Seemingly overnight, residents and drivers on Interstate 35 awoke to a new addition to the Kansas City skyline: a Ferris wheel. The 150-foot wheel is how many people found out about the Pennway Point development that’s being constructed on the eastern edge of the Westside — a project that’s been in the works for years but […]
Economics
Posted inEconomics, Local Government
Some Northland bus lines shut down as Kansas City moves away from subsidizing suburban transit
Bus routes go away in Gladstone on Sept.1. To keep the existing RideKC bus lines going, the city faced a bill rocketing up 400%. Instead, Gladstone decided to dump the service — like other parts of the Northland — and shift to a patchwork where riders hop from Uber-like cars for short hauls to buses […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Economics, Housing, Local Government
The zoning dispute that has Prairie Village warring with itself over housing
The tension runs high at Prairie Village City Hall these days.
Earlier this month, amid high-stakes debates over whether to squeeze more housing into the leafy Johnson County suburb, a group fighting against possible zoning changes took particular offense to cutting off public comment.
Posted inCivic Engagement, Data, Economics
High-fee crypto ATMs center around low-income parts of Kansas City
Finance professor Jocelyn Evans first encountered a cryptocurrency ATM on the way to talk about financial education with students last fall. Evans stopped at a gas station on her way to Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas. She came across the machine with the word “BITCOIN” on the screen. Store staffers weren’t familiar with the […]
Posted inEconomics, State Government
Kansas taxpayers — not casinos — are underwriting ‘free’ sports bets that entice gamblers
Kansas taxpayers subsidize the millions of dollars nationwide sports gambling apps hand out to bettors for their initial wagers that get them in the habit of gambling. The new sports betting industry also makes hardly any revenue for the state, amounting to a small drop in the bucket of the state’s multi-billion dollar operating budget. […]
Posted inEconomics, State Government
Kansans can lose big on sports betting with a single click. Experts want more protections
Online sports betting poses a heightened danger of addiction to Kansans. The new industry makes it legal and easier to place bets on things ranging from the outcome of games to the coin toss during the Super Bowl.
Posted inEconomics, State Government
Missouri’s secretary of state reins in environmentally minded investing
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says his rule is the first of its kind, placing Missouri on the cutting edge of how some states might think about regulating ESG, or “environmental, social and governance,” investing. The practice takes into account social concerns and personal beliefs.
Posted inEconomics, Education
Student loan freeze set to end, threatening financial burden for borrowers
As a first-generation college student, Becky Divine’s family encouraged her to pursue higher education. To do so, she had to take out student loans before graduating from Metro Business College in 2012. As a massage therapist, Divine’s work was ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. That, combined with the death of her partner in 2019 that […]
Posted inEconomics
Do major sporting events like the NFL Draft actually increase sex trafficking? The answer is complicated.
Amid the excitement over Kansas City hosting the 2023 NFL Draft and the sizable economic bump that could accompany the three days of festivities, a few people are concerned about an uptick in an unwanted money-making enterprise — the selling of sexual services. “Anytime you get a large sporting event, the World Series, the Super […]
Posted inEconomics
FAQ: What you need to know about the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City
Kansas City is down to the final details of its ambitious effort to host this year’s NFL Draft, an event that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to its main downtown site and other events around the area for three days beginning April 27. A giant stage is under construction in front […]