Government, Kansas

Paycheck Protection Program Application Closes May 31, 2021

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Governor Laura Kelly Encourages Kansas Small Businesses to Apply for Paycheck Protection Program

 

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today encouraged Kansas small businesses to continue to apply for the 2021 Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ahead of the program’s extended deadline of May 31st. Kansans can continue to submit applications for forgivable loans for pandemic-battered small businesses.

“Kansas small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Governor Kelly said. “Additional PPP funding will help fuel our continued economic recovery, and I encourage all eligible small businesses to apply for PPP funds before the May 31st deadline. I will continue to push for additional stimulus funding to support our small businesses as we get our state back to normal.”

Led by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Treasury Department, the PPP is a federally administered program providing loans to small businesses to cover payroll expenses. The SBA began accepting applications through Community Financial Institutions on January 11 and through all other financial institutions on January 19. The deadline to apply has been extended to May 31, 2021.

During the 2020 distribution of PPP money, 54,000 small businesses in Kansas received $5 billion in funding.

“PPP has impacted our business in the most positive way possible,” said Andrew Gough, owner of Reverie Coffee Roasters in Wichita. “Quite frankly stated, without the support of the program, we could not have continued to be in business today. Balancing the safety needs of our staff and community with bottom line business survival required support from another source. We now have real hope of surviving this terrible pandemic, both as individuals and as a business.”

The 2021 PPP aims to make the program more attractive for small businesses and target the worst impacted industries through the following changes:

  • Forgiveness has been simplified for borrowers of $150 thousand or less, with self-certification option to attest funds are spent appropriately;
  • Hospitality businesses, including hotels and restaurants, are eligible for an increased loan total (3.5x monthly payroll);
  • Eligible expenses paid for with forgiven PPP loans may now be deducted on taxes for 2020 and 2021 & employers are now eligible for the Employee Retention Tax Credit even after taking PPP funds (reverses earlier guidance from IRS);
  • Employers no longer must deduct Economic Injury Disaster Loans from their PPP loan total (EIDL program was refunded with an additional $40B also);
  • Additional categories are now eligible as non-payroll expenses (up to 40% of total loan amount), with operational expenses (including software, cloud services, accounting services, etc.), supplier costs, damage from social unrest, and worker protection expenses;
  • Additional groups are eligible for loans, including 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, and direct marketing organizations.

Under the newly extended program, $234 billion are available with $12 billion earmarked for businesses in low-income & minority communities, as well as $15 billion in grants dedicated to live entertainment venues. Through Community Financial Institutions, the SBA hopes to encourage greater access to PPP funds. Businesses that have not received PPP funds previously are eligible for loans up to $10 million if they have 500 or fewer employees. Businesses that received PPP funds during the first round are eligible for up to $2 million in funding if they have 300 or fewer employees.

Information on where and how to apply can be found here.

Additional Resources:

  • Information on Community Financial Institutions can be found here.
  • Further general information on loans can be found here.
  • Further questions can be directed to the Kansas Department of Commerce here.

Business, Fort Scott

Hedgehog INK Bookstore Expands

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Hedgehog INK employee Lynne Pallaske puts a book in its place on April 26. This area is the fiction area of the bookstore.

Hedgehog INK, 16 S. Main, had no more space for their books.

 

Hedgehog INK is located at 16 S. Main.

Jan and Dick Hedges opened the bookstore in October 2018.

Jan Hedges at the cash register of Hedgehog INK. Masks and sanitizers are available for use to deter the spread of COVID-19. There is also a plastic screen at the cash register.

“We were running out of space for all our books,” Jan Hedges said. “I have wanted a space where I can have author talks, writing groups, reading groups…a space where people can meet for whatever reason.”

So they annexed the back two-story room of the building next door, adjacent to theirs, an approximate 1,200 square foot space, and extended to the back of the current store to make a 9 foot by 16-foot children’s area, she said.

The new space for the children’s area in 9 feet by 16 foot and is located in the rear of the building, just behind the fiction area.

 

The Hedges started the expansion in January 2021.

“It’s a work in progress,” she said.

 

Their plan is to start children’s storytime in September, Jan said.

 

The expanded larger space is for meeting rooms,  and the walls are full of research and reference books.

Jan Hedges walks through the new space for non-fiction and history books. It will be the gathering place for future events. This view is from the mezzanine area.

 

“We were able to save the tin roof and wood floors,” she said. “The building was built in the 1870s.

 

The tin ceilings are original to the 1870s building.

The Hedgehog INC building, and the one next door, are all owned by Jared Leek, who has remodeled these and several other downtown Fort Scott buildings.

 

The Hedges have carved out an office space in the building.

In the mezzanine area of the expanded space is a seating area with large windows to read and relax.

 

There is seating in the mezzanine area for reading a good book.
Jan Hedges stands at the top of the stairs in the reading area.

“With the additional space we are able to spread out our fiction area more, to be able to see them better,” Jan said.

 

Hedgehog INK has a local authors section.

 

The bookstore hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

 

The store also sells local products from area producers and artists.

To see the latest, view their Facebook page.

 

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Coffee April 29 at Papa Don’s

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Join us for this weeks Chamber Coffee hosted by
PAPA DON’S PIZZA
6 S. Main St.
8 am
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE WITH FULL MENU
In May 2021, Papa Don’s Pizza will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary at this location downtown Fort Scott!
Chamber Members & Guests are welcome
to make any announcement for $1 to the Chamber about their business or organization including events, new products, promotions, or any other specials!
You may wear a mask at your own discretion.
Social distancing is encouraged.
Upcoming Chamber Coffee Schedule:
5/6 ~ Nu-GRille Celebrating 75th in Biz, 15th current location
5/13 ~ Billiard, Hammer, Hartman Insurance Agency
5/20 ~ KOMB FM 103.9 & 98.3
5/27 ~ FSHS Strength & Performance Program
6/3 ~ Good Ol Days
6/10 ~ Sharky’s Pub & Grub ~ Celebrating 10 Years!
6/17 ~ The Lavender Patch Farm
6/24 ~ OPEN, CALL THE CHAMBER TO SCHEDULE!
Kansas

Thriving Families, Safer Children: Kansas Special Mentoring Project

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Governor Kelly Announces Kansas Chosen for Special Mentoring Project

~ Thriving Families, Safer Children project seeks to create strong families and communities where children are free from harm ~

TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced Kansas is one of twelve jurisdictions chosen for a special mentoring project through the Administration for Children and Families called Thriving Families, Safer Children. Designed to leverage various stakeholders to steward longstanding, transformative change, Kansas’ partnership with Thriving Families, Safer Children will create the conditions for strong, prosperous communities where children are free from harm.

“I am pleased to see Kansas has been selected as a Thriving Families, Safer Children jurisdiction,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “The safety and well-being of Kansas’ children is my top priority, and since 2018, we have made needed progress and investments to focus on early prevention and intervention. Through our participation in this project, we will be able to reshape child welfare in Kansas for the betterment of all children and families.”

Kansas was selected to participate in the Thriving Families, Safer Children program because of the Kelly administration’s ongoing commitment to creating safer, more nurturing environments for children in Kansas.

The team overseeing the Thriving Families, Safer Children project will involve the Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Children’s Service League and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust fund to improve primary prevention efforts. This team will address longstanding challenges to:

  1. Address the systemic barriers to creating a child well-being system in Kansas,
  2. Develop robust networks of community based primary prevention support,
  3. Integrate family, youth and community expertise into child well-being systems,
  4. And revise statutory definitions of neglect and mandatory reporting to clearly differentiate maltreatment from poverty.

“The Department for Children and Families is excited about the opportunity to leverage the Thriving Families, Safer Children project to improve our work,” said Secretary of DCF Laura Howard. “This project is a continuation of Governor Kelly’s commitment to improve the lives of Kansas’ future leaders and will be instrumental in improving our state’s primary prevention efforts and keeping children in their homes safely.”

“We are excited for this opportunity to collaborate with these national and state partners to reimagine and recreate our child welfare system into one that achieves the outcomes we all want to see: thriving children, families, and communities,” said Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Children’s Cabinet, which will help lead this effort in Kansas.

Kansas has been selected as a Round Two jurisdiction to develop strategies to transform existing child welfare systems and build infrastructure to support and strengthen child and family well-being. Round Two jurisdictions will specifically provide support for the integration of community, family, and youth expertise in creating the foundation for strong child and family well-being systems by welcoming and harnessing community, family, and youth voices, conducting policy analysis and drafting new policy or legislation, strategic consultation on approaches for human services delivery system integration, expert technical assistance on data infrastructure and other specific assistance.

About Thriving Families, Safer Children:

The United States Children’s Bureau (CB), Casey Family Programs (CFP), the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) and Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA) (“National Partners”) have joined together with parents, youth and community organizations in partnership across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors to assist Thriving Families, Safer Children jurisdictions in creating a more just and equitable child and family well-being system that benefits all children and families and breaks harmful intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty.

Bourbon County, Business

Tiger Replica Fish Mounts: A Passion for Art and Fish

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Submitted photos. Tyler Davidson working on a fish mount.
Tyler Davidson, also known as Tiger, is a fisherman and an artist.
He began his business Tiger Replica Fish Mounts, three years ago.
“I have been an avid angler and artist for most of my life and I’ve always had an interest in preserving the beauty of these fish,” he said. “I started this adventure with the thought of combining my extensive knowledge of fish coloration, their anatomy and my passion for art.”
“I’m really passionate about putting all of the detail in these fish,” Davidson said. “I definitely don’t mass produce them. Each one is special. My favorite part of the process is handing over the fish, or getting photos of the fish on the wall from a happy customer.”
“So far it’s worked out great!” Davidson said. “I have customers from all over the United States coming to me.”
“My mission is to provide customers with the highest quality fish mounts available,” he said. “I strive to create highly realistic one-of-a-kind replicas that match every last detail of your trophy.”
His business is located in Bronson, in the western part of Bourbon County.
  “I do not allow public visits to my shop as it is on the same property as my home,” he said. “Customers need to call and arrange pick-up.    My plan, for now, is to gain recognition and further construct my shop into a more efficient fish studio. In the future, I’d like to have a more public studio with a display room.”

Davidson’s contact info:  (785)521-5192 or

Facebook page: TigerReplicaFishMounts  or
Instagram: Tigerfishmounts
His starting cost is $20 per linear inch, he said.

Bourbon County Local News