Local News

Nation Still Has Work to Do Containing COVID-19

The challenge of managing the spread of the COVID-19 virus showed up this week with new metrics from a Web site tracking infection rates in all 50 states. Just a week ago, the site rt.live showed that the virus was… more

Fauci: Vaccine for COVID-19 Should be Ready by Year’s End

Dr. Anthony Facuci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House COVID-19 task force, says that there should be a vaccine for the pandemic by the end of the… more

Firefighters Get Boost From Sales Tax Vote

Voters that turned out yesterday in Kansas City voted for a sales-tax hike that is supposed to generate $21 million for the Kansas Fire Department's budget. The vote means that sales tax will increase by a half cent through 2036,… more

ADP Unemployment Figures Promising

ADP said that there was a 2.76 million drop in payrolls in May, which is a major improvement from April, when the payroll-assistance firm said that they fell by 19.6 million. Economists were reportedly looking at a drop of nearly… more

Sheraton O.P. the Latest Hotel to Have Layoffs

COVID-19 has taken its toll on hotels around the metro area, and now one of the largest in Johnson County, Kan., is having layoffs. The Sheraton Overland Park is laying off, or furloughing, 151 employees as a result of the… more

AMC Theatres In Major Trouble

Leawood-based AMC Theatres, which has had its screens closed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is facing a $2.4-billion loss as a result. There is is also reportedly a "going concern" that the company can remain in business,… more

Authorities See Protest Progress Tuesday

Protests around the Country Club Plaza over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis were reportedly more calm on Tuesday than prior days. No tear gas was deployed yesterday, though there were an estimated 30 arrests.  "From what I have… more

Q&A with … John Sweeney, Reece Commercial

John Sweeney is a brokerage executive with Reece Commercial in Kansas City. Q. What’s your sense of how bankruptcies by major retailers will affect the market here? A. It will affect landlords and employment most of all.  There remain plenty… more

Dick’s Sporting Goods Sees Sales Plummet

Dick's Sporting Goods, which has seven locations in the metro area, saw same-store sales drop in its first quarter by nearly 30 percent. Management said that the same-store-sales drop of 29.5 percent was driven primarily by the spread of COVID-19.… more

Home Buyers and Sellers Bounce Back

The Kansas City area saw a major spike in home-sales transactions month over month, according to Zillow. Newly-pending sales were up 32.3 percent, while they rose 9.6 percent week over week. Those numbers are above the national average of 4.2… more