manufacturing

Authorities around Fredericktown, Missouri, called for some evacuations and told other nearby residents to shelter in place. The state Department of Natural Resources is on the scene to assess potential environmental impacts from the incident.

The federal government says new safety standards and building materials mean home buyers priced out of site-built houses have viable options. As storms become stronger and more frequent, experts are tempering expectations.

Cassette tapes could have remained a relic of the 1970s and 80s. But against all odds, they’ve survived the eras of CDs and streaming to win over music lovers of a new generation. That’s in large part thanks to the National Audio Company in Springfield, Missouri, the largest cassette manufacturer in the world. Suzanne Hogan shares the story of how this proudly analog format found a new life.

Federal investigators are scrutinizing Spirit AeroSystems, a major Boeing supplier based in Kansas, as they try to understand why a fuselage panel blew off an Alaska Airlines jet in midair last month.

The lawsuit adds to the scrutiny of Spirit AeroSystems, a manufacturer based in Wichita, Kansas, which also made the fuselage and the door plug that blew out of the side of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 during a flight last week.

Even with pay raises of 25% and other improvements on the table, a large share of General Motors autoworkers — including at the plant in Wentzville, Missouri — are voting to reject the contract reached after a nearly seven-week strike.

Workers at the GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri, have been picketing for over 45 days, but to end the strike, union leaders and members still need to vote on the tentative deal announced Monday. Workers would get a 25% raise over almost five years.

For the first time ever, the UAW launched a strike against all Big 3 automakers at once, starting with three locations in the Midwest, including the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri.

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.

Locals say De Soto needs to improve its infrastructure before thousands of people potentially move to the town. The Panasonic battery plant slated for development on the site of an old toxic ammunition plant gives them pause.

Panasonic announced on Wednesday it has chosen De Soto, Kansas, as the site of a massive new factory. The plant will be the largest vehicle battery production facility in the world and will cost $4 billion to construct.

The legislature is being asked to update incentives policies for the multi-billion dollar deals of the 21st century.