Local News

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

Ingram’s 2020 Health Care and Insurance Industry Outlook

In late March, a sign appeared in front of our AdventHealth Shawnee Mission’s medical Center in Merriam. It read, simply, “Heroes work here.” It was not, says the health system’s CEO, Sam Huenergardt, an exaggeration.  “We’re fighting a war against… more

When a Killer Comes Calling

As the nation completed a fourth week of its self-imposed recession, the battle to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic produced some positive reports from the front lines. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has… 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

Best Buy Furloughs Hourly Employees

National electronics chain Best Buy, which operates eight stores in the Kansas City Metro area, is furloughing 51,000 hourly employees and nearly all of its part-time workers. The retailer switched to curbside-only business on March 22, due to COVID-19, and… 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

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

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

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