Business

Three Rivers is a great place to be right now. Maybe you have noticed it too, but we’ve got an honest-to-goodness, renewed sense of spirit right now. I overhear people talking about what’s happening, and they are excited. I am too. We aren’t out of the proverbial woods yet, but we have potential in spades—market opportunities, exceptional assets, and hard …

In my first year as Executive Director of Three Rivers DDA/Main Street, I have gotten to know our city in a way that I never knew as a kid. It’s been a challenge, a joy, and a blur of complex programs, learning as I go, and building relationships with people who don’t always get along. However, I expected challenges, and …

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was one-tenth of a percent lower than the month previous. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.4 percent April unemployment rate marked a decrease from March’s 3.5 percent. St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 3.7 percent in April. …

Many businesses in Indiana’s Elkhart County are struggling to find workers as the area is experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years. The Elkhart Truth reports that the county’s unemployment rate in April was 2.8 percent. According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, this is the lowest since October 2000’s rate of 2.2 percent. The low unemployment …

A Community Development Block grant application for a brew pub in downtown Three Rivers was approved Tuesday by the Three Rivers City Commission. The $365,788 CDBG was being sought by Landmark Tap House and Grille, which is slated to open in a three-storefront location North Main Street early next year. Specifically, it is targeted for an area that included Pub …

February’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was two-tenths of a percent lower than one month previous. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 4.1 percent February unemployment rate marked a decrease from January’s 4.3 percent. St. Joseph County remained below the state unemployment average, which was 5.7 percent in February. …

Michigan senators have voted to more quickly phase in a tax break for people who trade in their car for a new one. A 2013 law lets buyers subtract some of the value of their trade-in from the purchase price of a new vehicle for tax purposes. The change is being phased in until 2039. The Republican-controlled Senate unanimously approved …

A new coffee shop and cafe in downtown Kalamazoo is almost completely staffed by ex-offenders as part of a culinary arts program at Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program. The Walnut & Park Cafe officially opened last week. The shop serves coffees ground by the Water Street Coffee Roaster along with homemade baked goods, breakfast and lunch dishes. Program graduates earn certifications …

Michigan’s unemployment rate edged upward to 5.2 percent in January as the number of people entering the job market continued to grow. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget said Thursday the rate rose from 5.1 percent in December and compared with a national January jobless rate of 4.8 percent but still marked an improvement over Michigan’s year-ago rate …

The December unemployment rate in St. Joseph County decreased by half a percent compared to a month earlier. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed St. Joseph County’s 3.4 percent December unemployment rate was less than November’s 3.9 percent. However, December’s unemployment rate was three-tenths of a percent higher than the same month …