Business

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. plans to expand manufacturing in Michigan and add 450 jobs under an incentives deal approved Tuesday by the state’s economic development arm. The company is expected to spend $465 million building a new facility in Portage near Kalamazoo, with production starting in 2024. The Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved an $11.5 million package, including $10.5 million in …

FireKeepers Casino Hotel in southern Michigan plans to expand its hotel by building a second tower. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi announced Monday that an aim is to attract more people from across the Midwest to the casino and hotel near Battle Creek. They also hope to bring in new and larger conventions and business meetings. FireKeepers Casino …

DTE Energy says it has plans for 50 to 70 wind turbines in southern Michigan’s Branch County. The Daily Reporter says the utility made a presentation Thursday to county commissioners in Coldwater. Commission Chairman Ted Gordon says any key decisions about the placement of turbines will be made by townships. Michael Sage of Detroit-based DTE says 180 people have signed …

Michigan officials say propane users should lock in fuel prices now, even though heating season is months away. The Michigan Agency for Energy says U.S. propane stocks are slightly higher now than they were a year ago. But they’re 27 percent below levels seen in 2016. Executive Director Anne Armstrong Cusack says customers should sign contracts soon instead of waiting …

Proposals to raise the Michigan minimum wage and require paid sick time came under fire from pro-business lobbying groups Friday, the deadline to challenge the two ballot initiatives. The first, a movement by the union-endorsed Michigan One Fair Wage committee to pay Michigan workers $12 an hour and abolish the tipped minimum wage, is being challenged by hospitality industry group …

McDonald’s is stopping the sale of salads at 3,000 restaurants after people became sick from a parasite causing intestinal illness. The Chicago-based fast-food chain said Friday it’s acting “out of an abundance of caution” until switching to another supplier. Health officials in Illinois and Iowa say they’ve identified roughly 100 combined cases of cyclosporiasis apparently linked to consuming McDonald’s salads. …

SERVPRO® of Cass & St. Joseph Counties received the MILLIONAIRE’S Bronze award at the recent SERVPRO convention, held at Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando, FL, from June 25-29. Anthony Blodgett of SERVPRO of Cass & St. Joseph Counties and other high-performing franchisees were recognized during an Awards Extravaganza at the annual event, which was attended by nearly 3,000 …

Entrepreneur Elon Musk said Thursday a high-speed transportation system that will whisk people between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport at speeds of up to 150 mph could be operational in about three years. Musk joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to formally announce that a Musk-owned enterprise, The Boring Company, was selected for the project and will fully fund it. …

Last Friday the FBI issued a warning about what’s being called the “VPNFilter” threat. This malware takes advantage of exploits in certain routers commonly used in homes and small businesses.  They (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Division) have taken down part of the command and control aspect of this attack, and recommend a reboot of your modem and router. This attack …

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was four-tenths of a percent lower than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.3 percent April unemployment rate marked a decrease from March’s 3.7 percent. St. Joseph County was below the state unemployment average, which was 4 percent in April. …