Regional News

U.S. government finalizes long-term lease for Lenexa FDA lab

A 20-year lease has been finalized on a Food and Drug Administration laboratory in Lenexa, Kan. General Services Administration finalized the lease with Easterly Government Properties Inc. for the new 59,690-square-foot U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laboratory building. The… more

Groundwork begins on commerce center located in Northland business park

In the latest sweep of industrial projects to make home in the Kansas City region, Minneapolis-based developer Opus Group has broke ground on the Heartland Meadows Commerce Center in Liberty, Mo. Constructed within the Heartland Meadows Business Park, the new… more

Surge in younger voters and early voting this year

The 2020 election season has seen a boost in voters across all age ranges, most notably in younger voters. Attributed largely to the lingering effects of COVID-19, the U.S. has also seen a surge in early voting, estimates showing around… more

Kansas City-based VeriShip announces merger

Bringing a new model to the table, the recent merger of Kansas City-headquartered VeriShip and Utah-based Sifted is expected to result in new and improved changes in logistics operations. VeriShip is noted as the largest spend management and payments platform… more

Coping with COVID: Washington University seeking recruits as it begins phase 3 of vaccine trial

Used as a testing site for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is seeking recruitments for phase 3 of the trial vaccine. The School… more

Gating criteria changes for Johnson County schools

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment has changed its gating criteria recommendation for schools from “Orange” to “Red.” The change came Tuesday after the county reported 2,260 new cases in the last 14 days and 15,430 cases overall… more

October Mid-America Index expands to highest level in 16 years

October survey highlights include: The regional Business Conditions Index expanded to its highest level in 16 years. Almost 78.6% of supply managers reported shortages of qualified workers to fill open positions at their firms in October. Very strong export and… more

Three-year student loan default rate drops in Missouri

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Missouri’s three-year loan default rate decreased two-tenths of a percent, keeping Missouri’s rate lower than many of its neighboring states and on par with the national rate. Missouri’s student loan default rate dropped… more

Missouri currently among six states with the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S.

Missouri is counted among the top states in the U.S. with the lowest unemployment, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Show-Me state is sixth for the lowest rate at 4.9 percent. Of the top six,… more

Missouri expected to have record-high voter turnout

This year, Missouri election officials are predicting the state’s largest voter turnout in decades. Local election jurisdictions are expecting more than 3.2 million people to cast ballots in Tuesday’s general election, according to figures provided by the secretary of state’s… more