Local News

Unemployment Claims Better, but Still Bad

Just under 3.2 million filed for unemployment benefits the week ended May 2, according to the weekly report by the U.S. Department of Labor. It's an improvement from the prior week by about 677,000, but the insured unemployment rate was… more

Car-Rental Companies Hit by COVID-19

The major car-rental companies are seeing major decreases in sales and profits due to flight occupancy being down 95 percent on many carriers. Hertz recently missed a payment to a group of lenders and has until May 22 to reach… more

Auto Dealers Lose $2.6B in Two Months

Auto and truck dealerships lost $2.6 billion in potential profits from the beginning of March through the start of May, says a recent J.D. Power report. Customer purchases were down $41.3 billion during the period, with new-vehicle purchases dropping $26.3… more

Eastern Jackson County Releases Recovery Phase One

Jackson County government has released its phase-one recovery plan for the eastern part of the jurisdiction. Starting on May 11, retail stores will be able to reopen at 25 percent occupancy for store under 10,000 square feet and larger ones… more

Q&A With … Greg Callahan of CBIZ

Greg Callahan is a health-benefits consultant and strategist for CBIZ in Kansas City, Mo. Q. There’s a lot still to play out with respect to how the current COVID-19 crisis will impact health-care insurance, and particularly the coverage offered by… more

U.S. Hospitals Losing More Than $50B Per Month

A new report by the American Hospital Association says that between March and the end of June, hospitals are projected to lose $202.6 billion, or an average of $50.7 billion per month, due to COVID-19 challenges. "These challenges have created… more

KC Life’s Quarterly Income Drops

Kansas City Life Insurance Co. reported a net income of $150,000 during its second quarter, down from a gain of just more than $4 million over the prior financial period. Year over year during the second quarter, net investments were… more

Proposed Legislation Would Forgive Healthcare-Worker Student Loans

A new bill in the House of Representatives would forgive student loans for healthcare workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Called the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, it was introduced to the House by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)… more

HHS Starts Distributing $10B to Rural Hospitals

The Department of Health and Human Services has started distributing COVID-19-relief funds to hospitals, and a big chunk of that is going to be given to rural hospitals that could soon be hit hard by the pandemic. Those facilities, which… more

Costco, Wendy’s Others Limit Meat Purchases

A national meat shortage has spurred many restaurants and retailers to scale back on meat offerings to customers. In the case of fast-food burger chain Wendy's, it is warning customers of potentially limited menus due to the shortages in the… more