LANSING - Michigan got an okay news/bad news story from the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. Michigan saw population growth in 2012, but with Georgia adding more than 100,000 people in the last year, the Peach State surpassed Michigan to the nation's eighth largest state. And Michigan's state demographer said at current growth rates, Michigan
LANSING - The Michigan Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday announced six companies, including La-Z-Boy and Founders Brewing Company, will invest $117 million and add about 295 jobs in the state. La-Z-Boy is expected to build a new world headquarters in Monroe, generating at least $47 million in new private investment and adding a projected 50
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder on Wednesday signed into law bills that would create a regional transit authority for Wayne, Macomb, Oakland and Washtenaw counties, as well as legislation that would create the Detroit Lighting Authority to fix the tens of thousands of lights in need of repair or replacement in and around the city.
WASHINGTON DC - The Federal Trade Commission moved to make a key children's online privacy law more up-to-date in a world of smartphones and social networks. The agency has approved amendments to the regulations implementing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, that would require apps and Web sites that target children to obtain
JACKSON - Consumers Energy wants to spend $750 million to build a 700 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Thetford Township, about 20 miles northwest of Flint. The project is expected to create about 600 construction jobs. The bulk of the construction jobs are expected to be filled by members of skilled trades unions. When
DETROIT - Elliott Management made the unsolicited bid in a Monday letter to Compuware's board of directors, offering to acquire the software and services company for $11 per share, or $2.3 billion. But Compuware is under intense pressure from investors to fix its business and cut employees that could persist even if an attempted takeover
AUBURN HILLS - Accel Partners has made a $30 million strategic investment in ERP manufacturing software maker Plex Systems and will gain a seat on the board of director, joining Francisco Partners, which acquired Plex Systems earlier this year. ?Plex Systems was early in bringing the cloud to manufacturing ERP, and it now has the
LANSING - Critics have said Governor Rick Snyder undermined his trustworthiness when he agreed to support making Michigan a right-to-work state after nearly two years of disdaining the proposal as not on his agenda, but Snyder disputed such accusations Monday. "Trust is a perception. I think, factually, I was fairly clear this whole process," he
LANSING - The state will soon have a new law to address financially troubled local governments and school districts with the Senate on Thursday giving final approval to what amounts to a "replacement emergency manager law" after voters repealed PA 4 of 2011 in November. The Senate passed SB 865 on a largely party-line vote,
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder will get the personal property tax phase-out he wanted, but only if voters approve it as the administration won a hard-fought effort for legislative passage. Thursday was a wild day for the personal property tax legislation as it emerged that the plan had serious problems in the House, resulting in