Patchy fog before 8 a.m., then mostly sunny with a high near 89°F; north-northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Tonight: mostly clear, low around 64°F, north wind 2 to 7 mph.
Sunny Thursday with a high near 86°F (clear night, low 63°). Friday is sunny near 86°F. Saturday turns mostly sunny near 91°F with southerly winds 8 to 13 mph — the hottest day of the stretch.
Phillips Edison Group LLC has asked the city to rezone property including the former J.C. Penney near 39th Street and Bolger Road to convert the building into a Dillons grocery with a drive-through pharmacy, online order pickup, and a c-store/fuel center. City staff suggest approving; the sign details were on last night's (Aug. 25) Planning Commission agenda, and a first city council reading is expected around Sept. 21, with a possible public hearing at the first October council meeting.
— KCTV5, Aug 24 · City of Independence, Planning Commission meeting
IPD shut down 41st Terrace between Union and Delaware at 5:21 p.m. Tuesday "due to a critical incident." Police said the nature of the incident wasn't public, asked residents to use alternate routes, and urged the public to avoid speculation.
Applications for Independence's nationwide search for its next Chief of Police closed Monday, Aug. 17; the city has not yet announced finalists or a selection. The city said it will use the same search firm that aided its city manager search. The search follows former Chief Adam Dustman's resignation a year ago, and the department has been led by interim chief Doug Brinkley in the interim.
Fire Station 5 on 35th Street closed in early August as the city prepares to demolish the building at 11301 E.; the new station in southwest Independence is aimed at opening in the fall of 2027.
City Manager Troy Anderson named Richard Kemple interim director of Independence Power & Light, effective Aug. 8, following the departure of IPL Director Joe Hegendeffer.
Caleb J. Eyde, 21, an elementary school substitute teacher for the Independence School District since April 2025, appeared in federal court Monday — the first day of the new school year — on one count of possession and four counts of distribution of child pornography over the internet. Federal prosecutors say cyber-tips about Discord activity led to the investigation, and a search of his residence on June 30 found 217,331 image files, the majority depicting child sexual abuse material. Charges are accusations, not evidence of guilt; the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and IPD investigated.
The Independence School District Board of Education's most recent meeting on file is Aug. 11; no agenda has been published for the next meeting. (The board typically meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month.)
With the new school year now underway, a reminder: ISD will use an outside substitute service this year instead of maintaining in-house rosters, per an Examiner report earlier this summer.
New filing: BINGHAM WAGGONER ESTATE (Caterer - Retail by Drink) at 313 Pacific, filed 08/25/2026, from licensee J Creek, LLC (Limited Liability Company) — the most recent local liquor filing.
New filing: BINGHAM WAGGONER ESTATE (Picnic - Retail by Drink) at 313 Pacific, filed 08/20/2026, from licensee Bingham Waggoner Historical Society (Corporation).
New filings: SMOKE 4 LESS & CONVENIENCE STORE (Original Package Liquor / Original Package Tasting / Sunday Original Package) at 1701 S Noland Rd, filed 08/19/2026 — three filings from licensee Light Liquor LLC (Limited Liability Company).
New filing: BLEU HOUSE BISTRO (Retail by Drink) at 15800 US 24, filed 08/06/2026, from licensee Bleu House Bistro, Inc. (Corporation).
First District voters decide Sept. 1 whether to recall Councilman John Perkins, whose vote to approve the Nebius data-center tax-abatement package sparked the petition drive. The path was cleared when a Jackson County judge dismissed the lawsuit seeking to block the vote, and last Monday's council vote unanimously confirmed the election will be held (Perkins abstained). If he's recalled, a primary and general election would follow — the city estimates the special election at about $164,400, with the full replacement process potentially reaching roughly $500,000. Perkins says he will "fight this recall through every avenue available"; recall organizer McKenna Cobb says the effort "has never been an I hate John Perkins petition."
City council's final 7–0 adoption on Aug. 17 puts a $19.9 million general-obligation bond on the Nov. 3 ballot — a second shot at funding repairs at five city-owned historic sites (Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Vaile Mansion, Truman Memorial, Old Fire Station One, 1827 Log Courthouse) after a similar measure narrowly failed in 2025. If approved, it would include free admission to the five properties for the bond's 20-year life, with a first-year levy of about 14.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. The proposal came out of months of "Save Our Sites" pushback against earlier talk of selling the Vaile Mansion and Bingham-Waggoner Estate.
— Hoodline / Kansas City Star reporting, Aug 25 · KCTV5, Jul 14
The Independence GUARD Alliance, joined by four property owners, has sued the city, developer Missouri ADC Holdings and Independence Power Partners LP to invalidate the March 2 approvals for the Nebius hyperscale AI data center, alleging violations of zoning, sunshine law and the city charter. The city denies wrongdoing; defendants have 30 days to respond. Meanwhile the council's 180-day moratorium on new data center/BESS permits (passed 7-0 Monday) keeps already-approved projects like Nebius and Patmos moving.
— KSHB 41 · KCTV5 · FOX 4, Aug 24
The Labor Day weekend festival on Independence Square — typically about 30,000 visitors — will enforce a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors, passed unanimously by council in August. Interim police chief Doug Brinkley called it "proactive"; the decision follows June's chaos at Lee's Summit's Downtown Days. IPD will patrol with chamber-provided golf carts, and the chamber will run security from midnight to 8 a.m.
Growers-only market at 211 W. Truman Road with locally-grown meat, produce, sweets, and handmade crafts, all grown or made within a 100-mile radius. SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks accepted.
Homeschool Recreation 2 p.m. (bi-weekly program, ages 6–18, $4/child), Chess Club 2:30 p.m. at DeWitt Hall (all ages; $1 drop-in), and Let's Build! Summer Splash 4:30 p.m. (LEGO club, ages 3–17; $2 drop-in).
— City of Independence · City of Independence · City of Independence
A community dog event at The Park is on the city's current events list.
The U Matter Movement's new outreach hub off 23rd Street serves as a central donation location in eastern Jackson County — shoes, food, hygiene products, and baby items sourced in part from the Deron Cherry Foundation's Target surplus. It currently helps about 10 nonprofits a week.
— KSHB 41
| Wed 26 | Dense fog advisory until 9 a.m. · patchy fog then mostly sunny, high 89° · mostly clear tonight, low 64° |
| Thu 27 | Sunny, high 86° · Homeschool Recreation 2 p.m. · Chess Club 2:30 p.m. · Let's Build! Summer Splash 4:30 p.m. |
| Fri 28 | Sunny, high 86° |
| Sat 29 | Mostly sunny, high 91° (warmest of the week) · Farmers Market at Uptown Market 8 a.m. |
| Mon 9/1 | Recall election for First District Councilman John Perkins (6 days out) |
| Sep 4–7 | SantaCaliGon Days festival on Independence Square (6 p.m.–6 a.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors) |