Segment 1, beginning at 4:04: Small businesses in Kansas and Missouri are trying to hang on while waiting for additional assistance from the federal government.
Across the country four million small businesses didn't make it through 2020. For those Kansas and Missouri companies that did survive the question now is: How much relief will Congress authorize and how quickly can they get it? For workers, will they see a rise in the minimum wage once employers are back on their feet?
- Brad Jones, Missouri state director for the National Federation of Independent Business
- Dan Murray, Kansas state director for the National Federation of Independent Business
Segment 2, beginning at 30:47: A good read can also reveal a path for starting over.
From fictional characters dealing with real life issues to a personal memoir or a self-help guide, what you find in the pages of a book could be the motivation for a different you in the New Year.
- Kaite Stover, Director of Readers' Services at the Kansas City Public Library
- Carly McCracken, reader services librarian at the West Wyandotte branch of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library
The U.S. Department of Labor offers additional information on minimum wage workers and the effects of raising the minimum wage on employment and family income.
Kaite Stover's picks:
“Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times” by Austin Kleon
“Kill Reply All: A Modern Guide to Online Etiquette from Social Media to Work to Love” by Victoria Turk
“The New Bohemians: Come Home to Good Vibes” by Justina Blakeny
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab
“Baba Dunja’s Last Love” by Alina Bronsky
“Honeymoon With My Brother” by Franz Wisner
“The Comfort Food Diaries” by Emily Nunn
Carly McCracken's picks:
“Get a Life Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert
“Good Boy” by Jennifer Finney Boylan
“We Should Hang Out Sometime” by Josh Sundquist
“Brave Chef Brianna” by Sam Sykes
“Grown-Up Pose” by Sonya Lallia
“The Garden of Small Beginnings” by Abbi Waxman