The Latest: Kansas officials praise American Royal move

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Latest on the American Royal’s move to Kansas (all times local):

3:25 p.m.

Some Kansas state officials are praising the announcement that the American Royal horse and livestock exhibition will move from Missouri to Kansas.

Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey said in a statement after the move was announced Tuesday that the organization is a perfect fit for Kansas because of the state’s rich and long agricultural history. She says the state and American Royal are both dedicated to working to promote the future of agriculture, which will require innovation, new production practices and new technologies.

Kansas Secretary of Commerce Antonio Soave says the American Royal’s tradition of excellence is “perfect” for Kansas, its business climate and its quality of life.

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3:10 p.m.

A prominent Democrat in the Kansas Legislature says she has mixed feelings about an announcement that the American Royal horse and livestock exhibition plans to move to Kansas from Missouri.

State Sen. Laura Kelly of Topeka said Tuesday that it’s exciting that Wyandotte County on the Kansas side of the Kansas City area has attracted a major project and new jobs.

But Kelly added, “It’s sort of more of the same of just stealing from Missouri rather than trying to grow that region altogether.”

American Royal officials and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced that the exhibition would be moving from Kansas City, Missouri, to a site near Kansas Speedway with a new arena, museum and education centre.

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2:30 p.m.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James says he wishes the American Royal will as it ends its long association with the Missouri city and moves across the border to Wyandotte County, Kansas.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and American Royal officials announced Tuesday that the horse and livestock exhibition is moving to a new home near the Kansas Speedway.

James says in a statement that he appreciates the American Royal’s’ long partnership with Kansas City and looks forward to seeing what the future holds for the organization.

He also vowed to work with other city leaders to make the West Bottoms, the longtime home of the American Royal, into a vibrant and lively area of the city.

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1 p.m.

The annual American Royal horse and livestock exhibition in Kansas City is moving to Kansas from Missouri.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and American Royal officials announced the move Tuesday during a news conference at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Brownback’s administration has been working for months to lure the full, weeks-long exhibition to the Kansas side.

The 117-year-old American Royal is one of Kansas City’s most fabled cultural institutions, drawing nearly 270,000 people.

American Royal officials have already moved the exhibition’s signature barbecue competition that begins Wednesday to the speedway.

Some Kansas legislators have voiced concern that to lure the American Royal, the state would promise a major development project on the Kansas side and finance it with bonds backed by sales tax revenues.