Regional

GDP Sees Biggest Drop Since Recession

Gross Domestic Product fell 4.8 percent during the first quarter, which reportedly the first quarterly decline since 2014 and the biggest drop since the first quarter of 2008, when it dropped 8.4 percent. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says… more

Q&A With … Randall Williams, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

Randall Williams, who is the director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been giving regular updates about the impact of COVID-19 on Missouri. Q. At this point in the circulation of the virus, is real containment… more

Truman Medical Center Announces Pay Cuts

Truman Medical Center will cut the pay rates of its staff, with executives taking the largest decrease, at 20 percent, due to COVID-19-related revenue declines. The move follows major furloughs and pay cuts at Children's Mercy Hospital that were announced… more

Platte County Rolls Back Stay-At-Home Order

Platte County has joined neighboring Clay County and North Kansas City in rolling back its stay-at-home orders from May 15 to May 4. However, there were still be a significant number of restrictions on residents and businesses that are set… more

Garmin Quarter Strong in Face of COVID-19

Garmin was a rare bright spot in public-company earnings during its first quarter despite an economy challenged by COVID-19. The Olathe-based GPS-device maker saw earnings per share rise 25 percent quarter over quarter, while revenues were up 17 percent year… more

UMB Posts Rare Quarterly Loss

UMB Financial Corp. reported a loss of $3.4 million during its first quarter, a sharp contrast from its other recent financial periods. During last year's fourth quarter, the bank's earnings were $66.5 million, and it brought it $57.7 million over… more

Contractor Confidence Hits Record Low

Expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels expectations fell below the threshold of 50 for the first time in the history of the  Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Confidence Index. Sales expectations, due to COVID-19, decreased from 68.3… more

Hotel Industry Asks Congress For Aid

The hotel industry, which has been plagued by the impact of COVID-19 and seen its occupancy plunge due to a severe downturn in travel and business meetings, is asking Congress for help. In a letter to Congress, the American Hotel… more

Q&A With … Don Greenwell, The Builders’ Association

Don Greenwell is president of the Builders' Association in Kansas City, representing the interests of the construction sector in such matters as policy and work-force development. Q. The construction sector nationally shed 29,000 jobs last month amid the pandemic slowdown;… more

Euronet Worldwide Expands in U.S. With Acquisition

Euronet Worldwide might be based in Leawood, but most of the consumer financial services it provides, such as banking ATMs, are found overseas. That is changing with its acquisition of Dolphin Debit, a full-service ATM outsourcing company with 1,900 of… more