Destination USA

Equity Bank Enters Merger Deal with Omaha-based Frontier Bank

Posted September 3, 2025 Whichta-based Equity Bancshares, Inc. has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Frontier Holdings, LLC, and will be the bank’s first entry into the Nebraska market. Equity Bancshares, the holding company for Equity Bank, will acquire… more

UMB Purchases 8,000 Health Savings Accounts From Old National Bank

Posted September 2, 2025 UMB Financial Corporation announced it has acquired over 8,000 health savings accounts to its portfolio from Old National Bank, formerly Bremer Bank. As part of the deal, UMB also gained approximately $32.5 million in related deposits… more

KC Streetcar Plans Maintenance Ahead of UMKC Extension Opening

Posted September 2, 2025 The Kansas City Streetcar will temporarily suspend its services to perform maintenance work before the opening day of its Main Street Extension to UMKC. The extension that adds stops along the UMKC campus will open on… more

William Jewell Selects Drew Van Horn as Interim President

Posted September 2, 2025 William Jewell College has named Dr. Drew Van Horn as its interim president. Van Horn will take over the role following Susan Chambers' decision to step back from the role and rejoin the school’s Board of… more

De Soto Planning Commission Approves 126-Unit Countryside Farms

Posted September 2, 2025 The De Soto Planning Commission has approved preliminary plans for a 126-unit mixed housing project. AA Land Devco LLC, submitted plans for a multi-family development dubbed Countryside Farms. The development would be located south of 95th… more

Academy Bank Opens First Branch in Arkansas

Posted August 28, 2025 Academy Bank announced it has opened its first branch location in Arkansas, expanding its footprint in the state’s Northwest region. The bank’s first location in the state of Arkansas is located at 4301 South JB Hunt… more

Health Care Knows No Borders

My Dad spent his boyhood in the central Kansas railroad town of Herington, a thriving burg at the time, with a population of about 4,500 in the 1930 census. When the uncle who raised him died in 1971, the town’s… more

Finally, A College Where I’d Send My Grandkids

Higher education has not covered itself in glory in recent years. The headlines are replete with tales of rising costs, falling enrollments, and university presidents needing “context” to decide whether anti-Semitism is a bad thing. Although my wife and I… more

It’s Way Past Time to Wage War on Gun Violence

The Valentine’s Day mass shooting that tarnished a citywide celebration of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory prompted Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves to declare afterward: “I’m angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration… more

The Retirement Planning Group Closes $300M Michigan-based Acquisition

Posted August 28, 2025 Updated August 28, 2025, at 10:44 a.m. The Retirement Planning Group has successfully closed an acquisition of Michigan-based First Financial Advisors, Inc. The acquisition is valued at $300 million. First Financial is a dual wealth management… more