LANSING ? Michigan Employers and educational institutions may soon be unable to ask potential or current employees for access to their social networking information after the Senate Energy and Technology Committee unanimously reported a bill Tuesday. HB 5523 was reported from committee 6-0, with Sen. Howard Walker (R-Traverse City), Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) and Sen.
RESTON, VA. - On Cyber Monday, online spending reached $1,465 billion, up 17 percent from last year, representing the heaviest online spending day in history. For the holiday season-to-date, $16.4 billion has been spent online, marking a 16-percent increase versus the same period a year ago. ?Despite some news reports suggesting that Cyber Monday might
LANSING - In his message on energy and the environment, Governor Rick Snyder said Wednesday the state needed to increase its use of renewable energy, but he did not propose a new level to set that use at. Instead, Snyder said in 2013 all sides on the issue should talk and reach an agreement on
LANSING - The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is offering $3 million in grants to help rebuild downtown commercial districts. The Downtown Infrastructure Grant program, a Community Development Block Grant, is aimed at helping low and moderate income Michigan communities. The maximum grant to be awarded is $750,000. Funding priority will be given to projects that
LANSING - Michigan consumers are feeling better about the economy and their personal futures than they have in nearly a decade, according to the latest State of the State Survey conducted by the Institute of Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University. While the optimistic feelings still do not match some of the
LANSING ? The Michigan Film Office announced today the feature film Parts Per Billion has been approved for a film incentive from the state. The film tells the interwoven stories of three couples forced to make life altering decisions in the face of a disastrous war. The project will shoot in metro Detroit this December.
DETROIT - Comerica Bank's Michigan Economic Activity Index declined in September, dropping 3.3 points, to a level of 103.3. The good news is the September index reading is 43 points, or 72 percent, above the index cyclical low of 59.9. The index has averaged 104 points thus far in 2012, 13 points above the index
DETROIT - Algal Scientific Corp., creator of an algae-based technology for animal food supplements, won the top prize of $500,000 at the third annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, part of $1 million in prizes handed out Thursday night. Algal Scientific survived three days of pitches and presentations by 50 early stage companies as well as
ANN ARBOR - Michigan's residents should continue to see modest but steady economic growth over the next two years that will lead to job growth, lower unemployment rates, a larger automotive market and modestly improved state finances, an economist forecast on Friday. Still, even with two additional years of growth, Michigan will be a long
LANSING - The gap between the state's poorest households and richest has again increased, a national study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute shows, and Michigan residents have generally fared worse than higher-income households since the late 1970s. While incomes for the richest fifth of households grew nearly