Dollars and Sense
June 23

Cityscape: This new Northland restaurant bears down on barbecue

In their more than 20 years as truckers, Sharol and Curtis “Bear” Thompson would make side trips to eat at barbecue restaurants, cafés, roadside stands, and dives from coast-to-coast. It was their way of comparing the foods to the barbecue Bear would whip up for his friends and family back home. Some was too sweet, some too hot, and some, well, the meat was just too dry. Bear took it all in and used it to “perfect” his barbecue and Bears Rub

Dollars and Sense
June 23

Drum Room in Hilton President gets another makeover

The legendary Drum Room - in the historic Hilton President Kansas City hotel - was a one-of-a-kind venue from its opening in 1941 to the mid-1970s. It hosted such legends as Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, the Marx Brothers, Patsy Cline and others over the years. It reopened in mid-2006 as part of a renovation of the hotel at 1335 Baltimore

Dollars and Sense
June 23

Woof! Dogs get their day at work

Better ask today if it's okay to bring your dog to work tomorrow. Friday is this year's Take Your Dog to Work Day, designated by Pet Sitters International. Some workplaces don't need a special day or permission. Pets at work are fine any day of the year. The Humane Society of the United States thinks that's a great way to spread employee satisfaction and general workplace morale

Dollars and Sense
June 23

KCK's Backfire BBQ under new management in the Legends

Steve Schussler Steve Schussler – creator of Rainforest Café and T-Rex Café – spent three years developing his Backfire BBQ Featuring Orange County Choppers before going up against Kansas City’s famed operations. It opened in late 2009 - in what is now the Legends Outlets Kansas City. It has custom-built motorcycles by Orange County Choppers, an open flame "hot pit" where customers can make s’mores, and a retail shop with motorcycle themed merchandise

Dollars and Sense
June 23

Business Briefs, 06/23: Saab moves closer to bankruptcy; ConAgra doubles profits

Saab, the Swedish car company renowned for its sometimes quirky designs, moved closer to bankruptcy Thursday after it conceded that it didn’t have any money to pay employees’ wages. After months of production stoppages and problems with paying suppliers, Saab said the situation is so dire that it won’t be able to pay its 3,700 employees, raising doubts over how long the brand can survive. Its Dutch owner Swedish Automobile, previously known as Spyker Cars, has courted Chinese and Russian investors and put the Saab factory up for sale in its attempts to revive the brand it took over from General Motors Co

Dollars and Sense
June 22

Wall Street Movers, 06/22: CarMax, La-Z-Boy, Adobe

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market. Data from the Associated Press: NYSE Upticks,downticks CarMax Inc., up $2.14 at $32.66 The used car dealership chain said first-quarter profit rose 25 percent as economic uncertainty boosted sales of secondhand vehicles. La-Z-Boy Inc., down $1.19 at $9.71 Despite stronger revenue, the furniture maker said its fourth-quarter profit fell due to rising costs and a writedown. Jabil Circuit Inc., up 60 cents at $19.45 The electronics part maker said its fiscal third-quarter earnings doubled as it helped fill the rising demand for tech gadgets. Nasdaq Adobe Systems Inc., down $2 at $30.01 A Citi analyst said the software maker’s sales forecast, even excluding a negative impact from Japan, was slightly below the midpoint of Wall Street expectations. Hanwha SolarOne Ltd., up 65 cents at $5.89 A Collins Stewart analyst upgraded the company’s stock, saying demand for the its solar wafers will likely exceed his expectations. Ceva Inc., up $1.93 at $29.86 An Oppenheimer analyst initiated coverage of the chip designer with an “Outperform” rating, saying its sales will grow. AeroVironment Inc., up $5.90 at $34.51 The maker of unmanned aircrafts said its fourth-quarter profit rose more than 12 percent, topping Wall Street expectations. Dentsply International Inc., up 71 cents at $38.32 The dental products maker is expanding its dental implant business by buying AstraZeneca’s Astra Tech business for $1.8 billion

Dollars and Sense
June 22

The Closing Bell, 06/22: Block shares gain in advance of earnings report

Shares in H&R Block rose 6 cents Wednesday in advance of the release of the company's fourth quarter earnings report. The Kansas City-based tax preparation and financial services firm will release its quarterly and year-end results after the market closes on Thursday. The company will also host a conference call with analysts after the earnings release. Shares in Block closed at $16.06, up .38 percent. Other local movers on the upside were YRC Worldwide, Inergy and Commerce Bancshares. Among the biggest losers were Kansas City Southern, Cerner, DST and Waddell & Reed. Overall, stocks closed lower after the Federal Reserve brought down its estimates for U.S

Dollars and Sense
June 22

May home sales down in KC

The Kansas City housing market continued to lag in May, with 2,185 new and existing homes sold, down 24 percent from the same month a year ago. There were 148 new homes sold last month, down 37 percent from a year ago, and 2,037 existing homes, down 23 percent, according to the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors. Home sales last year during this period were being spurred by a now-expired federal tax credit program. The average sales price of a new home in May was $324,853, up 14 percent from a year ago. The average existing home sold for $150,319, 4 percent below last year. There were 1,368 new homes in the Kansas City housing inventory last month, 16 percent less than the year before, and 16,019 existing homes listed, up 4 percent from May 2010

Dollars and Sense
June 22

Federal Reserve lowers outlook for economic growth, employment prospects

The Associated Press Federal Reserve officials are more pessimistic about prospects for economic growth and employment than they were two months ago. In an updated forecast, the Fed estimates that the economy will grow between 2.7 percent and 2.9 percent this year. That’s down from its April estimate of between 3.1 percent and 3.3 percent. The downgraded revision is an acknowledgement that the economy has slowed, in part because consumers have been squeezed by higher gasoline prices. Growth at the rate the Fed is projecting won’t be enough to significantly lower unemployment, now at 9.1 percent

Dollars and Sense
June 22

Kat's Money Corner: Planes, trains and budget strains

Nothing drains that easygoing vacation vibe more quickly than agonizing over how much you’re spending. katThe way to prevent that buzzkill is smart advance planning that reduces your costs, limits impulse buying and ensures that your vacation reduces your stress instead of adding to it

Dollars and Sense
June 22

TechSense | An app war is brewing

Pressure to break the grip of app stores and the need for multiple versions of applications to run on the slew of devices out there are driving some companies, notably media outlets, to test tablet apps that essentially are websites.