Month: June 2021

Small business benefits from SBA efforts

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

The Small Business Administration made about 50,000 loans during the Fiscal Year 2019. Compare that to 1.1 million loans forgiven by the Paycheck Protection Program as of January 2021.

Michael Barrera, the district director for the SBA, commented on these factors as he told how the SBA helped small businesses and nonprofit organizations during the coronavirus pandemic. He was the featured speaker at the monthly meeting of the Congressional Forum Friday, June 18, at the Vox Theater in the Rosedale community. The forum is a committee of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce.

Barrera, who was appointed in February earlier this year, is responsible for an agency that has oversight of about $861 million of annual federal contracting and $338 million in annual lending guarantees. The SBA District includes 89 counties in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

Barrera said it is important for those wishing to receive SBA loans to keep good financial records and to keep current on taxes.

Barrera said the qualified small businesses and nonprofit organizations who are experiencing a temporary loss of revenue can apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The maximum amount of such EIDL loans is $500,000.

Barrera is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. He received a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University at Manhattan and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. His father owned and operated a restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.

The chamber announced its annual golf tournament will be Wednesday, July 14, at Dub’s Dread Golf Course with morning and afternoon flights. The chamber’s annual meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at Memorial Hall.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.

Monarchs repeat walk-off win on Sunday

It was home runs to left field, right field, and center field as the Kansas City Monarchs (17-11) and Winnipeg Goldeyes (11-16) combined for seven long balls Sunday afternoon at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas.

It was the final blast, a two-run home run by Jan Hernandez, that was the difference in a 9-8 win for the Monarchs. It was deja vu with Hernandez delivering a walk-off dinger a day after Casey Gillaspie’s own walk-off two-run home run in Saturdays 5-3 win over Winnipeg.

The Monarchs took an early lead at 2-0 with a two-run home run from Morgan McCullough in the second inning.

The Goldeyes’ Max Murphy earned an RBI in the fourth before Winnipeg took the lead in the sixth with a two-run home run from Martin, bringing the score to 3-2.

The Monarchs answered right away in a day of two-run home runs as Casey Gillaspie got one for himself in the bottom of the sixth to help the Monarchs take back the lead at 4-3.

Winnipeg came back in the seventh inning with a home run from Logan Hill, accompanied by a triple from Tyler Hill that brought in three runs for the Goldeyes, but they weren’t done as Murphy earned his second RBI of the night, putting them back up by four at 8-4.

The Monarchs were not going to take it lying down as Darnell Sweeney continued the scoring in the bottom of the seventh with yet another two-run home run, shortening the lead to 8-6.

Gaby Guerrero joined the home run club in the eighth inning, the score 8-7 going into the ninth.

The rest is history—with Ryan Grotjohn on first, two outs the first pitch for Hernandez, he launched the ball into left field.

“[Grotjohn’s] been doing fabulous for us, all the guys, they’re believing in themselves and what we’re doing,” manager Joe Calfapietra said.

With a win on Father’s Day, Calfapietra got choked up talking about his team.

“I love my kids, and I have 25 of them out there, and my two girls know that,” he said.

The Monarchs begin a seven game road trip starting Monday night in Franklin, Wisconsin against the Milwaukee Milkmen. Game time is 6:35 p.m. and can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:10 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

  • Story from Dan Vaughan, Kansas City Monarchs

BPU to meet Tuesday night

The Board of Public Utilities will hold a special work session at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.

The meeting will be on telephone and the internet.

According to a meeting announcement, the board will discuss “utility issues,” which includes utility disconnects.

It will not be an in-person meeting, to reduce the risk of exposure for the safety of BPU customers and employees, according to the meeting announcement.

The public may access the meeting through the telephone to listen in, and the meeting also is on the internet in a Zoom meeting. To join the Zoom meeting, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.

To listen to the meeting through the telephone, call toll free 1-888-475-4499.

The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.