Post-pandemic life — whenever that begins — is likely to feature a race. It will be between communities looking to prosper. Local leaders are betting that the winners will be those communities that have the ability and resources to adjust to the new environment left in the wake of the pandemic. Leaders with The Chamber and the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence and Douglas County on Tuesday evening kicked off a new phase in that effort with the launch of a $2.5 million, five-year fundraising campaign to support economic development initiatives ranging from traditional activities like industrial attraction to less standard [...]

Coming out of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and employers either had to make adjustments to its workforce or operation hours. As 2021 moved along, things seemed to be getting better until the Delta Variant and others like it began to reshape the rest of the year in terms of employment opportunities. For businesses in Dodge City, pandemic or not, it has been a tough going in finding the right candidate to fit the job. "It's tough to find quality help," said Brock Cunningham, general manager of Best Western Plus Country Inn & Suites in Dodge City. "We have a [...]

New signs have gone up in the doors or windows of several retail locations in Hutchinson in recent weeks. The makeshift “Reduced Hours” signs have joined “Help Wanted” and “Immediate Interviews offered” as local businesses struggle to find enough workers to fill shifts. And it’s not just restaurants or retailers being challenged. While finding qualified workers is not a new issue for many businesses in Hutchinson or Reno County, said Mike Chisam, president and CEO of Kansas Protein Foods in Hutchinson and Kansas Ethanol in Rice County, it’s one of the most difficult labor markets he’s seen in 25 years of [...]

As Labor Day is upon us, Salina and surrounding communities are still in need of workers in the labor force. Leaders from these areas say openings and opportunities for employment are there, as are tools to help people find jobs. Eric Brown, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce said it’s hard not to drive around the community without seeing now hiring or help wanted signs. “There’s 1,554 jobs open and being actively advertised as of (Aug. 30),” Brown said of where the market is in Saline County. He said that encompasses 266 different occupations and over 510 [...]

Topeka's Oakland Wastewater Treatment plant recently had more genetic remnants of COVID-19 floating in its sewage than 91% of the other facilities evaluated in a nationwide study. The Oakland plant at 1115 N.E. Poplar Ave. is among about 330 treatment plants that took part in the study by Biobot Analytics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based wastewater epidemiology firm. The company tested sewage for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The study's results offer a rough measure, in hindsight, of how often people in the areas involved were infected with the coronavirus, said Dan Zeller, plant operations manager for the city's [...]

After a study of the Lawrence police department generated 75 recommendations for changes, city leaders will soon get an update on the changes that have been made so far and discuss other ongoing criminal justice reform efforts. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will receive an update on the implementation plan for the recommendations from Citygate Associates. The commission will also discuss the potential repeal or amendment of various city ordinances in an effort to decriminalize behaviors associated with homelessness and other social issues. Source: LJWorld.com.

Unemployment numbers have remained low in Finney County throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Lona DuVall, President/CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, said unemployment in Finney County is 2.9% as of Aug. 14. “It’s important to note that we just recently were able to get actual numbers on how many people are actually on unemployment here,” she said. The Kansas Department of Labor’s latest unemployment numbers show an unemployment rate of 3.8% with the department claiming a workforce population of 1,514,522 people, of which 1,456,792 are employed and 57,730 are unemployed. Source: GC Telegram.