National

CBOE Holdings to Acquire Bats Global Markets

Bats Global Markets, Inc.— operator of the second-largest stock exchange in the U.S., as well as the largest stock exchange and trade reporting facility in Europe—has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by CBOE Holdings, Inc., the holding… more

Yahoo! Reports Theft of Information from 500 Million Users

Yahoo! released a statement today confirming an information theft “associated with at least 500 million user accounts.” The company also reported that that the “information was stolen from the company’s network in late 2014” attributing the theft to a “state-sponsored… more

Fed Votes to Hold the Course on Interest Rates

While saying “the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened,” the Federal Reserve announced today that it will not make a rate change at this time. The Federal Open Market Committee, which is charged with setting… more

21 States Sue Obama Administration on Overtime Rule

Kansas is one of 21 states joining in lawsuit filed today against the Obama administration. The suit challenges the U.S. Department of Labor’s new “Overtime Rule.” The suit was filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Nevada Attorney General… more

Housing Starts Up in Midwest but Down Overall

The Commerce Department announced today that housing starts in the US fell 5.8 percent in August to their lowest level in three months, due largely to a 14.8 percent decrease in the South. Building activity increased in the Northeast (7.6… more

St. Joseph 5th in Startups Nationwide

According to the data-analysis website, FiveThirtyEight.com, St. Joseph, Missouri ranks 5th among metro areas with the fastest-growing rates of new startups (businesses less than a year old). Basing its findings on data from 2014, the report puts three Missouri metros… more

Nation’s Largest Grocer Cooperative Is Formed

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) and Affiliated Foods Midwest Cooperative, Inc. (AFM)—wholesale cooperatives serving the needs of grocery store member-owners around the country—have agreed to combine their businesses. Operating under the AWG name, the new cooperative will provide products and… more

Census Bureau Says Incomes Up, Poverty Down

According to the US Census Bureau, the median household income for the nation rose 5.2 percent in 2015, the first time Americans have seen an increase since 2007. The Census Bureau also reported that 3.5 million less people were below… more

Survey Cites the Effect of Cash Flow on Business Growth

It may sound obvious but apparently, businesses around the world would be in better shape if everybody paid their bills on time. According to Colin Sharp, senior vice president at a company called C2FO, “There is a significant opportunity for… more

Kansas City Charities Are Tops in Transparency

Kansas City charities are part of a six-way tie for first place in the category of Accountability and Transparency: this according to a Charity Navigator assessment of nearly 5,000 charitable organizations in 30 major metropolitan markets. The KC metro joined… more