LANSING - Proposals to raise the cigarette tax and tax entertainment tickets are far less likely to be sources of new revenue than the elimination of tax exemptions and restricting of tax credits, sources said Friday. News reports this week said Gov. Jennifer Granholm is proposing a 25-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax
LANSING - The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has created a litigation center aimed at helping win cases that affect businesses in the state, and the first case the center may be involved in is a U.S. Supreme Court case involving the state's campaign finance law. The Michigan Chamber Litigation Center is "another tool in the
LANSING - Wednesday was the day for groups to get their comments into House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) regarding his proposal to pool all public employees under one insurance plan, and the leader said he would use the input into crafting his final proposal in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, some groups submitting comments continued
LANSING - Michigan may have the nation's highest unemployment rate and has been mired in a recession for eight years, but at least it isn't Nevada, or Florida, or Oregon. Those three states ranked one, two and three in terms of total economic stress by the Kaiser Family Foundation statehealthfacts.org, while Michigan was ranked 10th
DETROIT - Organizers of the 2009 Selfridge Air Show & Open House are using social media tools to help spread the word about the Air Show and, by extension, to take the Air Force message out into the community. For the past couple of weeks, Air Show staff have been adding daily comments on the
DALLAS - U.S. companies are preparing for a global economic recovery to begin in the first half of 2010 according to a new study from AT&T. The 2009 AT&T Road to Growth Study is based on more than six dozen one-on-one interviews with IT executives employed with multinational companies in the U.S. and Europe. The
LANSING - With about six weeks to go until the 2009-10 fiscal year begins, Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi (D-Ishpeming) says the sides seem stuck in negotiations. "We're kind of at a standstill," he told Gongwer News Service in an interview. "I think we're just hung up on the philosophy: Republicans' refusal to consider revenues
TROY - The Michigan Homeland Security Consortium views the new "Red Flag" legislation and the national rise in identity theft as a critical risk and opportunity for business. Therefore, as part of a statewide initiative to help Michigan businesses prepare for these complex and unique challenges, experts from Identity Theft Loss Prevention, LLC will address
CHICAGO - Michigan's power needs can be delivered by a combination of wind power, biomass, and other sources of renewable energy coupled with aggressive energy efficiency programs, according to a new energy report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. The report comes as the Michigan Public Service Commission is set to make recommendations to the
DETROIT - The U.S. CARS program has been a boon for automakers and consumers, but now, surprisingly, dealers are running low on inventory. The Detroit Free Press reports that some Chrysler stores are sold out of Dodge Calibers, while there's only a seven-day supply of Jeep Patriots! Normally a 40- to 60-day supply is ideal.