Frank Morris

Kansas City, MO – Fort Leavenworth is famous for its prison, but the Army is much more proud of the Command and General Staff College there. They call it the "Intellectual Center of the Army," a kind of grad school for mid-level officers. The college honored one its graduates Thursday, February 26. The ceremony highlights the school's diplomatic role one that may be key to winning the war in Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. KCUR's Frank Morris reports.

Kansas City, MO – There's one slice of government spending no one seems to want. The detention camp at Guantanamo Bay is set to close next year. Government jobs would likely follow the detainees, but, communities across the country are maneuvering to keep them out. No place seems more up for a fight than the Leavenworth, Kansas. Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports.

Kansas City, MO – With all the lousy financial news lately you might be surprised to hear that some banks are doing pretty well. In fact, amidst a global economic meltdown, one Kansas City institution, UMB, just recorded its most profitable year ever! UMB's earnings jumped up 32% just in the last three months . (you know the three months with all the layoffs and urgent bank bailouts) KCUR's Frank Morris spoke with UMB's chairman and CEO Mariner Kemper.

Kansas City, MO – Sprint's cutting 8000 jobs this winter because it's been losing hundreds of thousands of customers almost every month for years. It's still the third largest mobile phone company, though, still has lots of cash, and Micheal Nelson, an industry analyst, says it's about to launch a serious rival to the I-phone, the Palm Pre.

Kansas City, MO –

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Kansas City, MO – Ford's F series trucks are a staple of the Kansas City economy and one of the very few bright spots in domestic automobile manufacturing. KCUR's Frank Morris speaks with the truck's Chief Engineer about a rough year, and arguably a bright future, for making pickups.

Kansas City, MO – The job came open because Lynn Jenkins, the current State Treasurer, is heading for congress. She defeated Nancy Boyda, to represent Kansas' second district. Kathleen Sebelius, the governor, appointed representative McKinney. The treasures office oversees the state budget, and McKinney says he'll use his new position to push for a surge in public works projects.

Kansas City, MO – For one thing, people are just driving less. The lousy economy and high gas prices earlier this year have pushed down what officials call "vehicle miles traveled" by about three and a half percent. But Mary Peters, the US Secretary of Transportation, says traffic fatalities dropped almost three times as much by 10 percent.

Ms. Peters: The improvements we seen in lower numbers of fatalities and injuries are disproportionate to that drop off in vehicle miles traveled which tells us that we're making progress.

Kansas City, MO – American businesses cut more well over half a million workers last month, the biggest monthly employment decline since 1974. KCUR's Frank Morris spoke to people in Kansas City out looking for work.

Newton, Iowa – These days, if you've got something in your home from Iowa, it's probably in a kitchen cupboard, or in the refrigerator. But for a long time it likely was the refrigerator, or the washing machine, or the dryer. Maytag and Amana once two of the largest appliance companies on Earth, sprang from little Iowa towns. Now those communities are scrambling to deal with that industry's sharp decline, and to capitalize Iowa's emerging alternative energy business.

Kansas City, MO – While lots of industries are in trouble these days, it's hard to think of one that's been turned upside down quite the way ethanol has. Three years ago the profits were huge, and companies excitedly planned hundreds of new plants. The "dot corn bubble" popped earlier this year, before the recession hit. Now the industry faces a major transition, in a recession.

Kansas City, MO – Long term forecast, look for warming with alternating droughts, floods and an ever increasing chance of ice storms and tornadoes for the next 100 years. The Director of the US Agriculture Department's National Soil Tilth Lab Jerry Hatfield says large parts of Kansas will likely have to stop growing wheat. Heavy storms will pose serious challenges for Missouri farmers. Hatfield doesn't think there will be less rain in total, but he expects it will be a whole lot less predictable.

Kansas City, MO – Missouri 5th District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver gave a fiery, impromptu speech to the election night crowd at the Midland Theater in Kansas City as he announced Senator John McCain's concession.

Kansas City, MO – There were several hundred hard core Democrats at the Midland Theater last night. Ecstatic, would be a pretty good word to describe them.

But heady as President Elect Obama's victory was and as much as they relished the gains in the Senate and House, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, fresh off his own very convincing win, says the Democratic government about to take over had better not get too cocky.