While the Board of Public Utilities has received mostly bad news lately concerning finances and budgets during the economic crunch this year, they did receive some good news earlier this week.

According to a BPU study, there have been less water leaks from this point last year and more hydrants are in service.

Steve Green provided BPU board members an update at Wednesday's meeting.

"Main leaks are down nine percent," he said. "They are down 15 percent from the five year average."

Green also said only five current hydrants within BPU's service area in the county are out of service. BPU General Manager Don Gray said the number is far less than in previous years.

"In the past we've had dozens of hydrants down," he said. "We've come a long way in the area."

Because of the lack of problems and the wetter summer, overtime hours are down seven percent in the water department.

There is some minor good news for the economy in Wyandotte County.

Latest statistics from the Kansas Department of Labor indicates that the unemployment rate in Wyandotte County has dipped from 10.4 percent in September to 10.1 percent in October.

But last year at this time, the rate was 7.8 percent.

Overall, the State of Kansas' unemployment rate also had a minor decrease in percentage.

The rate state-wide was 6.4 percent for October, down from 6.8 percent in September. Last October, the unemployment rate was at 4.3 percent.

"Kansas continued to experience a weak labor market in October," said Inayat Noormohmad, of the KDOL. "We have seen limited over-the-month growth, however, over-the-year job losses remain significant. While we’re seeing improvements in some economic indicators, we know recovery in the job markets remains uncertain for the near future."

According to the report, 57,700 have been lost during the year. However, in October, 11,700 jobs were gained across the state. Among the areas of increased employment are government, education and health services.

Meanwhile, manufacturing jobs have taken the biggest hit in Kansas, with over 25,500 jobs being lost so far this year.

Wyandotte County has the highest unemployment rate of any county in the State of Kansas.

In comparison to some nearby counties, the rate in Leavenworth County is 7.2 percent; 6.5 percent for Johnson County; 6.4 percent in Miami and 4.7 percent in Douglas.

BHC Rhodes and the Prescott Plaza Redevelopment plan off of Interstate 70 and 18th Street has received the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kansas 2009 Public Improvement Award.

The five-year project was a collaborative effort from Fishman & Company/ARO Real Estate, Anderson MacAdam Architects, Inc., George J. Shaw Construction Co., J.M. Fahey Construction Co., Miller-Stauch Construction Co. and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

The 17-acre retail site includes several retail stores and areas of shopping.

Earlier this year, it received a 2009 Capstone Award for Community Impact.

The Main Branch of the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library (located at 625 Minnesota Avenue) will host a special job workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The event begins on that Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. A guest speaker from Workforce Partnership will lead a discussion highlighting effective job search strategies.

The discussion will be held in the computer lab on the first floor.

From ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made funds available for veteran students who are still awaiting their education benefit claim to be processed.

Will Reed, the Veterans Certifying Official for Kansas City Kansas Community College, said eligible veterans can receive an advance of up to $3,000 which will be recouped from future benefit payments.

“If you are a KCKCC student who applied for one of the VA’s education programs and have not yet received your monthly benefit payment for the Fall 2009 term, you can request a one-time advance payment at your local VA Regional Office or through the VA’s website, www.va.gov,” said Reed.

Reed said advance payments will be issued by the U.S. Treasury within three work days following submission of the request and that payments will be in the form of checks sent through the U.S. mail.

“You should therefore anticipate an additional three days (excluding Sunday)s for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver your checks,” said Reed.

Further information on the educational benefits and how they might apply to KCKCC can be obtained by calling Will Reed at the KCKCC Leavenworth Center (913-651-2111). 

A graduate of the University of Kansas with a BA in Psychology, Reed served 7½ years as a non-commissioned officer in JAG.

In an effort to help Kansans lower energy use and save money on utility bills, the state will introduce a new initiative called "Efficiency Kansas" next week.

The program, which will be a revolving loan program, will utility the state's allotment of $34 million it received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The program will provide low-cost financing to homeowners and small business owners in the state to help make cost-effective and energy-efficiency improvements.

Residents will be able to access Efficiency Kansas through partner banks and utilities. An energy audit will be made on potential projects to ensure projected savings will cover or exceed the cost of the improvements made on the home or business.

It will be officially launched by Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson next week in Topeka.

For more information about the program, visit www.efficiencykansas.com.

McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips announced new associates to its firm today.

Biography information about them courtesy of the firm:

• Joshua G. Decker joins the firm’s workers’ compensation law practice area in the Springfield, Missouri office.  He earned his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in Kansas City, Missouri in 2009 and his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 2006 from Missouri State University of Springfield, Missouri.

• Elijah J. L. Haahr joins the firm’s workers’ compensation law and litigation practices in the Springfield, Missouri office.  He earned his Juris Doctorate, Order of Barristers, from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 2008.  Haahr received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, and Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, Missouri in 2005.  He also received his Associates of Arts, cum laude, from Ozark Technical Community College of Springfield, Missouri in 2002.

• Brent M. Johnston joins the firm’s workers’ compensation law practice in the Roeland Park, Kansas office.  He earned his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Washburn University of Topeka, Kansas in 2009 and his Bachelors of Science, magna cum laude, from Arizona State University of Tempe, Arizona in 2006.

• Mary M. Nero joins the firm’s litigation and labor, employment and school law practices in the Kansas City, Kansas office.  She earned her Juris Doctorate, Order of the Coif, from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 2009.  She received her Bachelors of Science from University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 2005.

• A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Jane A. Sieve-Wilson joins the firm’s employment law, litigation, tax law, and estate planning practice areas in the downtown Kansas City, Kansas office.  She earned her Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, in 2005 and her Bachelor of Science degree in 2002 from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.  In addition to her legal expertise, Jane brings experience as a certified public accountant to her practice.

• Lyndsay E. Spiking joins the firm’s workers’ compensation law practice in the Kansas City, Kansas office.  She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri in 2009.  She received her Bachelors of Arts in 2006 from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

“We are pleased to welcome these six exceptional associates to our firm,” said Eric Lanham, the firm’s managing shareholder. “The addition of talented associates underscores our commitment to continued growth and service to our clients.”

The Legends has announced two new tenants to the shopping center.

From a press release:

• VF Outlet is relocating from Olathe's Great Mall and will fill the vacant space formerly held by Linens-N-Things.  Beginning November 21, VF will offer bargain pricing on jeans, sweats, team license apparel, sleepwear, lingerie, casual sportswear, and children's clothes.  Brand names include Vanity Fair, Lee, Wrangler, Healthtex, JanSport, Vassarette, Lily of France, and Bestform.

• Backfire BBQ, featuring Orange County Choppers, is scheduled to open in early December.  Its one-of-a-kind appeal features dining, entertainment, and retail in an interactive, multi-sensory environment, complete with the sound of revving engines, giant motorcycle fountains, classic cars, the hottest custom choppers, the rhythms of live entertainment, and the mouth-watering aroma of comfort foods and barbeque.

(For background on this question, see the story concerning the Piper Board of Education exploring the possibility of outsourcing its custodial.)

Liberty Fruit Company, Inc., a Kansas City, Kan., based company since 1965, has announced plans concerning business expansion in Wyandotte County.

Located at 1247 Argentine Boulevard, expansion of the facility is expected to be complete by March 2010.

Liberty Fruit Company currently employs more than 250 workers and is expected to add another 25 once the expansion is complete.

“We never envisioned increasing from our original 42 employees when we first moved to KCK," said co-owners Arnold and Carol Caviar. "Many of the employees at our growing company are KCK residents, which is a great community benefit.”  

The business serves needs of those in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Illinois.

“It is important for us, as a community, to make sure our existing businesses are successful and growing strong, no matter the economic conditions,” Unified Government Mayor/CEO Joe Reardon said. “Liberty Fruit Company, Inc. is a great example for how a business can grow and prosper in Wyandotte County, benefiting from all of the amenities we have to offer. We are proud to be able to partner with Liberty Fruit to maintain this valued and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Photo, courtesy of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, includes: Commissioner John Mendez, Arnold Caviar, Mayor Joe Reardon, Allen Caviar (black shirt background) Morgan Caviar, Carol Caviar, Allison Caviar, Cory Caviar, and Commissioner Mark Holland.

While this may be more national than local, over 190,000 jobs were slashed in October, bringing the national employment rate to 10.2 percent.

The unemployment rate in Wyandotte County jumped back to 10.4 percent last month. It's the highest in the State of Kansas.

The national rate is at its highest since 1983.

U.S. employers cut a deeper-than-expected 190,000 jobs in October, government data showed on Friday, driving the unemployment rate to 10.2 percent, the highest in 26-1/2 years.

The Labor Department said the unemployment rate was the highest since April 1983 and October's non-farm payrolls loss was the smallest since August last year. It revised job losses for August and September to show 91,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.

Aaron's Inc., an Atlanta-based company that sells appliances, electronics and leases furniture, has signed a 10-year lease for 123,735 of square feet at 1 Kansas Avenue.

The warehouse will be used to distribute goods to retail locations in Kansas City and the upper Midwest.

The Kansas City Business Journal has the full report.

General Motors yesterday announced its first monthy American sales gain since January 2008.

Part of that success can be contributed to the demand of the Chevy Malibu and the Buick LaCrosse. Both cars are produced at the General Motors Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kan.

The overall increase is 4.7 percent from last month. The report:

Demand for new cars such as the Chevy Malibu and Cadillac CTS, long with crossover SUVs such as the Buick Enclave, fueled better October results for GM with sales up 4.7 percent. Sales of the much-anticipated, all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, which is hitting showrooms right about now, are also expected to keep GM on an upward trend.

Along with Ford announcing a profit from last quarter, is the domestic auto market on a long-term rebound?

For the past two years when General Motors corporate employees visited Fairfax, they harped on the importance of the KCK plant for the future of GM. Early numbers from the LaCrosse suggest they are right.