Business and Government


Kansas to provide $200M in rental assistance statewide 

A program in Kansas is making $200 million available to qualifying residents for rental assistance. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation announced the program on Tuesday, which will be funded through federal CARES Act money. “COVID-19… more

Approval for proposed $36M Northland soccer complex up in the air as council debate continues

Discussion continues on a proposed Northland youth soccer complex located at Missouri Route 152 and North Platte Purchase Drive. Plans emerged last spring and await review from the Kansas City, Mo. Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee. If passed, plans would… more

Missouri-based Aegion to go private with $963M sale

Aegion Corp., based in Chesterfield, Mo., announced this week it is selling to New Mountain Capital, a New York investment firm. The infrastructure pipeline rehab company will go the New Mountain in a deal valued at $963 million and will… more

SBA announces new director for Kansas City district office

Raised in Kansas City, Michael Barrera has been selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration to return to his hometown to serve as district director for the Kansas City District SBA office, effective Feb. 18, 2021. The Kansas City district… more

Ford halts production at Kansas City Assembly Plant once again

Originally scheduled to resume full production on Feb. 15, Ford Motor Co. announced it will continued reduced production at its Kansas City Assembly Plant, this time due to severe winter weather. The announcement from Ford confirmed that it had canceled… more

Coping with COVID: Mo. cancels mass vaccination events across state due to bitter-cold forecast

Missouri’s COVID-19 mass vaccination events scheduled for this week have been canceled due to severe winter conditions. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s office late Monday afternoon said that all mass vaccination events through Feb. 19 have been canceled if they involved… more

Harsh weather prompts State of Disaster Emergency in Kansas

A State of Disaster Emergency has been issued in Kansas due to wind chill warnings and stress on utility and natural gas providers in the region. Kansas residents have been asked to conserve energy as utility companies began imposing rolling… more

Success of virtual services noted on Kansas workforce report

The top three workforce accomplishments noted in an annual Kansas report listed expanding virtual services at the top, followed by the launch of a new mobile workforce center and the launch of new registered apprenticeships. Expanding Virtual Services: The pandemic… more

Business Conditions Index drops in Mo., rises in Kan.

The Kansas Business Conditions Index for January rose to 62.0 from 55.3 in December. Components of the leading economic indicator from the monthly survey of supply managers were new orders at 72.8, production or sales at 81.3, delivery lead time… more

Missouri-based Centene to cut work force by 6 percent

A Missouri-based health insurance giant, Centene Corp., will soon be cutting thousands of jobs. According to Centene CEO Michael Neidorff, around 3,000 positions will be eliminated as well as another 1,500 open positions, representing about 6 percent of its workforce.… more