Jobs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas transportation secretary says federal stimulus money have brought more than 3,300 transportation jobs to the state. Deb Miller, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, says the jobs have a monthly payroll of $4.4 million. The state received $378 million in federal funds for transportation projects. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the transportation department says the stimulus package had created 3,375 jobs as of May, a 13 percent increase from April and a 47 percent increase since March.

Aviation experts say it's another indication of a turn-around in the industry. A dozen companies come to Wichita with jobs to fill. And they were actually seeking candidates, with several open positions. The companies were targeting experienced employees, especially engineers. Good news for someone like Paul Dilliard, who finished a contract in Tulsa in December and has been looking for work since. He tells us, "A year and a half ago there wasn't anything here in Wichita, it was all on a downturn, so there is some upturn going on, but you do have to be flexible" For many that means being willing to relocate...the majority of the companies at today's event are from other states.

(NEWTON, Kan.) 400 jobs, paying an average of $50,000. Wednesday, the city of Newton announced that's coming. Tindall Corporation will be the first tenant of the Kansas Logistics Park in Newton. But the Harvey County Economic Development council hopes it's the first of many to come. It may look like just another snowy field. But this field is the home for the yet-to-be-built Kansas Logistics park. And Wednesday, the city announced the first tenant. The Tindall Corporation will build concrete bases to stabilize the foundations, and add height, to wind turbines.

A Salina company plans to add three dozen new jobs. The Salina Chamber of Commerce says ElDorado National has purchased California-based Krystal Enterprises. Krystal makes luxury buses. ElDorado plans to move Krystal's assets to its Salina plant, creating 36 new manufacturing jobs in Salina. Krystal has estimated annual sales of more than $30 million. ElDorado makes commercial buses and ADA compliant minivans. According to the company, its annuals sales are more than $2.5 billion.

After three generations, one of Hutchinson's biggest employers is selling.  The Krause Corporation makes farm equipment.  It will keep doing that, but under the leadership of a French company called Kuhn.  Krause announced the merger this week saying the family can't compete alone. From its tilling equipment to the noise inside the shop, big things come out of the Krause Corporation.  "I started running a drill when I was 15 years old," said Chairman and CEO Steven L. Krause.  So it was a big decision for him to sell the company his grandfather started 95 years ago.  "I think he'd be pretty amazed at the scope we have now," Krause said.

Wichita Public Schools' Superintendent John Allison outlined details of the latest round of budget cuts at Monday's school board meeting. He with the media last week to explain "phase two. " It includes cutting 72 jobs, cutting funding to Parents as Teachers and National Academic League. Most of the jobs will come from Learning Services staff. That includes people working in the central office, family engagement programs, grants office and curriculum support services, JROTC support, fine arts and PE curriculum support and Library Media Services.

by Kim Hynes (Salina, Kan.) When Hawker Beechcraft shuts down in Salina, those jobs will not be transferred to Wichita. Tuesday company officials told workers that many of those jobs will go to Mexico instead. "They don't call it out sourcing because it's going to another one of their facilities. But the fact is, it's work that won't be here when the economy turns around," said President of the Machinists Union Steve Rooney. Rooney says the trend is troubling. He says Kansas has to figure out a way to try and compete against cheap labor in other countries.

Cessna plans to cut 700 jobs. Employees were notified through an email from Cessna CEO Jack Pelton Tuesday morning. Eyewitness News spoke with Cessna Communications Director Doug Oliver. He would not say where the cuts would happen, but many believe Wichita will bare the brunt of the layoffs. Workers say the news hurts, but doesn't come as surprise. "We had heard rumors that there would be a layoff, but we weren't for sure," said Delora Messer, "until today.

Jessica Ihde started her career at McDonalds five years ago, in a situation that many wichitans are in right now. "I actually got laid off from where I was working as telemarketer and I went and applied and got hired. " She's now a swing shift manager, and says throughout the past few years, she's seen the number of people interested in working at the fast food chain grow. "I've seen a lot of people coming through and looking for jobs. " Kansas' current unemployment rate is sitting at 7.2%.

More orange cones could mean more frustration for drivers, but workers are excited 85 road construction projects around Kansas are back on track. The projects were cut in June to balance the state budget, but a new fiscal year and the 10-year transportation plan passed by lawmakers this spring put the projects back out for bid. Brian Hansen is the vice president of Dustrol, Inc., in Towanda.  The company recycles asphalt as it resurfaces roads. Dustrol was awarded the contract to resurface a stretch of highway in Cowley County.

A new call center is coming to Wichita and it's bringing hundreds of jobs with it.  Starwood Hotels and Resorts plans to open a call center in Wichita later this year.  However it's still waiting on Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita to approve an incentive package. The customer service center would go in on East Harry, in the location where Office This used to be. Steve Bacci owned three businesses at that location, but had to move two of them. "There are a lot of tenants who had to relocate, who had to find new office places within the Wichita area, office out of homes," said Bacci.

A Wichita native is a finalist for the job of a lifetime...in Australia. Cameron Ernst is part of a competition for Tourism Australia, promoting what it calls "The Best Jobs in the World. " Ernst who grew up in Wichita and went to Andover Central High School applied for the Chief Funster job. "It's what it sounds," says Ernst. "Being a V.I.P. in Sydney and going to events and festivals and being a social media guru. " That's one of the six "best jobs" positions open in Australia.

A Salina police officer is back at work, just months after he was shot in the eye.  Chuck Huen lost his eye last September when a 19-year-old shot him during a stand-off. Huen and four other officers entered a Salina home to investigate a possible stolen car incident. The man inside the house later killed himself in the basement. Huen says he did his research to show that other officers in his same situation were able to return to work. He says he didn't want to go on disability because he didn't want to sit and home.  He says being a police office is what he likes to do. "It boiled down to what I needed to do for me to provide for my family and it's what I like to do," he said.

Before he started running through defenses on the way the Final Four, Shockers point guard Malcolm Armstead honed his work ethic and leadership skills running cars at a Wichita area car dealership. "I drove cars.  Sometimes I had to shampoo and detail cars," Armstead told Eyewitness News.  The summer job at Lubbers Cars in Cheney was his first job outside basketball. It helped Armstead pay for expenses at Wichita State, after walking on without a scholarship. It also helped him develop a loyal fan base among former co-workers.

A captain held on to her deputy as medics took him into the hospital. The sign of support after he risked his life protecting the community. "We are very fortunate in this incident that the deputy received injuries, but he is going to survive those injuries and we are very happy about that," Jeff Easter, Sedgwick County Sheriff, said. The Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy, who Easter chose not to name, was shot while attempting to stop two criminals driving recklessly at speeds topping 120 mph. "He is doing fine," Easter said.

Cowley County is hosting a two-day job fair this week. The fair boasts more than 300 open positions that need to be filled. Many of those jobs are at the Rubbermaid plant in Winfield. Other employment opportunities include manufacturing positions, plastic mold technicians, firefighters, EMT and Paramedics, RN, waste water tech and others. The March 5th job fair ran until 1:00 in Winfield. On March 6, the Arkansas City Job Fair will take place at the Cowley College Wright Room, 215 S 2nd St, from 3:00-7:00pm.

PKM Steel Service Inc. is planning a $250,000 capital investment in 2013 which in turn will create 20 full time jobs. The local company is a global producer of heavy and intermediate structural steel for all types of industrial and commercial buildings. As a premier custom fabricator, the company focuses on helping customers build innovative structures across a diverse range of industries. The expansion is a result of PKM gaining a new major customer and will allow the company to continue improvements in research, development, testing, fabricating, design, and sophisticated painting.

On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Wichita, Kevin Hooper is in his office working on salary cap issues for the Wichita Wingnuts.  Earlier in the day he and general manager Josh Robertson worked out a couple of young outfielders who wanted to get a look.  He was also checking in on the Wichita State Shockers' score.  "Something like that doesn't happen too often out there," says Hooper, a former Shocker player himself.  He is referring to...

He helped lead the Butler Grizzlies to back-to-back national championships, now Press Taylor is an assistant coach in the N.F.L. The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon that the former Butler quarterback is now the offensive quality control coach for Philly. Press is just one part of the Taylor family that coaches in the N.F.L:  his brother Zac is the quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins.  Zac Taylor played football at Nebraska before making his way into the N.F.L as a player with Tampa Bay before making the switch to coaching.

A new study says half of working Americans with college degrees are overqualified for their jobs, and the trend is likely to continue. The study says there are more Americans earning degrees than jobs that require a degree.  This story gives the example of taxi drivers with degrees--15% had a bachelor's degree in 2010, compared to 1% in 1970.  Read more about it here and check out this story with links showing salary data...