Barbecue

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, the Kansas Republican facing Democrat Adam Hamilton in the Nov. 3 Senate election, is scheduled to speak at a Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce legislative forum on Oct. 16 at the Great Overland Station, with tickets ranging from $70 to $95. The event comes about three weeks before Election Day.

A separate Oct. 20 appearance planned at Zarda Bar-B-Q in Lenexa, part of a Johnson County Republicans luncheon, was relocated after a leaked flyer — which warned attendees not to share the event on social media for "congressional security protocols" — became public. Zarda's leadership said staff were unaware a senator would be speaking and stressed the restaurant is non-partisan. Johnson County Republicans did not respond to comment requests.

Marshall has not held a public town hall since March of last year, citing safety concerns, drawing criticism including a petition delivery earlier this year demanding he hold statewide town halls. He and Hamilton debated at the Kansas State Fair on Sept. 12.

Columbia City Council has given first-reading approval to sell the former Royal Motel property at 1507 Harden St. to attorney, former state lawmaker and CNN commentator Bakari Sellers. The site sits on a block once home to a thriving Black business district from the 1930s through the 1970s, including the Lighthouse & Informer newspaper, the Carver Theatre, the Cozy Inn Restaurant (a Green Book listing), and a branch of Victory Savings Bank, South Carolina's first Black-owned bank. The city purchased the dilapidated property in 2023.

Sellers plans to build a new hotel with retail and commercial space while preserving the block's historic character, and hopes to partner with neighboring Allen University and Benedict College. A second council vote is required to finalize the sale, with no set development timeline yet. Historians are pursuing National Register of Historic Places status for the block, which could unlock historic tax credits to support restoration efforts.