|
|
Jeff Fox is The Examiner's business page editor. Reach him at 816-350-6313 or jeff.fox@examiner.net.
|
Independence, MO
The Target store in Independence is getting an update, with what the company calls its expanded fresh food layout.
Renovations at the store, 17810 E. 39th St., should be done by late March, the company says. The store will have limited assortments of fresh produce and fresh meat, plus packaged baked goods.
The company says the move is in response to customer requests. Also getting new looks: the beauty, home, shoe and baby departments.
Retaining jobs
State Rep. Jeanie Lauer says economic development legislation is moving ahead in the Missouri General Assembly.
Lauer, R-Blue Springs, is on the Economic Development and Small Business committees in the Missouri House and is sponsoring several measures. One would encourage public/private partnerships in technology. Another, which unanimously passed out of committee last week, would make changes designed to help keep businesses in Missouri rather losing them to Kansas.
The bill, yet to be scheduled for a vote of the full House, would give employers tax incentives to stay here.
“That’s certainly a big initiative for our side of the state line,” Lauer said.
The House passed the bill last year but, like so much economic-development legislation, ran into trouble in the Senate.
All you can eat
Raise your hand if you like Chinese food.
OK, that’s seems to be about everyone.
Eastern Jackson County has no shortage of Chinese restaurants, and buffets predominate. Now one of them, Mama Garden, 4400 S. Noland Road in Independence, has been named among the best in the country by a trade group. Chinese Restaurant News listed two metro restaurants among the 100 best Chinese buffets in the country. The other is Wei’s Super Buffet on Strang Line Road in Olathe.
Also, Mama China, 6623 Raytown Road, made the top 100 list for overall excellence, and three restaurants in Kansas City – New Jade Garden on North Oak Trafficway, New Peking in Westport and Po’s Dumpling Bar on 39th Street – were in the top 100 for healthy menus.
Chugging ahead
A railroad bridge in eastern Missouri isn’t all that exciting, but it’s actually one important piece of plans to improve rail service – and one day bring high-speed rail – across the state.
It was announced this week that plans are finally moving forward for a second Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the Osage River east of Jefferson City. That’s important because the UP has a double track from Jefferson City to St. Louis, except for the lone bridge over the Osage. That’s a bottleneck. Of course, that same line is mostly single-tracked from Jefferson City west to Independence before going to double tracks roughly across from Truman High School and then running like that all the way into Kansas City. Those bottlenecks are part of a larger discussion, but improvements in recent years have helped Amtrak – with stops in Independence, Lee’s Summit and elsewhere – significantly improve its on-time performance.
Double tracks make moving two-way traffic a lot faster and easier, and officials say the new bridge – completed by the end of next year – will help Amtrak even more. Eventually officials want 110 mph train service, but that line would require several more significant upgrades.