Author
Kevin Hardy
Kevin Hardy covers business, labor and rural issues for Stateline from the Midwest. Before joining Stateline, he covered business and the economy for The Kansas City Star. His work has won numerous local and national journalism awards, including a National Headliner Award for best political coverage and the Gerald A. Renner Award for Excellence in Enterprise Reporting from the Religion News Association.
Minimum wages are increasing in nearly half the states this year
By: Kevin Hardy - January 14, 2025
The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour. In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to […]
‘Why not us?’ Nannies, housekeepers win labor protections in some states.
By: Kevin Hardy - December 19, 2024
When she first started working as an au pair, Edy Dominguez earned less than the minimum wage and went without paid sick time or overtime pay for extra-long weeks. That’s because domestic workers, including nannies, housekeepers and home health workers, have historically been excluded from the basic labor protections most workers enjoy. “There are standards […]
Growth of sports betting may be linked to financial woes, new studies find
By: Kevin Hardy - December 6, 2024
While states have cheered the new tax revenue from sports gambling, some new studies have linked the burgeoning industry to lower consumer credit scores, higher credit card debt and less household savings. With access on their cellphones, gamblers can bet more often and easily than in traditional casinos, heightening concerns about problem gambling and the […]
Republicans make major gains in control of state governments
By: Kevin Hardy - November 7, 2024
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Before the election results began rolling in, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly took the stage, confident that Democrats could break the long-held Republican supermajority that has thwarted many of her legislative priorities. “If we do that, you will not only make my life better, you will make the life of every Kansan […]
Garage apartments, in-law suites win support in rural communities
By: Kevin Hardy - November 6, 2024
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. NEWMARKET, N.H. — Aside from an extra mailbox, there’s little indication from the street that Ron Durand’s lot is home to two homes. But tucked above the garage is a two-bedroom apartment, where his daughter and granddaughter live. It’s the […]
To save affordable housing, states promote resident-owned mobile home parks
By: Kevin Hardy - November 1, 2024
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. LIBERTY, Mo. — Over her 25 years living in a quiet suburban mobile home park, Kristi Peterman got to know the neighbors directly next door and a few across the street. But since she and her neighbors collectively […]
When business is booming but daily living is a struggle
By: Kevin Hardy - September 25, 2024
Editor’s note: This five-day series explores the priorities of voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as they consider the upcoming presidential election. With the outcome expected to be close, these “swing states” may decide the future of the country. ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The signs on the empty historic buildings […]
The Deciders: The issues and states that will determine who wins the White House
By: Kevin Hardy - September 23, 2024
Editor’s note: This five-day series explores voter priorities in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as they consider the upcoming presidential election and the nation’s future. With the outcome expected to be close, the “swing states” as they are called are often a bellwether for the country. It’s been a wild few […]
Move over, presidential race. These state governments also are up for grabs.
By: Kevin Hardy - August 31, 2024
The presidential race gets the hype, but the nearly 6,000 state legislative races across the country in November’s elections could reshape power dynamics in some states. While Republicans are primed to maintain their national advantage in statehouse control, several legislative chambers could flip, said Ben Williams, associate director of elections and redistricting at the National […]
As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back
By: Kevin Hardy - June 13, 2024
Just days before workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama began voting last week on whether to unionize, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a new law that would claw back state incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions. Alabama’s move follows similar efforts in Georgia and Tennessee, where GOP leaders also have passed laws […]
More taxpayer money benefits pro sports owners amid ‘stadium construction wave’
By: Kevin Hardy - March 4, 2024
As sports stadiums built in the 1990s show their age, many professional sports teams are looking for new facilities — and public money to pay for them. “We are just in the heating up phase of the next stadium construction wave,” said J.C. Bradbury, a Kennesaw State University economics professor who has researched the issue. […]
This land is our land: States crack down on foreign-owned farm fields
By: Kevin Hardy - December 4, 2023
Andy Gipson gets concerned even when American allies such as the Netherlands and Germany invest in large swaths of Mississippi’s farmland. “It just bothers me at a gut level,” he said. For Gipson, Mississippi’s commissioner of agriculture and commerce, the growing trend of foreign ownership could threaten what he views as the state’s most valuable […]