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Olathe, KCK Public Schools face staffing shortage, cancel classes

Two of the Kansas City metro’s largest school districts announced they will be canceling classes through Wednesday of this week amid a staffing shortage. The districts say absences have been on the rise due to COVID-19 and other illnesses. The… more

Canadian competitor asks regulators to force divestiture of KCS line before merger

A notice of intent from Canadian National (CN) is asking regulators to require Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) to divest the Springfield Line as a condition of their merge. The divestment would allow Canadian National to take… more

Q&A with Dan Danford of Family Investment Center

Danforth is founder and CEO of Family Investment Center, a full-service, commission-free investment advisory firm that serves clients in the Kansas City area and across 13 states.   Q. How much value do advisers add for the typical client? A. Assuming… more

KC area to see addition of two new Fareway locations

The company will be expanding its Kansas City presence with plans to construct and open a 8,700-square-foot Northland store by fall 2022. The other is slated to open in June on the Kansas side of the metro in Olathe. Fareway… more

Mariner Wealth Wraps Up Big Acquisition Year

Mariner Wealth Advisors closed out a big year of acquisitions in December by picking up California-based Viewpoint Financial Network—its 14th deal to close in 2021. Viewpoint’s $950 million in assets under management will add a sizeable chunk to Mariner’s existing… more

Private insurers to cover cost of at-home rapid antigen tests

With the nation recording the highest case COVID-19 case counts since the pandemic began in March 2020, the Biden administration has directed private insurers to cover the cost of up to eight at-home coronavirus rapid tests per person, per month.… more

Bridgepoint: 2,841 M&A Deals in U.S. Last Year

The 2021 recap for M&A activity in the U.S. consumer sector tallied more than 2,800 transactions, Bridgepoint Investment Banking says in a new report released today. Companies focused on consumer services accounted for the lion’s share of transactions—1,025—followed by consumer… more

In A Nutshell: Better Things Might Come In 2022

The stock market ended 2021 with a Santa Claus rally, even as the spread of COVID-19’s Omicron variant caused states to reimpose masking requirements and other restrictions. Warnings that commerce would be restricted followed many as countries reimposed restrictions on… more

Additional COVID-19 testing sites open in Kansas City area

Increased demand for COVID-19 testing has prompted the Missouri health department to open more free community testing sites across the state, including Kansas City and surrounding areas. At this time, these are scheduled as drive-through testing events. Some sites require… more

UM board rejects mask mandates for spring semester

A decision from the UM System Board of Curators has voted down campus mask mandates for students within the UM System. With the start of the new semester, universities such as MU recommend wearing masks indoors but will not require… more