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GuideWell signs agreement with Leawood health organization, to acquire all interests from Blue KC

GuideWell, the parent company of Florida Blue, signed an agreement Nov. 2 to become a majority shareholder in New Directions Behavioral Health, a managed mental health organization based in Leawood, Kan. Under the transaction, GuideWell will acquire all interests from Blue Cross… more

Overland Park-based YRC plans rebranding, name change

YRC Worldwide Inc. narrowed its losses during the third quarter, announced plans to change its name to Yellow and expanded its board of directors. The Overland Park, Kan., motor carrier said its Q3 net loss fell 87.5% to $2 million… more

Five Clay County employees to resign by end of this year

Five Clay County employees, including three assistant county administrators, will resign by the end of the year, according to separation agreements announced Tuesday. Brad Garrett, Laurie Portwood and Nicole Brown — all county administrators — will resign effective Dec. 31,… more

Missouri passes Amendment 3 in two-year reversal

Two years after voters overwhelmingly passed “Clean Missouri” reforms, changes related to the state’s process for drawing legislative districts were rolled back Tuesday with the passage of Amendment 3. The newly approved amendment will impact how Missouri’s legislative districts are drawn,… 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

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

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 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

Coping with COVID: Online dashboard launches to show how COVID-19 funds are spent in Kansas

The launch of a new online investment dashboard now allows individuals to look at how COVID-19 funds are being spent in the state. Just over $1 billion in federal CARES Act investments were approved by the Governor’s SPARK taskforce and… more