Vice President Vance to Speak at Topeka Rally Tonight

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak in Topeka today as the midterms approach.

Vance will address supporters at Haas Metal Engineering, a steel company located in the state capital. His remarks are set to begin at 5:15 p.m. He is there to campaign for U.S. Senator Roger Marshall.

This visit marks the second time Vance has traveled to the region in just over a month. In September, he stopped at an FBI facility in Kansas City. During that same trip, he also held a rally for Marshall in Olathe. National political attention has been focused on the area recently, following President Donald Trump’s recent campaign rally in Kansas.

Voters in the county are already heading to the polls in large numbers. Johnson County election officials report that early voting is occurring at a pace similar to presidential elections. In neighboring Wyandotte County, early turnout is triple the volume recorded during the 2022 midterms. Candidates have eight days remaining until Election Day to influence undecided voters, though many residents have already cast their ballots.

The weather may impact Halloween activities this weekend. The National Weather Service forecasts a 50% chance of rain on Halloween night. Temperatures are expected to reach the 70s, which could make it one of the warmest Halloweens in recent years. Google’s list of top costume searches for 2026 features movie characters, with Buddy the Unicorn from the horror film Buddy leading the rankings.

Downtown Kansas City is commemorating the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death. A historical marker was unveiled last month at 10th and Main streets. This location marks the site where Houdini performed his first suspended upside-down straitjacket escape on Sept. 8, 1915. Houdini arrived in Kansas City as a 12-year-old runaway after boarding the wrong freight train from Wisconsin. He returned to the city eight times during his career.

In professional sports, the Milwaukee Brewers hold a 2-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. Neither team has ever won the championship. It is the first World Series since 1991 to feature two teams from the bottom half of baseball payroll rankings. If the series extends to seven games, the champion will be crowned on Halloween night. The WNBA Finals are currently tied 2-2, with Game 5 being played tonight in San Francisco. If that series also goes the distance, Game 7 will also fall on Halloween.

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Denver Sunday to face the division-rival Broncos. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. The Chiefs seek redemption after a 20-3 loss to Seattle. In the literary world, three author events are sold out locally. Jeff Kinney is at Unity Temple on the Plaza, David Sedaris is at the Lied Center in Lawrence, and Steven Raichlen is hosting a PBS fundraiser. Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday at 2 a.m., when clocks are turned back one hour.

Three proposals to end the twice-yearly clock change have stalled in Congress. Residents will gain an extra hour of sleep but will experience darkness arriving earlier in the evening. The local news program Week in Review airs Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.