It's now official: the Kansas City Royals plan to build a new baseball stadium. Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman penned a letter, addressed to the Kansas City community and baseball fans, that said the team will be building a new ballpark district and is looking at location options in downtown Kansas City. In the letter, Sherman said it has become difficult to maintain Kauffman Stadium, which opened in 1973. When the team's lease with Jackson County ends in 2030, the stadium will be more than…

Two big support elements needed to help a $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto thrive were in the works long before Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd. officially broke ground last week. The Kansas Department of Transportation already was studying Kansas Highway 10, bridges and interchanges as the Johnson County population continues to expand and move farther south and west. The state and local partners also are working on the challenge of finding enough workers for the plant. Officials have…

Johnson County was awarded $117 million through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, and the Johnson County Board of Commissioners have opted to help small businesses with part of the funds. The county will allocate approximately $5 million in recovery funding to provide grants for up to 225 small businesses. Small business owners can qualify to receive a grant if: They employ fewer than 50 people. They can show a loss of revenue of at least 25% when comparing 2019 revenue…

Johnson County was awarded $117 million through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, and the Johnson County Board of Commissioners have opted to help small businesses with part of the funds. The county will allocate approximately $5 million in recovery funding to provide grants for up to 225 small businesses. Small business owners can qualify to receive a grant if: They employ fewer than 50 people. They can show a loss of revenue of at least 25% when comparing 2019 revenue…

Federal investigators are looking into the death of a construction worker at Kansas City International Airport. The worked died Friday while working on a runway paving project at the airport. Investigators say preliminary information shows a machine hit the worker, who died of his or her injuries. The victim was employed by Clarkson Construction Co., a contractor specializing in heavy civil construction The Kansas City, Missouri-based company said the paving project is on a current runway. It…

On Thursday, the De Soto City Council will consider an amendment to the city's predevelopment agreement with Sunflower Redevelopment Group to annex additional property into the city limits.