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Monday NewsLink is powered by Budget Blinds of Lee's Summit, a local business helping make local news possible in Lee's Summit.
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[Local Stories | Local Business | Community]
It's a busy week in Lee's Summit. The city council meets tonight to take a public hearing on the FY2027 budget — a process that's generated more heat than light over the past few months — and John Beaudoin is here to put that noise in context. Downtown gets a brand new storefront on Thursday, and Downtown Days runs June 5-7, filling Third Street with music, vendors, and the kind of energy that reminds you why this community is worth covering. Stay tuned Wednesday — I'll have Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street's Julie Cook and Jenny Gale on the Lee's Summit Town Hall Podcast for a full preview of the festival. Also this week: a statewide ballot measure coming up in August that deserves more of your attention than it's probably getting.
Lots to cover. Let's get into it.
— Nick Parker, Link 2 Lee's Summit publisher
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Top of the news in Lee's Summit
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[Local Stories]
Lee's Summit City Council takes up FY2027 budget, five-year capital plan Tuesday
The Lee's Summit City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. at City Hall for a public hearing on the proposed FY2027 budget — and the agenda is fuller than usual. City Manager Mark Dunning will present the spending plan, and three ordinances covering the city's pay plan, fire department salaries, and municipal courts budget will get a first reading. The council will also vote on the FY2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan and take up a slate of Park Board and Planning Commission appointments from Mayor Beto Lopez. You can watch live at WatchLS.net or on Spectrum Channel 2 and Comcast Channel 7.
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[Local Stories]
Commentary: The anatomy of feigned outrage and a 'budget crisis'
Before tonight's hearing, guest columnist John Beaudoin lays out what the $13.4 million shortfall actually means — and what it doesn't. Beaudoin sat down with City Manager Mark Dunning and others at City Hall and came away with something the social media outrage machine mostly missed: this is how city budgets work every year. The "what if" exercise that generated all the noise about 70-plus layoffs was just that — a starting point, not a plan. Staff cuts remain a last resort, and a more balanced budget is taking shape.
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[Local Business]
Brick by brick: Local custom minifigure makers bring 6 years of festival fun to a downtown storefront
Phil and Lori Volen have been hauling custom minifigures to craft shows and comic cons across the KC metro for six years. On Thursday, June 4, their business Phillori Phigures opens its first storefront at 316 SW Main St. in downtown Lee's Summit — one day before Downtown Days. The timing is no accident. The shop carries custom figures from properties Lego doesn't make commercially, framed pop-culture displays, and even themed chess sets. If you've ever wanted a Moaning Myrtle for your Harry Potter set, these are your people.
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[Local Stories]
Commentary: Is Amendment 5 good for Missouri?
There's a measure on the August ballot in Missouri that would eliminate the state income tax and let the legislature replace that revenue with higher sales taxes — potentially pushing total sales taxes past 16 percent. Phil Hanson, CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation, breaks down what that math means for median-income families and retirees, why the nonprofit sector is concerned, and what it could mean for school funding in communities like Lee's Summit. Worth your time before August.
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Sponsored Content
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A bi-weekly look into the homes and market that make Lee's Summit a community
Local Moves: LS Insights
What the numbers actually say about the Lee's Summit market right now
The frenzied pace of the last few years has eased, and Mike Maksin says that's actually good news for almost everyone. Prices are stabilizing in the mid-$390,000s to mid-$470,000s, inventory is up more than 10 percent year over year, and 412 homes sold in April — a 9.1 percent jump from 2025. Whether you're thinking about selling, buying, or just watching the market, here's what the May 2026 data actually means.
Sponsored content presented by Mike Maksin, The Hern Group/KW.
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Local Sports
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It's a big sports week in Lee's Summit, and most of the action involves St. Michael the Archangel. The Guardians soccer team punched their ticket to the Class 3 state semifinals in Fenton with a birthday-goal overtime win over St. Pius X, and they face Capitol City on Friday, June 5 at 1:30 p.m. On the diamond, both Summit Christian Academy and St. Michael wrapped up strong baseball seasons — the Eagles fell to defending state champion Platte County in a series with a 27-6 final record, while the Guardians finished 15-16 with a district title after an upset win over state-ranked Harrisonville.
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Local Events
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[Local Stories | Local Business | Community]
There's a lot happening in Lee's Summit this week, and a good chunk of it is downtown. The week kicks off Tuesday with the 291 Lee's Summit Charity Challenge Blood Drive at Central Bank (9 a.m.) and FRIENDS Trivia at B&B Theatres New Longview (7:30 p.m.). Wednesday brings the Downtown Lee's Summit Farmers Market back (8 a.m.) and Disney Music Bingo at Craft Putt (7 p.m.). Friday and Saturday, Downtown Days fills Third Street with vendors, music, and the Phillori Phigures booth right in front of City Hall — June 5-7. Saturday also brings the Kids Fishing Derby at Legacy Park (10:30 a.m., $2), the Howdy Homemade 1st Birthday Party, and Alo Key "Live" at Iron Horse Bar & Grill (8 p.m.). Looking a little further out, Ladies Night Out: Passport to Paradise hits downtown Main Street on June 11, and Celebrate! America at 250 — sponsored by Mike and Nancy Roark — comes to the Pavilion at John Knox Village on June 27.
If you, or your organization, have an event you'd like listed in Lee's Summit's only community calendar reaching more than 20,000 people, just click here and hit the "CREATE AN EVENT" button.
— Nick Parker, Link 2 Lee's Summit publisher
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Your local events listing is brought to you by Bridge Space, a local coworking and event space helping make local news possible in Lee's Summit.
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Nick Parker / Link 2 Lee's Summit
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