Ryan Schmuhl started his trucking business — Schmuhl Brothers Inc., based in Kansas City, Kansas — in 1995 with his brother Ty and two big rigs. In 2000, he estimates, a 360-mile round trip cost about $90 in diesel. He said that the same trip, on the same lanes, costs about $490 today. “I used […]
cost of living
Posted inLabor
‘We are human beings’: UMKC workers take their fight for higher pay public
Belkis Cabrera has worked as a custodian at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for 16 years. Each time she and her co-workers earn a merit raise, she said, increasing healthcare costs and inflation swallow it. “We are not asking for much, just respect and enough pay to get by,” Cabrera said through an interpreter at […]
Posted inHousing
A $100 million fund could spell more affordable housing in Kansas City
Financing affordable housing is difficult, but a new regional housing fund backed by local foundations hopes to create or preserve thousands of homes across the nine-county area. A similar fund in Cleveland offers an early look at what to expect.
Posted inLabor
Kansas City’s tipped workers could pay the price for World Cup culture clash
KC restaurants are split on adding automatic tips during the World Cup. For tipped workers the stakes are real — and the safety net is thin.
Posted inEconomics
Wichita families struggle to survive as the economy thrives
One set of numbers suggests a booming Wichita economy. Wichita’s unemployment rate stood at about 3.3% in March, slightly lower than the national rate of 3.8%, both at near historic lows. National inflation has fallen from post-pandemic highs topping 8% to more manageable levels below 4% for nearly a year. Yet 40% of Sedgwick County […]