Regional

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

KC’s Stay-At-Home Order Extended Through May 15

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has extended the city's stay-at-home order until May 15, after being advised to do so by public health officials. The previous stay-at-home order was issued in March and set to expire on April 24. Kansas… more

Smithfield Foods Closing Martin City Plant

Smithfield Foods is indefinitely closing its Martin City plant, which employs about 400 workers. The move follows the closure of a Sioux Falls, S.D. plant, which is considered one of the biggest COVID-19 hotspots in the United States, where hundreds… more

Q&A With … Daniel DeBehnke, Guidehouse

Daniel DeBehnke is a physician and partner at Guidehouse, a Washington-based consultancy firm that recently put out a report that one in four rural hospitals could close, with Kansas being one of the hardest-hit states. And COVID-19 could worsen the… more

UM System Facing $180M Budget Shortfall

The University of Missouri System is  expected a $180-million budget shortfall due to impacts from COVID-19, said Mun Choi, president of the system. "We have a challenging road ahead," he said, estimating that the country is facing a 13 percent… more

Stormont Vail Gives COVID-19 Update

Stormont Vail Health, based in Topeka, has released data on its COVID-19 care. As of yesterday, the hospital system has tested just under 1,500 patients year to date. There have been 86 positive tests out of those, and currently six… more