Kansas economy

Even as electric vehicle sales decrease, the mayor of De Soto, Kansas, says the investment already made in the Panasonic battery plant has already benefited local residents and is helping the town as a whole grow. The plant opened earlier this year and is employing about 1,500 people.

Federal workers in Kansas City whose jobs were eliminated under the Trump administration's massive budget cuts will have a hard time finding comparable work in the area. Instability in the city's workforce could lead to a recession.

In 2022, Kansas passed a three-year plan to reduce the state’s sales tax on groceries. Residents will still have to pay city and county grocery taxes.

Lawmakers will return to try to reach a tax-cutting agreement with Gov. Laura Kelly. Special sessions have become increasingly more common in Kansas in recent years.

The bridge — which connects Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas to the West Bottoms in Kansas City, Missouri — had been slated for possible demolition until last month, when a group of local business owners made their case to repair it.

Since the beginning of last year, a Kansas tax subsidy law known as APEX has allowed the state to use incentives to lure big companies like Panasonic and Integra. But the law may not be extended any longer, putting big development deals in jeopardy.

Luring Panasonic to Kansas with $830 million of incentives was considered a major victory for the state. But as the company builds its $4 billion plant in De Soto, it’s unclear if state lawmakers will even allow another mega-project package.

The Kansas Legislature recently approved a tax plan that sets a 5.15% income tax rate for almost all Kansans. Critics argue the plan mostly benefits the richest Kansans while also putting the state’s revenue stream in peril.

This week, Kansas is joining the list of states where sports gambling is legal, just in time for the 2022 NFL season. Casinos and sports betting apps are eager to set up shop.

The new legal gambling starts Sept. 1 through casinos and online apps.

Temperatures topped 104 degrees in the state's top cattle county. In widely seen video footage, rows of carcasses are shown lined up along the edge of a field.

The facility near Manhattan will create 500 jobs and join the animal health corridor in the region.