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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

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

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

Commerce Bancshares Paying Out Dividend

Kansas City-based Commerce Bancshares is paying dividends to shareholders still, despite challenges posed to the economy due to COVID-19. The company just declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share for common stock, and payments are expected to be paid… more

A Record $601B in CRE Loans Closed in 2019

Before COVID-19 hit, the commercial real estate lending market was sure on a strong run. A record $600.6 billion of commercial real estate and multifamily loans in 2019, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) 2019 Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance… more

Mnuchin Asks Congress for More PPP Funds

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza calling for Congress to appropriate more funds toward the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, due to the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked… more

Q&A With … Tom Salisbury, Small Business Administration

Small Business Administration loans are a major topic right now in the face of COVID-19. Tom Salisbury, the Regional Administrator for SBA’s Region VII states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, talks about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other… 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

March Housing Starts Plunge

March new-housing starts fell 23.1 percent from the prior month, according the the U.S. Census Bureau, hitting just over 1.2 million. However, that number was a 1.4 increase from March 2019. Meanwhile, housing completions also dropped, falling 6.1 percent month… more

Another Five-Million-Plus File for Unemployment

Another 5.2 million people filed for unemployment last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, bringing the total over the last four weeks to about 22 million. For the week ended April 4, the number was revised up by… more