Employment

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

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

Mnuchin Asks Congress for More PPP Funds

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza calling for Congress to appropriate more funds toward the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, due to the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked… more

Q&A With … Tom Salisbury, Small Business Administration

Small Business Administration loans are a major topic right now in the face of COVID-19. Tom Salisbury, the Regional Administrator for SBA’s Region VII states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, talks about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other… more

Another Five-Million-Plus File for Unemployment

Another 5.2 million people filed for unemployment last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, bringing the total over the last four weeks to about 22 million. For the week ended April 4, the number was revised up by… more

Q&A With … Daniel DeBehnke, Guidehouse

Daniel DeBehnke is a physician and partner at Guidehouse, a Washington-based consultancy firm that recently put out a report that one in four rural hospitals could close, with Kansas being one of the hardest-hit states. And COVID-19 could worsen the… more

Retail Sales Plunge in March

Retail sales in the United States fell 8.7 percent in March from the prior month and were down 6.2 percent year over year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  The plunge was due to impact from COVID-19. Clothing and accessories… more

Shook Creates National COVID-19 Info. Map

Kansas City-based law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon has created a national map that has state and city information about their various COVID-19 restrictions and policies, including employer resources. "We were hearing from clients, who need to make important decisions… more

Stimulus Check Would Cover Most KC Mortgages

More than half of Kansas City-area homeowners would be able to make a monthly mortgage payment and and cover their utilities with a $1,200 stimulus check, while a vast majority could make those expenditures with two checks totaling $2,400. Kansas… more