Leah Wankum  - Daily Planner

Your daily planner: Thursday, Aug. 4

A public art exhibit by the African American Artist Alliance of Kansas City is on display at Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park. Above, artwork by Xaxier Gayden. Photo credit Leah Wankum.

Hello there! Good morning and welcome to the down slope of the week in Johnson County. Here’s the rundown to start this Thursday.

Forecast: ☀️ High: 91, Low: 70. Sunny with calm winds, and heat index as high as 96.

Diversions

  • Ad Astra Pool in Lenexa is going to the dogs today. Paws in the Pool is a chance for pooches to take a plunge before the pool season ends. The event is 4-8 p.m. at the pool at 8265 Maurer Road. Admission is $5-$8 per dog swim. Registration details here.
  • Today’s the last day of the Time Travelers summer series at Shawnee Town 1929. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the outdoor museum, 11501 W. 57th St., Shawnee. Details here.

Public Agenda

  • The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners meets today at 9:30 a.m. with plans to move forward with phase 2 design of the new Johnson County Square and allocate $2 million toward the project with the city of Olathe covering half of that cost. Agenda details here.
  • The Overland Park Legacy of Greenery committee meets tonight at 7 p.m. with plans to discuss potential public art installation. Meeting information here.

Noteworthy

  • Several farms around the Kansas City metro area sell at farmers markets, but there are places for customers to come pick their own produce, including around Johnson County. [The Kansas City Star]
  • The owners of Jack Stack Barbecue issued a statement Wednesday defending the company’s decision to rent its Fiorella’s Event Center in Overland Park to the Value Them Both Coalition for an election night watch party. In a statement posted to Twitter, the company said it had received a “gamut of opinions” and that Jack Stack’s decision to rent the space “should not be taken as an endorsement or denouncement” of any side in the abortion debate. [Twitter]
  • Two of the three outdoor city pools in Overland Park that have been open this summer will close for the season this Sunday, August 7. Both Stonegate and Young’s Pool will shut down after this week, leaving the Tomahawk Ridge Aquatic Center has the only outdoor pool, starting Monday. [Overland Park city website]

Hi there! I'm Leah Wankum, and I'm the Post's Deputy Editor.

I'm thrilled to call Johnson County home, and I'm deeply committed to the Post's philosophy that an informed community is a strong community.

But we can't produce truly local coverage of Johnson County without your support. To the more than 7,000 of you who already subscribe, THANK YOU! If you don't subscribe yet but want to support our truly local community reporting, please sign up for a trial today — it's just $1 for your first month, and you can cancel anytime.

A bit about me and my background:

I'm a native of mid-Missouri, and attended high school in Jefferson City before going on to the University of Central Missouri, where I earned a master's degree in mass communication.

Prior to joining the Post as a reporter in 2018, I was the editor of the Richmond News in Ray County, Missouri. I've also written for several publications, including the Sedalia Democrat and KC Magazine.