Kearney Sets Fall Bulky Trash Pickup for Oct. 5–8

Residents who have unwanted items left after Kearney’s citywide garage sale will have a free curbside disposal option the following week. The City of Kearney and Redgate Disposal will hold Fall Bulky Trash Pick-Up Week from Monday, Oct. 5, through Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.

Residential utility customers may place large household items at the curb for collection on their regularly scheduled trash day at no additional charge. Items must be curbside by 7 a.m.

Redgate will use separate trucks for regular trash and bulky items, so the two collections may occur at different times. Each household is limited to 4 cubic yards of material, or about the capacity of two full-size pickup truck beds.

What residents may set out

Accepted items include couches, chairs, tables, dressers, patio furniture, mattresses and box springs. Push lawnmowers will be collected only after all gas and oil have been drained, and barbecue grills must have their propane tanks removed.

Rugs and carpeting must be rolled and securely tied in sections no longer than 4 feet and weighing less than 40 pounds each. Wood and lumber must follow the same length and weight limits and be securely bundled. Small miscellaneous debris must be placed in heavy-duty bags no larger than 39 gallons, with each bag weighing less than 40 pounds.

Items that will not be collected

Major appliances and other white goods—including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers and water heaters—will not be accepted. The collection also excludes wet latex or oil-based paint, automotive fluids, pesticides, fertilizers, pool chemicals, solvents and other household hazardous waste.

Crews will not collect tires, vehicle or riding-mower batteries, auto parts, propane or oxygen tanks, fire extinguishers, ammunition, yard waste, tree limbs, sheetrock, concrete, bricks, rocks, roofing shingles or glass panels longer than 4 feet.

Other disposal options

Yard waste, brush, leaves and standard recyclables may be taken to the City Recycling Center, 504 E. 19th St. The center is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Paint, chemicals and other household hazardous waste require special handling and should not be placed with curbside trash. Residents can visit RecycleSpot.org to find regional drop-off events in Clay and Jackson counties for hazardous materials and electronics.

Questions about acceptable items or missed pickups during bulky trash week may be directed to Kearney City Hall at (816) 628-4142 or email Redgate Disposal at service@redgatedisposal.com.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Kearney Prevails over District Rival Smithville

For the fourth time in as many meetings, the Kearney Bulldogs took district rival Smithville out to a 92-highway woodshed. This time, for a 49-7 trouncing.

With three points on the board in the first quarter, courtesy of a Grant Bogert 33-yard field goal, the Kearney defense batted around the Smithville offense like a cat with a field mouse, allowing a 10-yard touchdown run by Warriors quarterback Quinten Morse.

The Offense opens a gap for Quarterback Carter Temple. Photo by Kale Davis, Backroads Designs

By halftime, Kearney led 25-7, on three touchdowns – a Carter Temple to Kale Tucking pass, a 12-yard Carter Temple run, and with 36 seconds to go in the half, Temple unleashed a 66- yard bomb on a go-route to wide receiver Luke Denston for the score.

“They chose to really load the box on us and leave us man to man everywhere because apparently, we've heard Carter Temple can't throw passes, so I think somebody found out about that tonight,” said Kearney head coach Logan Minnick.

Kearney defensive tackle Grant Bogert added a statement-making, 2-point conversion after the 66-yard touchdown pass.

“We had that play written up all week in practice,” said Bogert. “It was designed for Carter to carry the ball, but in the game, he had to pitch it to me. I saw the grass in front of me, ran for it and scored.”

From there it was never close. Temple was 14 of 21 for 304 yards passing and 5 touchdowns. Kearney’s defense shifted the lumber truck into high gear behind defensive ends Grant Bogert, Lane Cook, and nose tackle Ryker Bruto pounding and pressuring Smithville quarterback Quinten Morse – allowing only 71 total passing yards on 6 of 15 attempts.

Smithville running back Lincoln Roske came into the game leading the metro with an average 165 yards per game. Kearney’s defense smothered Roske, holding him to 12 yards on 15 carries.

“Coach (Andy) Sawall hammers the idea that we can't give up anything down the middle and I think we did pretty well on that tonight,” said Bogert. “We force everything outside to the linebackers and they did well tackling outside, and at containing that running back (Roske). I know he's good. We gave him props for that.”

Kearney owned the second half scoring starting with a Temple to Matthew Lindsey 7-yard touchdown completion followed minutes later by a dazzling 55-yard flea-flicker, with Matt Lindsey selling the fake run and tossing the ball back to Temple, who threw to a wide-open Luke Denston for the score.

“They had eight people in the box, thinking we could only run the football,” said wide receiver Luke Denston. “We can throw it too. The passes were open in the middle of the field, down the field, all of them were open.”

Denston had four receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns. The Kearney single-game receiving record is 210 yards.

“We're going to spread it around,” said Minnick. “And now you add a receiver to the mix who can take advantage of you, and you still have Caleb Stevens and Ian Schiller on the other side who can go at any point as well. I know the kids really enjoy the offense this year because we're not running every time, we're not throwing it every time, we're spreading the love to everybody.”

The Bulldogs finished the fourth quarter scoring on a 22-yard Temple to Emmons touchdown pass and a 22-yard Grant Bogert field goal. Bogert was a perfect 5 of 5 on extra points and 2 of 3 on field goals – the miss resulted from a glancing ricochet off the left upright.

For the third straight week, Kearney forced the turbo clock on their opponent. After three games, the Bulldog offense is scoring an average 46.6 points per game with a defense allowing only three points per game.

“So proud of our kids’ effort,” said Minnick. “You know that's a really good football team over there, but when we execute and play at our ability level, we're a pretty good football team too.”

In their first meeting ever, 3-0 Kearney plays 2-1 Rockhurst at Rockhurst next week, September 18.

KPGZ News – Mike Davis contributed to this story.

Public Health Center to Host 10th Annual Family Fun Day

Clay County Public Health Center will bring its 10th annual Family Fun Day to Macken Park on Saturday, Sept. 19, offering families a free afternoon of games, activities and connections to local health and wellness resources.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public, with no tickets required. Organizers say the event is designed for the entire community, but families with children will find plenty to enjoy. Previous Family Fun Day events have drawn more than 1,000 participants.

More than 25 local organizations will host hands-on activities and share information about physical activity, healthy eating, healthcare, safety, mental health and wellness, and education and literacy. Many booths will also offer free books and other small items.

Activities will include giant bowling, parachute games, kite making and a bicycle obstacle course. Families can also enter drawings for prizes intended to support healthier living, including sports equipment, cooking tools and appliances, fitness trackers and car emergency kits. Bicycles and helmets will be given away throughout the event.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase from three food trucks: Chop’s BBQ, Snow & Roast Mobile Cafe and Snacktopus.

Family Fun Day will be held at Macken Park, 1002 Clark Ferguson Drive in North Kansas City. More information is available at clayhealth.com/ffd. Attendees can also follow the event page on the health center’s Facebook account for updates.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

55th Jesse James Festival brings two weekends of Entertainment to Kearney

The 55th Jesse James Festival will return to Kearney for two weekends of community entertainment Sept. 12 and Sept. 18–20, with most activities centered at Jesse James Park. The schedule features a demolition derby, barbecue cookoff, downtown parade, arts and crafts, tournaments, live music and two rodeo performances.

Opening night: Demolition derby

The festival begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, with a demolition derby and Kids Power Wheels presented by Grandstand Attractions Inc. Robinson Chainsaw Carvings will be displayed ahead of an evening auction. Admission is free for children 6 and younger and $15 for ages 7 and older. Pit passes cost an additional $25, and no one younger than 13 will be allowed in the pits.

Friday: Barbecue registration and dancing

Activities resume Friday, Sept. 18, when registration for the 38th annual Jesse James BBQ Cookoff and 35th State Championship runs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., Tami Davis will lead free line-dancing instruction at the Jesse James Park Pavilion. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, and DJ D’Gatsby will keep the music going from 8 to 10 p.m.

Saturday: Parade, contests, rodeo and dance

Saturday, Sept. 19, opens with the E. Howard Porter Post 5717 VFW country breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the VFW Hall. Parade lineup staging and Little Mr. and Miss registration begin at 8 a.m., followed by Little Mr. and Miss judging at 8:30 a.m. in front of Kearney Feed Supply. Parade entries will be judged at 9 a.m. in float, non-motorized, motorized, equestrian and crowd-pleaser categories, with plaques for first place and ribbons for second and third. A traveling trophy will honor the entry that best represents the parade theme.

The barbecue competition runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with winners announced at 4 p.m. A disc golf tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. at Jesse James Park, and the downtown Kearney parade steps off at 10 a.m. Arts & Crafts Alley will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A free, eight-class garden tractor pull starts at 11 a.m. in the demolition derby arena.

Mud volleyball registration begins at noon, followed by a captains meeting at 12:30 p.m. and tournament play at 1 p.m. Mutton busting registration for children 6 and younger begins at 4 p.m.; riders will be selected at 5 p.m., when a $10 registration fee is due, and the ride begins at 5:30 p.m.

The URA/MRCA Rodeo, presented by C.R. McKellips Rodeo Co. Inc., begins at 6 p.m. and includes a Kids Boot Scramble and Robinson Chainsaw Carvings display and auction. Admission is free for children 6 and younger and $15 for ages 7 and older. Rodeo contestants may register by phone from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 417-876-2353.

The evening closes with a free festival dance featuring Pistol Creek from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Attendees younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The dance is presented by the Kearney St. Michael’s Knights of Columbus.

Sunday: Car show, fishing and final rodeo

Sunday, Sept. 20, begins at 9 a.m. with on-site registration for the Jesse James Open Car Show at $20 per vehicle. The top 30 cars will receive plaques, and drawings are planned for a 50/50 prize, a cooler and half of a hog. The Vincents will perform live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The car show opens to the public at 10 a.m., with winners and the hog-drawing recipient announced at 2 p.m.

A free kids fishing tournament runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at Jesse James Park, with divisions for ages 0–6 and 7–12. High Point Cowboy Church will present a cowboy worship service at 10 a.m. near the rodeo arena. Arts & Crafts Alley will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the free Jesse James Open Tractor Show begins at 11 a.m.

Sunday’s mutton busting registration starts at 12:30 p.m. for children 6 and younger. Riders will be selected at 1:30 p.m., when the $10 fee is due, and the ride begins at 2 p.m. The festival concludes with a URA/MRCA Rodeo at 2:30 p.m., featuring another Kids Boot Scramble. Rodeo admission is free for children 6 and younger and $15 for ages 7 and older.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Eight Killed in Missouri Traffic Crashes Over Labor Day Weekend

Eight people were killed and 82 others were injured in traffic crashes across Missouri during the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The Patrol recorded 213 traffic crashes during the counting period, which ran from 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7. Troopers also reported 123 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

Although the number of crashes and injuries fell from the previous year, the number of fatalities doubled. During the comparable 2025 holiday period, the Patrol investigated 252 crashes that left 123 people injured and four dead. Statewide totals for that period, including crashes handled by other agencies, were six deaths and 423 injuries in 931 crashes.

On Missouri waterways, authorities investigated nine boating crashes, the same number reported for the 2025 holiday period. One person was injured this year, while no boating fatalities or drownings were reported. Troopers made five arrests for boating while intoxicated.

The Patrol cautioned that the fatality count remains preliminary and could change if people later die from their injuries or if other law enforcement agencies report additional fatal crashes.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.