During a pandemic, local news coverage means more than keeping tabs on the city council or high school sports. The stories published in a newspaper, broadcast on a network TV affiliate or aired on the radio bring critical information about the public health crisis to communities. People count on reporters in their town or region to let them know about the latest spread of disease, about what’s safe and what’s not — especially in small meatpacking towns that have become coronavirus hot spots. “They’re doing the best they can,” said Angela Labrier, who turns to the Fox News Channel and The Garden City Telegram to stay on top of what’s happening with the coronavirus.But it’s getting harder for local news outlets, just about everywhere.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Businesses throughout the city, like Sandhills Brewing in downtown, will have until Sept. 1 to pay business license fees. The Mission city council on Wednesday evening approved a resolution to extend the due date for business license fees from July 1 to Sept. 1, in an effort to help businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. City staff has been working on business license renewals with a focus on creating an online form and payment methods to reduce human interactions, City Administrator Laura Smith said. As staff worked on this, Smith said an extension seemed to be a reasonable way to offer businesses — who might be impacted by the pandemic themselves — a couple of extra months.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)