National

KC-based VMLY&R renews U.S. Navy contract worth $455M

Global advertising and marketing firm, VMLY&R has scored a renewed contract with the U.S. Navy. Housing its headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., this is the company's second five-year contract in a row with the branch. The contract has an estimated… more

SBA prepares to launch $28.6B Restaurant Revitalization Fund

A launch is set to take place in the near future of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund through the Small Business Administration (SBA).  Its upcoming start follows closely behind the rollout of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program (SVOG), which has… more

New bidder raises offer on KC Southern

Kansas City Southern has been offered another bid, this time from Canadian National Railway with a cash-and-stock offer valued at $33.7 billion. The offer amount outdoes competing bidder Canadian Pacific's cash-and-stock proposal of $25 billion. Any deal would capitalize on… more

Cerner EHR system rollout paused again

The Department of Veterans Affairs is pausing deployment activities for its new $16 billion Cerner EHR system at a second site until it has completed a strategic review of the project and shared the results with Congress. The VA first… more

In a Nutshell: A Trillion Here and A Trillion There

The second quarter of 2021 is off to a blazing start, with the S&P 500 Index pushing above 4,000 on the heels of President Biden's so-called infrastructure plan update.  In the weeks or months ahead, the market focus may turn… more

Jobless claims drop to new low since start of COVID-19

In the week ending April 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 576,000, a decrease of 193,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it… more

Missouri infrastructure scores low in White House report

 A new report from the White House shows that Missouri  received a grade of C- when it came to infrastructure. The report found Missouri has 2,190 bridges and more than 7,500 miles of highway in poor condition. By releasing state-by-state data, Biden’s… more

Yellow ushers in new president

Overland Park-based Yellow Corp. has named a new president.  The trucking and logistics company, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., promoted Darrel Harris to the role.  Harris joined Yellow in November as executive vice president of strategic initiatives. The industry… more

Homes continue to sell at record pace

The median home-sale price increased 17% year over year to $338,225, an all-time high. Asking prices of newly listed homes rose 16% year over year to $351,851, an all-time high, but were flat from the four-week period ending March 28.… more

KC area Ford, GM plants cut production once again amid continuing chip shortage

The global shortage of semiconductors has forced General Motors and Ford to further cut production at their North American factories as chip supplies seem to be growing tighter. The shutdowns likely will affect dealer inventory of vehicles made at the… more