KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Football League announced on Wednesday the regular season schedule for its centennial season. As the Kansas City Chiefs enter the franchise’s 60^th season, the team will be featured in five primetime television games, including two nationally televised contests at Arrowhead Stadium.

“As we embark on our 60^th season as a franchise, I’m looking forward to celebrating this milestone by honoring the history and tradition of our team and our fans throughout the season,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “We were able to reach new heights as an organization last year with the tremendous support of Chiefs Kingdom and the Kansas City community. We have even bigger goals in mind heading into 2019 and we’ve already begun our preparation. Football is back, and I’m excited to kick off our 60^th season with the Sea of Red.”

Kansas City will kick off its quest for a fourth-straight AFC West title with back-to-back road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders. The Chiefs are 10-2 against the Raiders under Head Coach Andy Reid and have won the last three contests. Kansas City returns to Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 22 to face the Baltimore Ravens in the club’s home opener. The Chiefs then hit the road again for their first visit to Detroit since 2011. Kansas City’s first primetime contest is on Oct. 6 against the Colts at Arrowhead Stadium, a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional playoff game in which the Chiefs won 31-13, advancing to the AFC Championship game. The Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Oct. 13 before back-to-back primetime contests, first in Denver on Thursday, Oct. 17 and then a Super Bowl I rematch at home against Green Bay on Sunday Night Football (Oct. 27).

On Nov. 3, the Minnesota Vikings come to Arrowhead Stadium in a Super Bowl IV rematch followed by a road contest against Tennessee on Nov. 10. The Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in Mexico City on Nov. 18. After the club’s Bye Week on Nov. 24, the team takes on the Raiders at home on Dec. 1, before facing the Patriots on Dec. 8. The Chiefs face the Broncos at home on Dec. 15, then travel to Chicago for Sunday Night Football against the Bears on Dec. 22. Kansas City finishes its regular season slate at home against the Chargers on Dec. 29.

2019 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Date                             Opponent                                            Time                           

Saturday, Aug. 10        Cincinnati Bengals                              7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 17         at Pittsburgh Steelers                            6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 24        San Francisco 49ers                            7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 29         at Green Bay Packers                            7:00 p.m.

*Times and dates are tentative and subject to change.

2019 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Date                             Opponent                                            Time                            Network

Sunday, Sept. 8            at Jacksonville Jaguars                          Noon                            CBS
Sunday, Sept. 15           at Oakland Raiders                                3:05 p.m.                        CBS
Sunday, Sept. 22         Baltimore Ravens                                Noon                            CBS
Sunday, Sept. 29           at Detroit Lions                                      Noon                            FOX
Sunday, Oct. 6             Indianapolis Colts*                              7:20 p.m.                        NBC
Sunday, Oct. 13           Houston Texans*                                 Noon                            CBS
Thursday, Oct. 17          at Denver Broncos                                 7:20 p.m.                        FOX/NFLN/AMAZON
Sunday, Oct. 27           Green Bay Packers*                            7:20 p.m.                        NBC
Sunday, Nov. 3            Minnesota Vikings*                              Noon                            FOX
Sunday, Nov. 10           at Tennessee Titans*                             Noon                            CBS
Monday, Nov. 18           at Los Angeles Chargers (Mexico City)   7:15 p.m.                        ESPN
Sunday, Nov. 24          BYE WEEK                                          – – – – –                           – – – – –
Sunday, Dec. 1            Oakland Raiders*                                 Noon                            CBS
Sunday, Dec. 8             at New England Patriots *                       3:25 p.m.                        CBS
Sunday, Dec. 15           Denver Broncos*                                 Noon                            CBS
Sunday, Dec. 22           at Chicago Bears*                                 7:20 p.m.                        NBC
Sunday, Dec. 29           Los Angeles Chargers*                        Noon                            CBS

Home games in bold; all kickoffs are Central Time.

* Subject to Flexible Scheduling

 

Flexible scheduling will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 29. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot.  Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.

Chiefs single-game tickets will go on sale beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow for both Chiefs Season Ticket Members and Jackson County taxpayers, and will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Single-game tickets are subject to availability and dynamic pricing. Visit www.chiefs.com for details.

—CHIEFS—

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The northbound Route 759 (Stockyards Expressway) ramp onto northbound Interstate 229 was closed Wednesday morning for emergency bridge maintenance.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, crews are working to assess and repair a bridge expansion joint. For the safety of all motorists, the ramp will remain closed until further notice.

During the closure, motorists should use an alternate route.

For more information on this and other MoDOT projects, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) or visit www.modot.org/northwest and view the online Traveler Information Map.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — The federal agency that manages dams along the Missouri River received stern criticism from several U.S. senators Wednesday during a hearing held in Iowa to examine the massive spring flooding this year that caused more than $3 billion in damage in the Midwest.

Watch the hearing here.

The flooding and actions taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been bitterly criticized in the wake of the flooding, are the focus of the U.S. Senate hearing. Critics have demanded that the agency make flood control its top priority, though Congress would have to act to change the Corps’ priorities.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said flooding shouldn’t be such a regular occurrence along the Missouri River, saying: “The trend of flood and rebuild, flood and rebuild must end.” Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand added that the Corps should be more aggressive in preventing flood damage and consider the effects of climate change.

“They are too slow, too bureaucratic and they don’t have enough money,” said Gillibrand, who is running for president and was in Iowa touring flood damage. She took part in the hearing because she serves on the committee that oversees the Corps.

The sentiments may be appealing in Midwestern states that have endured flooding along rivers that the Corps is charged with managing, but they may not be as popular with supporters of other approved uses of the river, such as protecting endangered species and navigation.

The Corps’ John Remus said the agency works to balance all the uses of the river and maximize the benefit to several when possible. But flood control is the main concern anytime flooding is imminent along the Missouri River.

“The number one priority of the Corps in its operations is life and public safety,” Remus said.

The Corps has also said that much of the water that caused the Midwest flooding in March came from rain and melting snow that flowed into the Missouri River downstream of all the dams it controls. At the same time massive amounts of water was filling the reservoirs and some had to be released.

Farmer Leo Ettleman said the Corps should have made significant changes to its operating manual after the historic 2011 floods, but neither the Corps nor Congress took action. Ettlemen said the kind of flooding the area saw this spring will continue unless changes are made.

“In the past eight years, Congress has done little or nothing except to offer prayers and thoughts, which are appreciated, but won’t fix the problem,” said Ettleman, who farms near Percival, Iowa, and joined a lawsuit against the Corps after the 2011 flood.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst farms near the Missouri River. He said the lessons from this year’s flooding should lead to changes about where levees are built and how the river is managed.

“When flood recovery is complete, we will have failed if every structure is the same as it was and if the management of the river has not changed,” Hurst said. “To do the same things and expect better results is the triumph of hope over experience.”

Mike Peluso, a longtime professional fisherman who runs an outdoors and guide service in North Dakota, said he doesn’t want to see management of the river “swayed one way or the other” for political reasons.

“They are more populated down south, I get that,” he said. “But it’s the same river regardless of whether or not you’ve got a million people or 100,000 people. It needs to be managed from the top down.”

He added, “I have a hard time believing with all the technology and brainpower we have we can’t find a balance there” between flood protection and other interests like recreation.

Greg Power, fisheries division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said he believes the Corps does “a pretty good job” of managing the Missouri River system.

“Flood control is still a high priority within the Corps, I know that,” Power said. “Some of these water years are pretty incredible themselves and I would hate to be a Corps person, to be honest.”

Rep. Sam Graves, whose district includes the northwestern Missouri area ravaged by flooding in March, introduced a bill this month that would remove fish and wildlife as an authorized management priority on the Missouri River and make flood control the highest priority. The bill would require revision of the Missouri River Master Manuel within 90 days of enactment.

“Time and again, we continue to see fish and birds take precedence over people and property when it comes to managing the Missouri River,” Graves, a Republican, said in a statement. “This latest round of flooding has devastated communities up and down the river. We already know that the management practices are contributing to it.”

Area politicians have said repeatedly since the flood that flood control should be the Corps’ top priority.

Robert Criss, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who has been studying flooding for more than two decades, said there may be a more important factor than how the Corps’ priorities are ranked.

The Missouri River has been made narrower over the years, Criss said, and the Corps has worked to maintain a defined channel for barge traffic even though few barges ever cross the river near Iowa and Nebraska.

“We’re having this problem because we messed with the rivers too much,” Criss said.

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9:20 a.m.

The federal agency that manages dams along the Missouri River received stern criticism from several U.S. senators at the start of a hearing examining this year’s flooding.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said during the Wednesday’s hearing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to do a better job of preventing flooding.

Ernst says continuing the cycle of flooding and rebuilding over and over in unacceptable.

 

Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the Corps is too slow and too bureaucratic, and that it doesn’t have enough money to complete needed preventative projects. Gillibrand also said Congress needs to get past partisan fighting, especially when it comes to disaster aid.

The Wednesday hearing is being held in Glenwood, Iowa, after spring flooding along the Missouri River caused more than $3 billion in damage in the region.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — This spring’s massive flooding along the Missouri River unearthed bitter criticism of the federal agency that manages the river while devastating communities and causing more than $3 billion in damage.

The flooding and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ actions will be the focus of a U.S. Senate hearing in western Iowa on Wednesday and critics will demand the agency make flood control its top priority. But Congress would have to act to change the Corps’ priorities.

“The current river management policy needs fixing, and recent flooding makes that more urgent than ever,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican.

That sentiment is appealing in Midwestern states that have endured flooding along rivers the Corps of Engineers is charged with managing, but it may not be as popular with supporters of the Corps’ other priorities such as protecting endangered species.

Congress ordered the Corps to treat all eight of its priorities equally, meaning flood control and prevention takes no precedence over protecting endangered species.

Corps officials say they work to balance all the priorities and maximize the benefit to several when possible.

The Corps has also said that much of the water that caused the flooding in March came from rain and melting snow that flowed into the Missouri River downstream of all the dams it controls. At the same time massive amounts of water was filling the reservoirs and some had to be released.

Mike Peluso, a longtime professional fisherman who runs an outdoors and guide service in North Dakota, said he doesn’t want to see management of the river “swayed one way or the other” for political reasons.

“They are more populated down south, I get that,” he said. “But it’s the same river regardless of whether or not you’ve got a million people or 100,000 people. It needs to be managed from the top down.”

He added, “I have a hard time believing with all the technology and brainpower we have we can’t find a balance there” between flood protection and other interests like recreation.

Greg Power, fisheries division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said he believes the Corps does “a pretty good job” of managing the Missouri River system.

“Flood control is still a high priority within the Corps, I know that,” Power said. “Some of these water years are pretty incredible themselves and I would hate to be a Corps person, to be honest.”

Rep. Sam Graves, whose district includes the northwestern Missouri area ravaged by flooding in March, introduced a bill this month that would remove fish and wildlife as an authorized management priority on the Missouri River and make flood control the highest priority. The bill would require revision of the Missouri River Master Manuel within 90 days of enactment.

“Time and again, we continue to see fish and birds take precedence over people and property when it comes to managing the Missouri River,” Graves, a Republican, said in a statement. “This latest round of flooding has devastated communities up and down the river. We already know that the management practices are contributing to it.”

After touring flood damage last month in northwestern Missouri, Sen. Roy Blunt said the Corps “should be prioritizing flood control, navigation, and drinking water.

“Environmental concerns are a part of that discussion, but the priority should always be on protecting people and property,” said Blunt, a Republican also from Missouri.

Lawmakers say residents are telling them the same thing. At a meeting last week with mid-Missouri farmers and levee district officials, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, another Missouri Republican, was told repeatedly that flood control needs to be the Corps’ top river priority.

Robert Criss, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who has been studying flooding for more than two decades, said there may be a more important factor than how the Corps’ priorities are ranked.

The Missouri River has been made narrower over the years, Criss said, and the Corps has worked to maintain a defined channel for barge traffic even though few barges ever cross the river near Iowa and Nebraska.

“We’re having this problem because we messed with the rivers too much,” Criss said.

The Missouri River used to be a wide waterway with wetlands and numerous channels running alongside each other. That allowed floodwaters to spread out and cause fewer problems. Criss said the modern river forces the floodwater into a narrow channel restricted by levees that speeds up the flow and increases damage.

“The only way to make this river stop behaving so badly is to widen it out,” Criss said.

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Northwest Missouri State University’s Student Senate annual spring blood drive is going on this week.

The blood drive is in cooperation with the Community Blood Center, which is the primary supplier of blood and blood components in the region, serving more than 65 local hospitals and medical centers.

According to a press release, blood from volunteer donors assists cancer patients recovering from the rigors of chemotherapy, car accident victims needing blood for emergency surgeries or mothers needing blood as the result of traumatic birth deliveries.

The blood drive runs from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in the Tower View Room, located on the third floor of the J.W. Jones Student Union on the Northwest Campus in Maryville.

Interested donors may pre-register online by clicking here and entering Maryville’s zip code. Walk-ins also be accepted.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY — Two people died in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Dodge passenger vehicle driven by Snell, SaraKay Snell, 36, Lansing, was southbound on Kansas 5 just north of Marxen Road.

The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected, traveled southbound in the northbound lane, lost control of the vehicle and struck and tree to the west of the road.

Snell and a passenger Calob Crow, 19, Lansing, were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.