— NWS alert feed for Independence (39.0911,-94.4155), office CWA EAX, zone MOZ037, fetched 6:01 a.m. Sept 21
Today: patchy fog and a slight chance of rain showers before 7 a.m., chance of showers and patchy fog 7–9 a.m., then patchy fog and a slight chance of showers again; mostly cloudy, high near 73°F, north wind around 7 mph, chance of precipitation 30%. No heat-index concerns — humidity and fog, not heat, are the story. Tonight: slight chance of showers 7–10 p.m., low around 61° (20%). Tuesday: mostly cloudy, high near 71°; Tuesday night low around 54°. Wednesday: sunny, high near 73°. Thursday: partly sunny, high near 74°, then a slight chance of showers after 1 a.m. Friday. Drive carefully in the morning fog. Weather
— NWS forecast for Independence (39.0911,-94.4155), NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill (CWA EAX), zone MOZ037, fetched 6:01 a.m. Sept 21
A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION precedes tonight's Regular City Council Meeting at 6 p.m. at Independence Municipal Commons. City Manager Troy Anderson said he'll recommend a February primary (if more than two candidates) and an April general election to fill the seat vacated by the Perkins recall, with the first reading scheduled at tonight's (Sept. 21) meeting; candidate packets for the district are expected in early October. The recall election itself cost an estimated $164,400. Also this week: a data-center/BESS town hall with Mayor Kevin King and Councilmember Brice Stewart — Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6 p.m., Santa Fe Room at Municipal Commons; and the police chief finalists open house Thursday, Sept. 24, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Midwest Genealogy Center. A StayWell Committee meeting also appears on this week's city calendar. City government
— City, executive session · City, council meeting Sept 21 · KMBC, election process + Sept 21 first reading · City, StayWell Committee · City, town hall Sept 23 · City, Sept 10 open house announcement
The Independence Police Department is investigating a fatal crash Saturday (Sept. 20) around 8:40 p.m. on Walnut Street near Dodgion Street. Police say a 2018 Jeep Renegade traveling westbound on Walnut lost control, striking a pregnant woman, a young child, and several parked vehicles. The woman and her unborn child were pronounced dead at an area hospital; the child suffered minor (non-life-threatening) injuries. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators; the cause remains under investigation. The city's official statement was posted Sunday. Public safety
— City of Independence, official statement Sept 20 · KMBC 9, Sept 20 · FOX4, Sept 20 · KCTV5, Sept 20
Follow-ups from last week's city news feed: police identified the Sept. 18 homicide victim in the 500 block of N. Dover Drive as 41-year-old Dane Pace, with a suspect in custody; charges will be announced by the Jackson County Prosecutor. The city also narrowed its nationwide police chief search to four finalists (three Kansas City-area veterans, one from the southwestern U.S., per The Star), with the community open house Thursday, Sept. 24, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Midwest Genealogy Center; a selection is expected by October. The Star reports the department has had no permanent chief since Adam Dustman's August 2025 resignation — and that a judge ruled this week the arrangement under which Dustman continued to be paid can stay shielded from public view under Sunshine Law exemptions (the Star sued to unseal it). Still open on the feed: the Sept. 12 fatal motorcycle crash on eastbound I-70 at Sterling Ave. and the Sept. 8 fatal crash at southbound Noland Rd. and I-70. Public safety
— City of Independence, Sept 18 statement · KCTV5, Sept 18 (victim ID) · Kansas City Star, Sept 11 (finalists + lawsuits) · The Examiner, Sept 11 · City, Sept 12 crash
The ISD board meeting list shows nothing scheduled past Sept. 8, so there's no forward agenda to summarize this cycle; the next regular meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 13 (per the Sept. 8 packet). Recap of what the Sept. 8 board did (from the published packet): approved resolutions issuing Series 2026A GO School Building & Refunding Bonds (the $60M new-money bonds authorized at the April 2026 election, plus a refunding of certain Series 2016/2016B bonds if savings are realized) and Series 2026B refunding bonds — MyTownView reports estimated interest savings of about $1.1 million from the refundings — and set the 2026–2027 tax rate at no higher than $5.5009 per $100 (operating $4.5891, debt service $0.9118). The levy story continues in the press: the ~5% bump comes as aggregate assessed values inside the district are expected to fall 6.3% (roughly $1.40B to $1.31B), per KSHB; the Examiner's Sept. 15 story is paywalled — summarized from the headline. ISD
— ISD board meeting list · ISD Sept 8 meeting packet (PDF) · MyTownView, Sept 8 recap · KSHB 41 (levy detail) · The Examiner, Sept 15 (paywalled — summarized from headline)
The most recent batch on the ATC record is dated 09/11/2026: licensee Casey's Marketing Company filed Original Package Liquor, Sunday Original Package, and Permission–Employ Minors for five Independence stores, all status Active. Headliner: New filing: CASEY'S #4347 (Sunday Original Package) at 11109 E 23RD ST S, filed 09/11/2026 — the same three licenses that day for CASEY'S GENERAL STORE #2213 (1110 E. 23rd St.), CASEYS 4351 (4208 S Noland Rd.), GOODSTOP BY CASEY'S #4343 (11715 E US Hwy 24), and CASEY'S #4342 (17600 E 39th St S). No new filings have posted since. Public record
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. Public record
The ongoing thread, coming to a head tonight: First District voters recalled Councilman John Perkins on Sept. 1 with roughly 68% in favor — the first recall of an Independence councilmember in city history — after his March vote for Nebius data-center tax breaks; the Jackson County election board hand-counted the district's 1,650 votes on Sept. 8, and the recall was certified official shortly after. He joins Bridget McCandless and Jared Fears, voted out in April — three of the five council members who approved the incentives are gone. Tonight the council takes up Anderson's recommended schedule (February primary, April general); candidate packets are expected in early October. Meanwhile The Examiner reports local election officials say they're ready to pivot for November however the Missouri congressional-map controversy resolves. Ongoing
— Spectrum News, Sept 2 (recall official) · KCUR, Sept 3 · KMBC, next steps + Sept 21 first reading · The Examiner, Sept 6 (congressional map)
Context for Wednesday's town hall: after the council's 180-day moratorium on new data center/BESS projects, staff brought stricter proposed rules (special-use permits, water/energy limits, disclosure requirements, revocation for ordinance violations) — but confusion from residents and council members pushed the vote back at least another month, with Mayor King saying he'd look into organizing a public hearing before the October vote. Second District Councilmember Brice Stewart introduced thirteen amendments and says more will follow. A sixteen-count lawsuit seeking to stop construction at the Nebius site remains pending in Jackson County court, and a second, smaller Patmos data center is under construction in a former warehouse. Ongoing
— Kansas City Star, delays vote on data-center rules · City, Sept 23 town hall
Wednesday, Sept. 23: town hall with Mayor King and Councilmember Stewart on data centers/BESS rules, 6 p.m., Santa Fe Room at Municipal Commons; mobile mammography 1:30–5:30 p.m. at Independence Municipal Commons. Thursday, Sept. 24: police chief finalists open house 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Midwest Genealogy Center — residents can meet all four finalists and give feedback before the city manager's selection; homeschool recreation at the Roger T. Sermon Community Center. And sign-ups are up for Love Where You Live: IndeCleanup, Sept. 27–Oct. 4 — a community-wide week of cleanup projects. Community
— City, town hall Sept 23 · City, mobile mammography Sept 23 · City, chief finalists open house Sept 24 · City, homeschool rec Sept 24 · City, IndeCleanup Sept 14
KCTV: on the one-year anniversary of Anthony Myers' stabbing death — killed after an argument over a Chiefs sweatshirt — his family gathered by the water and launched "Reaching the One," an outreach to feed the unhoused and support people struggling with addiction. The trial is set to begin in November. Community · Courts
The city installed a K-9 obstacle course at the "Bark Park" in Elmwood Park — police-department equipment (approved by council last fall, fully installed this June) now shared with residents. Recreation officials say it's the only park with a full K-9 course in the surrounding area and expect it to be permanent. Community
The Fall Parade of Homes that kicked off Sept. 19 continues through the coming weeks across the greater metro, including a dozen homes in Blue Springs and Independence. See the Examiner's listing for addresses and details. Community
| Mon 9/21 | Closed executive session 5 p.m. + Regular City Council Meeting 6 p.m., Municipal Commons — first reading expected on the special-election schedule for the recalled First District seat · patchy fog, stray showers (30%), high ~73°; overnight low ~61° |
| Tue 9/22 | StayWell Committee meeting (this week's city calendar) · mostly cloudy, high ~71°; low ~54° |
| Wed 9/23 | Town hall: data centers & BESS rules with Mayor King and Councilmember Stewart, 6 p.m., Santa Fe Room, Municipal Commons · mobile mammography 1:30–5:30 p.m., Independence Municipal Commons · sunny, high ~73° |
| Thu 9/24 | Police chief finalists open house 5:30–7:30 p.m., Midwest Genealogy Center · homeschool recreation, Roger T. Sermon Community Center · partly sunny, high ~74° |
| Sep 27–Oct 4 | Love Where You Live: IndeCleanup — community-wide cleanup week |
| Tue 10/13 | ISD Board of Education regular meeting (next scheduled, per the Sept. 8 packet) |
| Oct–Nov | UDO/data-center rules vote returns to the council agenda in October (per The Star) · Anthony Myers trial begins in November (per KCTV) |