There are several events to ring in the new year tonight in Kansas City, Kan., and Wyandotte County.
For kids and families, there will be New Year’s Eve events held at Dave and Busters, 1843 Village West Parkway, and the T-Rex Café, 1847 Village West Pakway, both at The Legends Outlets.
There will be an early party starting at 5 p.m. and ball drop at Dave and Busters, with the cost of a family package at $27.99.
The T-Rex Café party features a balloon drop at 8 p.m., cider toast and ice cream sundae bar. Reservations are required for this event.
Those interested in attending any of the events should contact the businesses to make reservations.
Dave and Busters also has planned a late-night New Year’s Eve party starting at 9 p.m. for an older crowd. There were two packages available – check to see if they are sold out at www.daveandbusters.com/holiday-events.
The Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, at I-70 and I-435 in Kansas City, Kan., features live music, fireworks at midnight and a New Year’s Eve buffet.
Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls will play live music on the casino floor tonight, while County Road 5 will play live music at the Turn 2 Sports Lounge at the casino.
The New Year’s Eve buffet at the casino, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., will be $35.99 per person. For more information, see www.hollywoodcasinokansas.com/Entertainment/New%20Years%20Eve.
The Hollywood Casino also plans New Year’s Day buffets, at $19.99.
For more information about these events, visit www.visitkansascityks.com/events/.
National Weather Service graphic
Today, cool and partly sunny skies with a high near 33 is in the forecast for Wyandotte County, according to the National Weather Service.
Tonight, New Year’s Eve, there will be mostly clear skies with a low of 17, the weather service said. The west wind will be around 7 mph.
On Friday, New Year’s Day, expect sunny skies with a high of 38, according to the weather service. A wst wind will be 7 to 10 mph.
Friday night’s forecast is clear with a low around 20, and a west wind of 6 to 9 mph, the weather service said.
On Saturday, expect sunny skies and a high near 41, according to the weather service. A west southwest wind will be 6 to 8 mph. Saturday night, the low will be around 20.
Sunday’s forecast is sunny with a high near 37, the weather service said. Sunday night, the low will be around 17.
Monday, expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 33, according to the weather service.
A major expansion of regional transit service connecting Wyandotte and Johnson counties launches Monday, Jan. 4.
Filling a gap in public transportation, the expanded service will link the transit center on Johnson Drive in Mission to the University of Kansas Medical Center complex.
The new service extends the current 107-7th Street-Parallel route 3.5 miles south from 43rd Avenue and Booth Street to the Mission Transit Center at 5251 Johnson Drive.
The entire route will operate from the transit center at 47th Street and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., to the University of Kansas Medical center and on to Mission. The route includes a stop in downtown Kansas City, Kan. at 7th Street and Minnesota Avenue.
Operating hourly each weekday, the expanded service will offer four round trips in the morning and four more in the afternoon between Mission and the medical center.
Currently, there are only two, one-way northbound trips in the morning to the medical center from Mission and two, one-way southbound trips in the afternoon.
The expanded service will give Wyandotte County residents better access to jobs via the Mission Transit Center, which offers connections to major Johnson County employers, a spokesman said.
In Johnson County, the new service will give residents better access to the medical center complex, where roughly 10,000 people work each day. The new service will relieve parking demands in an area where there are only about 5,000 parking slots, the spokesman said.
The new service answers a study done by the KCATA that found a demand for transit serving the KU Medical Center area. Of the 10,000 employees commuting to the medical center area each day, only 13 percent are directly served by transit routes feeding the area, the 2012 KCATA study reported.
The new service is a regional partnership of Wyandotte and Johnson counties as well as the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
According to a recent announcement, if Wyandotte County riders choose to connect with the Johnson County bus service, the fare will be $1.50.
Announced on Tuesday, Dec. 29, was a reduction in Johnson County bus fares beginning Jan. 4. On that day, Johnson County transit fares will be $1.50, the same fare as the MAX and other local KCATA, Unified Government Transit and IndeBus routes. A $50, 31-Day Pass will also be valid for fare on local JCT bus routes.
