News

For years, the path to project approval ran through economic development offices, with discussions centered on capital investment and job creation. Once zoning and permitting approvals were in hand, financing was secured, and incentives were negotiated, success could be seen on the horizon.Not anymore.Today, there is a new sheriff in...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development recently announced nearly $25 billion in rural community investments nationwide in fiscal year 2026. These projects strengthen essential infrastructure, expand housing and business opportunities, and ensure rural families and farmers have the tools they need to succeed.In West Virginia, Rural Development invested more...

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Glen R. Smith announced that Rural Development invested nearly $25 billion in loans and grants in fiscal year 2026. These investments are helping rural communities grow and maintain critical services that families, farmers, and businesses rely on every day.“Under President Trump’s...

Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced a $180 million investment to launch the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Seed Sovereignty Initiative, a major effort to both strengthen U.S. agricultural security by protecting the plant genetic resources that underpin American agriculture and enable breakthroughs in U.S. agricultural innovation.This...

More than 21,000 Kansans are set to receive a letter this month notifying them that their medical debt has disappeared.A pair of nonprofit organizations announced they will abolish nearly $34 million in medical debt for 21,490 Kansans who meet certain criteria in a large-scale, one-time economic relief initiative.“This isn’t actually...

The states at the top of Area Development’s 2026 ranking do not win on a single measure. They assemble a broad operating proposition: workers who can support increasingly technical production, sites that can move quickly, public partners capable of making decisions and a cost structure that remains competitive after a...

When Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné in mid-July granted the European Commission’s official patronage to Climate Impulse, he was marking the next chapter in a story Site Selection has been tracking ever since Climate Impulse’s predecessor Solar Impulse took to...

The parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram agreed to one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in American history, paying $17.1 billion to most U.S. states and territories and promising to implement sweeping safety features to protect kids.Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said Wednesday the state’s...

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced sweeping new efforts to strengthen school meals by connecting more American farmers with local schools, investing in school kitchen infrastructure, and giving states and school districts new tools to serve healthier,...

The conditions that are influencing location decisions are experiencing accelerated change. Corporate real estate and site selection professionals are operating in an increasingly complex landscape that requires location evaluations that take a range of surging forces into account. Labor availability, housing affordability, population growth, infrastructure capacity and automation are among...

Kansas Tourism has announced that applications for the Attraction Development Grants program will open August 17. The program is designed to provide funding support for the development of new tourism attractions or the enhancement of existing attractions that encourage travel to and throughout Kansas. A total of $1 million will...

What could be simpler than water? Or more complex? For many industrial and advanced manufacturing projects, water is becoming a first-tier site selection variable alongside power, labor, and transportation infrastructure. Evaluating a site’s water readiness now goes beyond asking whether water service exists. Corporate users increasingly need to understand available...

Signed into law last month by President Trump, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act aims to cut away some of the red tape currently driving the shortage of affordable homes in the U.S. In a new report, Realtor.com took a look at how some of those changes are poised...

There is a housing shortage across the United States, with an estimated deficit of 4.7 million homes. This crunch is felt in major metropolitan areas and rural communities alike, but the cities that comprise Montgomery County, Kansas, are taking action. Each municipality is taking steps to increase housing inventory through...

I remember the exact moment I knew something had to change. I was answering emails at midnight, physically present but mentally checked out, running on caffeine and the vague promise of a weekend that never felt restful. I wasn’t alone.According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report, declining engagement...

The Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship today announced the recipients of the 2026 Kansas Apprenticeship Awards, recognizing the outstanding leaders, organizations and programs that are driving innovation and expanding Registered Apprenticeship opportunities across the state.“Our apprenticeship partners have played a tremendous role growing our workforce over the last several years,”...