unemployment rate

Doug Reed holds the dozens of letters from the Kansas Department of Labor that were mailed to his dad's former house and appear to be a sign of unemployment fraud.

Politics

What 130 Letters Sent To One Man's Mailbox Say About Increasing Unemployment Fraud In Kansas

Stephen Koranda

The Kansas Department of Labor has blocked more than 100,000 fraudulent claims during the pandemic.

The Coronavirus Killed So Many Jobs That It Put 350,000-plus Kansans At Risk Of Eviction

More and more Kansans who lost jobs because of the coronavirus are falling behind in their rent and mortgage payments.As many as 40 million Americans –…

Government

Kansans Stuck Waiting While The State Works Through 25,000 Unemployment Claims

Stephen Koranda

A massive backlog of unemployment claims, and the state's struggle to verify them, has left people already without jobs lacking the benefit checks that might have gotten in normal times.

Economy

Jobless Kansans Foresee Harder Times Ahead As Federal Aid Nears An End

Ryan Fox didn’t think he’d be on the list to get laid off after 20 years as an aircraft machinist.Turns out, he says he was just three people short of…

Delía García (left) speaks at an April news conference about the state’s unemployment programs in response to the coronavirus, as Gov. Laura Kelly watches.

Kansas Labor Secretary Resigns After Slow Rollout Of Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

Jim McLean

People had trouble applying for benefits both over the phone and on the Kansas Department of Labor’s website.

Sherri Calderwood has worked at a Topeka diner for 21 years but a health condition has her afraid to return during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus

For Some Kansans, Going Back To Work In A Pandemic Could Mean Risking Their Lives

Jim McLean

Tens of thousands of Kansas are eager to go back to work as businesses closed by COVID-19 gradually reopen. But for some, it could mean choosing between a paycheck and their health.

Coronavirus

Is Sedgwick County Ready To Reopen? Business And Health Leaders Disagree.

Nadya Faulx

Local business leaders and health care experts are at odds over when — and how — Sedgwick County should begin to ease its coronavirus lockdown.County…

Protesters mounted a slow-moving caravan around the Statehouse Thursday to push for an end to Gov. Laura Kelly's stay-at-home order.

Coronavirus

Protesters Tell Gov. Kelly Her Shutdown Is A Bigger Threat To Kansas Than Coronavirus

Jim McLean

Protesters ringed the state Capitol in Topeka to press Gov. Laura Kelly for an end to her stay-at-home order.

Josie Layne lost her jobs at an Olathe thrift store just as she was about to get promoted. Now she's facing frustration getting unemployment benefits from the state's overwhelmed Department of Labor, where calls go unanswered and the website crashes regularly.

Coronavirus

Kansans Fight Swamped Hotline And Crashing Website But Still Can't Get Jobless Checks

Jim McLean

The coronavirus put tens of thousands of Kansans out of work, and left them frustrated when they try filing for unemployment benefits.

Empty parking places in front of the Free State Brewing Co. in Lawrence that would normally be full. The restaruant continues to serve take-out customers, but its dining rooms are closed.

Coronavirus

Kansas Sees A 1,000% Surge In Jobless Claims As COVID-19 Derails The Economy

Jim McLean

TOPEKA, Kansas — Suddenly tossed from their jobs by the coronavirus shutdown, people from across the state continue to deluge the Kansas Department of...