Kansas

Gating criteria changes for Johnson County schools

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment has changed its gating criteria recommendation for schools from “Orange” to “Red.” The change came Tuesday after the county reported 2,260 new cases in the last 14 days and 15,430 cases overall… more

October Mid-America Index expands to highest level in 16 years

October survey highlights include: The regional Business Conditions Index expanded to its highest level in 16 years. Almost 78.6% of supply managers reported shortages of qualified workers to fill open positions at their firms in October. Very strong export and… more

Parent company of Oak Park Mall files for bankruptcy

Two owners of a combined 130 or so malls across the US have filed for bankruptcy, including CBL Properties, owner of Oak Park Mall located in the Kansas City metro. CBL Properties and PREIT filed for Chapter 11 on Sunday… more

Coping with COVID: Online dashboard launches to show how COVID-19 funds are spent in Kansas

The launch of a new online investment dashboard now allows individuals to look at how COVID-19 funds are being spent in the state. Just over $1 billion in federal CARES Act investments were approved by the Governor’s SPARK taskforce and… more

Kansas October tax revenues surpass estimate

The State of Kansas continues to see revenue growth over the same month of the last fiscal year. October’s total tax receipts were $596.6 million, an 11.7 percent or $62.6 million increase over the estimate. That is 7.9 percent, or… more

Former Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth donated to county by health system

The building that housed Saint Luke’s Cushing Hospital is no longer receiving patients, though its recent donation by Saint Luke’s Health System will help keep it running. On Wednesday, October 28, the Leavenworth County Board of County Commissioners formally accepted… more

Coping with COVID: Kansas to invest millions more in small businesses and COVID-19 testing

Kansas' State Finance Council unanimously approved investing up to $45 million more in COVID-19 testing across Kansas and to provide $20 million more for small businesses. The $65 million approved today is from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which is part… more

Federal Reserve releases 2019 noncash payments data

The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday published detailed noncash payments data from the 2019 Federal Reserve Payments Study (FRPS). The additional data, estimated from surveys covering 2012 through 2018, supplement the noncash payments overview provided by the top-line data released… more

U.S. economy surges in third quarter

Growth in the U.S. economy during the third quarter sparked enthusiasm, data from the U.S. Commerce Department revealing a growth of 33.1 percent in annualized pace. Aided by a lift in business and production restrictions caused by COVID-19, growth seen… more

Coping with COVID: Missouri and Kansas among states showing growth in viral spread

Data analysts tracking the spread of COVID-19 have made adjustments to their model, and now offer a sobering picture for the nation: As of today, in only one state—Mississippi—is the virus spreading slowly enough to consider cases decline. Using a… more