from $5.2372 (a shade more than 5%) as aggregate assessed values inside the district are expected to fall 6.3%. The board also approved resolutions to issue refunding bonds for an estimated $1.1 million in interest savings, plus updated salary guides, transportation routes and a new tuition rate. The meeting included presentations on district finances, internet safety and the first week of school. The district also dropped its lawsuit against Jackson County over the county's property-tax-credit plan. Recap
— MyTownView, ISD board Sept 8 · KSHB 41, Sept 8 · KCUR, July 31 (lawsuit dropped)
No agenda packet is posted yet for the next ISD board meeting — the district's posted meeting list still runs back from Sept. 8 — so this edition covers the district via public records and press only, with no “What to Watch” agenda items to verify.
New filing: BLEU HOUSE BISTRO (Retail by Drink and Sunday by Drink) at 15800 US 24, filed 09/01/2026 — licensee Bleu House Bistro, Inc. (Corporation), status Active. This remains the most recent local filing in the state's new-liquor-license data; no new Independence filings have posted since.
New filing: BINGHAM WAGGONER ESTATE (Caterer - Retail by Drink) at 313 Pacific, filed 08/25/2026 — licensee J Creek, LLC (Limited Liability Company), status Active.
First District voters recalled Councilman John Perkins on Sept. 1 with about 68% in favor — the first recall of an Independence city councilmember in city history, driven by his March vote for the Nebius data center incentives. The Jackson County election board was set to meet Sept. 8 to hand-count the 1,650 votes and finalize results; the recall takes effect once results are certified and delivered to the City Clerk, after which the city must hold a special election to fill the vacancy. City Manager Troy Anderson said he'll recommend a February primary if more than two candidates file and an April general election regardless, with the council taking a first reading on the election schedule Sept. 21 and candidate packets likely available in early October. The First District has no representation in the meantime.
— KCTV5, Sept 2 · KMBC, next steps (Sept 2) · KCUR, Sept 3 · Jackson County Election Board
One Independence resident has already announced a campaign for the recalled seat: Leigh Phillips announced on social media, The Examiner reported Sept. 3. No other candidates have been publicly reported yet. Ongoing
Independence voters will decide Nov. 3 on a $19.9 million general-obligation bond to preserve five city-owned historic buildings — the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Vaile Mansion, Truman Memorial Building, Old Fire Station One, and the 1827 Log Courthouse — plus funding a 20-year business plan for the sites. As a municipal GO bond on a general-election date it needs a four-sevenths (57.14%) supermajority; a similar $12 million measure narrowly missed (55.4%) in 2025. Ongoing
The March 2 vote that triggered the recall granted Dutch AI firm Nebius tax breaks valued at more than $6 billion for a $150 billion, roughly 400-acre “AI factory” near Missouri Route 78 and Little Blue Parkway, now under construction. Three of the five councilmembers who backed the package are now out of office — two lost April reelection or mayoral bids, and Perkins was recalled Sept. 1. Activist group Independence GUARD Alliance and four Bly Road-area neighbors are pressing a 16-count lawsuit in Jackson County court seeking to halt construction, alleging zoning, Sunshine Law and city-charter violations and failure to enforce city ordinances. Ongoing
— KC Star, lawsuit inside look · KSHB 41, 16-count lawsuit · Flatland KC, Sept 2
Truman Library & Museum, 500 W. U.S. 24: a morning observance 8:30–10 a.m. with a ceremonial howitzer salute from Battery D — Capt. Harry Truman's World War I artillery unit — and participation by Independence firefighters and first responders; then the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra's KCJO7 performs at 6 p.m. in the Truman Library Auditorium (free). City of Independence: Uptown Market (211 W. Truman Rd.) is open 10 a.m.–8 p.m. with memorial displays, children's and family activities, the Independence '76 fire truck, the fire department's ladder truck and flag display, and radio broadcasts of the Sept. 11 timeline at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The community memorial service starts at 6:30 p.m. with patriotic music, and the program at 7 p.m. includes the presentation of colors, a wreath presentation, remarks from Mayor Kevin King and Missouri State Rep. Will Jobe, a moment of silence, ringing of the bell, Taps and “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes.
— City of Independence, 9/11 Memorial Service · Truman Library, 25th Anniversary of 9/11 · National Archives · Visit KC (jazz concert)
The Independence Farmers Market returns to the Uptown Market (211 W. Truman Rd.) at 8 a.m. — growers-only, everything produced within 100 miles, with SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks accepted. Also at 8 a.m., the Drop-Off Depot at 875 Vista Ave. opens to residents only (proof of ID or a recent utility bill; residential waste only) — and the city is again offering a free tree-limb drop-off there Saturday for residents still clearing debris from the Aug. 30 storm. At 10 a.m., local historian Mike Calvert leads the free Second Saturdays Autumn Architecture Walking Tour from the north (Maple Avenue) side of the Truman Courthouse, 112 W. Lexington Ave., retracing the First Battle of Independence of Aug. 11, 1862 — one hour, rain or shine.
— Farmers Market · Drop-Off Depot 9/12/26 · The Examiner, limb drop-off (Sept 10) · Second Saturdays walking tour
Sunday night's storms — 60 mph winds and penny-size hail — shredded tents and scattered merchandise on the Square, and organizers canceled the vendor portion of the Labor Day finale (the carnival stayed open) with safety cited as the priority. Vendors and volunteers spent Monday clearing debris; the city and chamber are encouraging residents to support the out-of-town vendors whose weekend was cut short. Recap
| Fri 9/11 | Dense fog advisory until 10 a.m., then mostly sunny, high ~82° · 9/11 25th anniversary: Truman Library observance 8:30 a.m. and KCJO7 concert 6 p.m.; Uptown Market displays 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; community memorial service 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat 9/12 | 40% shower chance 7 a.m.–4 p.m., high ~86° · Farmers Market 8 a.m., Uptown Market · Drop-Off Depot + free limb drop-off 8 a.m., 875 Vista Ave. · Second Saturdays walking tour 10 a.m., Truman Courthouse |
| Sun 9/13 | 50% chance of showers and storms, partly sunny, high ~86° |
| Mon 9/14 | Sunny, high ~90° |
| Tue 9/15 | Planning Commission 6 p.m., Independence Municipal Commons, 20201 E. Jackson Drive |
| Wed 9/16 | Southwest 353 Board of Directors 5 p.m. |
| Mon 9/21 | City Council: first reading on the post-recall special election schedule (recommended Feb. primary / April general) |
| Thu 9/24 | Police chief finalists open house 5:30–7:30 p.m., Midwest Genealogy Center, 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road |
| Tue 11/3 | Election Day: $19.9M GO bond for five city-owned historic sites (needs 57.14%) |