Business and Government

Oil Trades at Lowest Rates in History

The oil industry is among those feeling pain due to COVID-19, and futures prices have dropped to below zero for the first time ever in history. The West Texas Intermediate fell to negative $37.63 per barrel for May, which means… more

KS, MO Both Facing Major Budget Shortfalls

The State of Kansas is predicting major budget shortfalls due to income taxes not being filed until the next fiscal year, and Gov. Laura Kelly has announced that no new positions will be filled with the state and all discretionary… more

$450B More Might be On the Way for Small Businesses

There might be $450 million more on the way for small-business and hospital relief if the measure is approved by Congress. The Senate is scheduled to meet today, and the House could vote as early as Wednesday, according to an… more

KS Lagging in COVID-19 Tests, MO Catching Up

Kansas has performed less COVID-19 tests than states with similar, or even smaller, populations, according to a recent partnership between the U.S. Census and other organizations, including this heat map, which shows the number of tests per state. As of… more

Senator: PPP Pumped $4B Into KS Economy

A day after the new Paycheck Protection Program depleted its $349 billion allocation, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said today he was hopeful Congress would move quickly to add more funding to help companies cash-strapped by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It… more

Council Approves $72.8M for Buck O’Neil Bridge

The city council in Kansas City has approved $72.8 million to pay for the replacement of the Buck O'Neil Bridge, which connects Downtown to north of the Missouri River. It is being paid for by a mix of bond issues… more

UMB Busy Processing Loans After PPP Stoppage

The Small Business Administration yesterday announced that its $349-billion Paycheck Protection Program has been wiped out. But at least one area lender is seeing an increase in loan allocation. UMB Bank has recently processed 3,000 applications totaling $1.4 billion. "It’s… more

White House Rolls Out Three-Phase Reopening Plan

President Donald Trump has released a three-phase advisory plan for states to reopen the country. For states to start reopening, the policy says, there needs to be  downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases over a 14-day period, the ability for hospitals… more

Johnson County Hospital Beds Near Capacity

A regional report by the Johnson County, Kan., government says that 88 percent of 2,339 area hospital beds in nine area hospitals are in use. When looking at intensive-care unit beds, the report found that 47 percent of those are… more

KC Fed Encourages Shrinking Digital Divide

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City recently launched a program called the Employer Laptop Challenge, a community development program that encourages companies and other organizations to donate used computers and other devices to nonprofits, schools and firms that refurbish… more