Regional News

Higher Ed Pandemic Pain: $13 Billion in Losses

A new analysis from the Chronicle of Higher Education estimates that public and private colleges and universities lost a combined $13 billion in revenue in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging at its worst. Data extracted from reports filed… more

Regional Banks See Stock Prices Level Off

Stock prices for publicly traded banks in the Kansas City region show that most have leveled off from the sector-wide plunge induced by three major bank failures in the U.S. this year, but share prices overall remain sharply lower than… more

Hints of Inflation To Cool Over Next Year, Survey Says

The Mid-American Business Conditions Index for May showed expanded growth for the nine-state region while providing a possible trend toward inflation. The survey, published by Creighton University, reported wholesale inflation gauge for the month climbed to 74.0 from April’s 67.4.… more

Saint Luke’s, BJC HealthCare Announce Plans For Integrated Health System

Saint Luke's Health System and St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare collaborate to form an integrated Missouri-based health system according to the hospitals on Wednesday. As part of a non-binding letter of intent, both health systems hope to bring healthcare to more… more

Where KS and MO Rank In Cancer Death Rates

The Kaiser Family Foundation compiled data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information and the cause of death files in the year 2021, here is where Kansas and Missouri rank. Missouri just nudged its way into the top 16… more

Q&A With Owen Buckley

Q. The retail tailspin was pretty advanced well before the pandemic, which added to the challenges there. Do you get a sense that things are leveling off? A. I do think they have stabilized a bit, and we’re seeing that… more

Join The States Top 1%, How Much Do You Need To Earn?

The ceiling threshold to be part of Kansas and Missouri’s top one percent earnings group has increased from last year, a recent study shows. The 2023 edition of Smart Asset’s, What It Takes to Be in the Top 1% by… more

Agriculture Survey Shows Regional Growth, Farmland Price Dips

Creighton University released its Rural Mainstreet Index report for May indicating overall growth for the Midwest region while varying in different sectors for Kansas and Missouri. The survey's 10-state region overall reading for May climbed to 55.8 from April’s 50.1.… more

Research Shows Average Cost Of Childbirth In The Region

A report from the Health Care Cost Institute showed people with employer-sponsored health insurance spent an average of $24,000 in charges after childbirth. In the United States, patients are paying an average of $3,500 out-of-pocket. Furthermore, 60 percent of those… more

U.S. Uninsured Rate Declines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that 27.6 million people of all ages, or 8.4 percent of Americans, were uninsured in its most recent survey. That’s down from 30 million, or 9.2 percent, from 2021. The… more