Michigan News

Funds From EPA for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects Release Date: 07/29/2015 Contact Information: Peter Cassell, cassell.peter@epa.gov, 312-886-6234 CHICAGO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a Request for Applications soliciting proposals for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to fund new projects to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Up to $13.9 million will be available during the 2015 funding cycle for grants to state, tribal, interstate and local governmental agencies, institutions of higher learning and other nonprofit organizations. Applications are due September 28, 2015. “This round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will be used to target invasive species… Read More »

  JULY 21, 2015 – A job-seeker who successfully used the state’s labor exchange system — Pure Michigan Talent Connect  — to gain employment is the first recipient of a $5,000 signing bonus under the Michigan Celebrates You campaign. The campaign promotes use of the www.mitalent.org site by job seekers and employers, increases the number of accounts created, helps job seekers with their searches and recognizes employer-employee matches made via the site. It gives registered users on Pure Michigan Talent Connect the opportunity to participate in a monthly sweepstakes for the chance to win a $250 gift card. Over the… Read More »

  WASHINGTON D.C. – Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters today announced $1.3 million to give Upper Peninsula students, many of whom are the first in their family to go to college, coaching and skill development so they have a better shot at graduating college. This support through the Department of Education’s TRIO Student Support Services Program will benefit eligible students at Bay de Noc Community College, Northern Michigan University, Gogebic Community College, Finlandia University, and Bay Mills Community College. “Students who work hard and are accepted to college deserve every opportunity to succeed,” said Senator Stabenow. “Thanks to… Read More »

Banning heavy tar sands oil from ever flowing through the aging twin Straits of Mackinac pipelines is one of about a dozen recommendations included in a state task force report on the status and future of Michigan pipelines. The report, released jointly by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Attorney General’s office after a yearlong inquiry, mandates full insurance coverage for the 62-year-old Straits pipelines, owned by Enbridge Energy Inc. The report also calls for independent assessments of the risk to the Great Lakes posed by the pipeline, and alternatives to its future operation. The pipeline’s days “are… Read More »

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Even Birgit Klohs was surprised the Greater Grand Rapids region has one of the best economies in the nation. Usually when the region is ranked, it’s compared to similar size regions. For the first time, the Grand Rapids-Wyoming qualified in the top category alongside metropolitan heavyweights such as Chicago, Boston and Seattle. “If we had ranked No. 1 in our category, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all,” said the CEO of The Right Place, the region’s economic development organization. Grand Rapids only lagged behind Denver and Houston in the study that compared the nation’s 373… Read More »

  Bipartisan Bill Would Eliminate Outdated Paperwork for Michigan Small Businesses FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2015 Allison Green 202-834-2281 Zade Alsawah 313-505-4810 Media@peters.senate.gov WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, today cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would reduce burdensome paperwork and cut red tape for small businesses.  The Microloan Act of 2015 eliminates three outdated provisions in the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Microloan Program that have been unchanged since the program’s establishment in 1991 and only create unnecessary paperwork for small businesses and entrepreneurs. “Small businesses and startups are… Read More »

While workforce development and attraction requires a range of strategies, West Michigan manufacturers have begun to embrace an apprenticeship model of continuing education to combat the so-called talent gap. Despite flagging enrollment in the years following the recession, apprenticeship programs have gained steam for both employers and workers, many of whom want to retain their positions while learning skills to advance their careers. Read more here.

Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4% in April to reach a milestone not seen for 15 years and now equal to the nation’s number. It marked the first time the state and national rates stood at the same level since September 2000, an achievement that boosts those who herald Michigan as the nation’s leading comeback state. Even so, Michigan’s economy is yet to recover all the jobs it lost during its lost decade. That remained a sobering footnote to the otherwise upbeat jobs report. As every Michigan worker knows, between 2000 and today, the state endured an economic crisis of… Read More »

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is making $30 million available to farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs to develop new product lines. Funding will be made available through USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. “Farmers and ranchers are creative people who, with a little help, can put that creativity to work and improve the bottom line for their operations,” Vilsack said. “Value-Added Producer Grants enable them to develop new product lines to grow their businesses and expand their contributions to our nation’s economy. This support is especially important for beginning farmers, military veterans engaging in farming and smaller… Read More »

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A cold, wet winter didn’t hamper Michigan’s ability to attract tourists in 2014, according to a report Michigan State University researchers released at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Monday. MSU researchers Sarah Nicholls and Dan McCole report annually on Michigan’s tourism industry, which they estimate supported 200,000 jobs and generated $18.7 billion in direct spending in 2013. In 2014, Michigan’s hotel occupancy was up by two percent and car traffic was up just under one percent. “2014 saw another year of steady growth for tourism in Michigan, despite the weather which was especially… Read More »