Business

A Wisconsin-based fast-food chain will be opening a store in Three Rivers next year. Construction on Culver’s started last month after passing through appropriate city channels in September and October. The eatery is expected to open in May or June. The new Culver’s is being built on the west side of U.S. 131, between the Oasis restaurant and Victory Lube. …

Michigan regulators have approved a 9.2% natural gas rate increase for 300,000 customers of SEMCO Energy Gas. The utility will use the nearly $20 million rate increase to replace gas mains and initiate an infrastructure reliability improvement program. The Port Huron-based company delivers natural gas to customers in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula and in parts of the …

Michigan would become the fifth state to require that egg-laying hens be housed in cage-free areas under legislation approved by the state House and backed as aligning farms with where the industry is headed. The main bill is part of a broader update of the state’s animal industry law. The measure would change and delay confinement standards for hens. Each …

Gerald R. Ford International Airport in western Michigan will add eight passenger gates during a $90 million expansion that is expected to create hundreds of jobs. The airport’s governing board says “Project Elevate” will enhance the airport and make more flights available to the public. The money will come from bonds, government grants and passenger fees. The Grand Rapids airport …

B&D Travel Consultants LLC will open with a new location on Monday. The company acquired All About Travel of Three Rivers within the last year, which helped the business grow. Currently, B&D Travel Consultants also has a Sturgis location. The new office in Three Rivers will be located at 140 W. Michigan Avenue. The company began in Sturgis back in …

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget says jobless rates during June were up six- to eight-tenths of a percentage point in southwest Michigan. Employment in St. Joseph County rose by 275 people from May, but is down by 200 compared to June 2018. There were 27,575 with jobs in June, but with the labor force increasing by 425, …

May’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was half a percent higher than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 4.2 percent May unemployment rate marked an increase from April’s 3.7 percent. St. Joseph County’s rate was slightly greater than the state unemployment average, which was 3.9 percent …

House painters won’t need a license under a new Michigan law. The law starts Thursday. It removes painting and decorating from a list of trades covered by a state license for residential maintenance and alteration. The Senate Fiscal Agency says there were 432 Michigan contractors licensed in painting and decorating in December. They had to complete 60 hours of education …

Indiana Michigan Power has restored power to 94 percent of customers who lost service on Sunday and is working to restore the remainder. Crews have restored power to all South Bend/Elkhart area customers affected by Sunday’s high winds. In Muncie, Marion and Fort Wayne combined, fewer than 100 customers remained to be restored as of 4 p.m.  Monday.  I&M is …

The South Shore Line is offering a 10 percent discount on monthly passes during the month of March to help make up for four days of suspended service during last week’s bitter cold spell. The commuter rail line says discount pricing will automatically be applied at the time a March pass is purchased. The South Shore Line also is offering …