LAS VEGAS - Computer geeks attending the world's largest annual hacking party in Las Vegas this week will have a rare chance to rub shoulders with the head of the U.S. National Security Agency. General Keith Alexander, director of the spy agency, will speak at the Defcon conference, marking the highest-level visit to date by
TRAVERSE CITY ? Altus Brands leveraged a $170,000 investment in June made by Northern Michigan Angels and BlueWater Angels to purchase Extreme Dimension Wildlife Calls, an innovator in the electronic game call industry. This investment provided the equity capital that Altus Brands needed to secure a loan from the Traverse City State Bank which, together,
DETROIT - Armed with growing revenues and strong balance sheets, and to keep up with increasing vehicle demand, U.S. auto executives expect to boost domestic headcount and expand facilities in the coming year, according to a recent survey by KPMG LLP. Despite their overall bullishness, executives cite some significant challenges ahead, including persistent pricing pressures,
NEW YORK ? A new survey shows 68 percent of respondents with a cell contract struggle to afford their monthly bill, primarily due to rising costs in phone plans and extra fees. Another 34 percent of respondents said they were struggling to afford their monthly cell bill due to other financial commitments and bills that
WASHINGTON DC - Two U.S. senators are calling for a federal investigation of the power grid's potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities after a CNET article last month raised security concerns. The request for a probe comes from Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Susan Collins (R-ME), the panel's senior Republican,
DETROIT ? The Mobile Technology Association of Michigan has merged with the old Connectech Detroit to expand its technology networking group with a focused on mobile technology. MTAM currently has chapters in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Lansing. With this merger, MTAM will reach out to former Connectech Detroit members ? and former Connectech
LANSING ? The Michigan Film Office gave the movie, ?Only Lovers Left Alive,? an incentive of $365,904. Set in Detroit and Tangiers, the project will feature a wide range of Detroit locations and showcase some of Detroit?s influential sounds and diverse musical contributions throughout the soundtrack. Written and directed by iconic independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch,
LANSING - House Speaker Jase Bolger and Rep. Roy Schmidt clearly attempted to perpetrate a fraud on the electorate by attempting to pay a friend of Schmidt's nephew to run against him after he switched parties, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the Kent County prosecutor, but none of it was illegal. The
LANSING - States face a series of revenue and fiscal issues, including Medicaid costs, underfunded retirement costs, local government fiscal stress and narrowing tax bases that could lead to overall budget crisis for many states, a national report said. The report, from the State Budget Crisis Task Force, did not include Michigan in the states
LANSING - The Michigan Retailers Association on Monday called on Treasurer Andy Dillon to send a bill to online mogul Amazon for sales tax owed to the state, asserting it has a physical presence and therefore, by law, must require its customers pay sales tax. "Because Amazon has a physical presence in Michigan it has