June 3, 2013
State House bill would limit government from competing with business
A bill recently introduced in the state House would prohibit government and its agencies, such as land bank authorities, from competing against the private sector. State Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, is the main sponsor of HB4549. MacMaster said he introduced the bill in mid-April because he felt private business owners face enough challenges without having […]
FSU enters into agreement with state education department
Ferris State University became the first public college in the state last week to sign an articulation agreement with the Michigan Department of Education. The pact is expected to strengthen access to higher education for high school students across the state — especially for those who are interested in pursuing a technical career — while […]
Street Talk: Fear of failure? Not for these people
Six storytellers took to the Wealthy Street Theatre stage recently and poured their hearts out to 400 people during the first-ever Failure-Lab. The brain child of a group of West Michigan professionals looking to create a safe space to talk about mistakes, Failure-Lab was sponsored by The Hauenstein Center at Grand Valley State University. The […]
Public Record
May 31 — MORTGAGES Selected mortgages filed with Kent County Register of Deeds LILLIS, John C. et al, Summit Community Bank, Whispering Hills Plat No. 6, Lot 179, $208,161 SONGA, Dominique et al, Evolve Bank & Trust, Condo-Woodside Oaks Site Condominium, $210,614 TELLING, Adrian et al, Fifth Third Mortgage, Crabb's Sub., Lot 43, $380,000 GREER, […]
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Change Ups: Letter carriers stamp out hunger
Letter carriers from seven post office branches in the Grand Rapids area recently collected 150,000 pounds of food. In all, 190 volunteers assisted Feeding America West Michigan staff members and letter carriers in collecting, sorting and shipping food to FAWM’s warehouse in Comstock Park, as part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive coordinated by […]
Employee health care cost increase may have slowed in 2013
According to the findings of McGraw Wentworth’s 2013 Southeast Michigan Mid-Market Group Benefits Survey released May 20, midsize employers are making moderate health plan changes, keeping cost increases to 4 percent — the lowest rate in 10 years. They also are increasing their use of outcomes-based wellness plans, and 91 percent of them plan to […]
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Patent trolls beware
The America Invents Act, which took effect Sept. 16, 2012, entailed sweeping changes in the U.S. patent process, with one aspect in particular reshaping the legal landscape when it comes to patent infringement litigation. Matt Gipson said one of the most obvious changes is “the proliferation of challenges to patent validity in proceedings at the […]
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New Walker business to sell biodegradable trash bags
The massive number of plastic bags ending up in landfills is a major problem for landfill operators in many parts of the world, so the executives of Great Lakes Bottled Water in Walker have organized a new business to distribute plastic trash bags described as being truly biodegradable “under landfill conditions.” “We are one of […]
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Inside Track: Mark Bleckley is a detail-oriented kind of guy
Behind every successful exporting/importing company, there’s a lot of intricate paperwork to make it happen. And behind every pile of paperwork, there’s a knowledgeable person like Mark Bleckley, making sure it’s done right. Bleckley, a licensed customs broker, has more than 20 years of experience working for multinational companies, including Amway and Haworth, as an […]
Owning up to bad conduct may be the better way to go
I got stopped by a police officer over the Memorial Day weekend. And I told him the truth about what I had done. I’m not suggesting that truth-telling is a new idea. But the idea of doing it probably hit me a little more quickly than usual after having spent part of the weekend watching […]
City OKs second stage of Mid Towne Village
A key urban development situated on Michigan Street’s Medical Mile received the green light last week to go ahead with its second and final phase. Grand Rapids city commissioners gave their blessing to a revived brownfield plan for Mid Towne Village, and now Third Coast Development Partners can invest $31 million more into what is […]
State’s retail sales rebound with warmer weather
Michigan’s retail industry bounced back in April after two months of subpar performance, according to the Michigan Retail Index, a joint project of Michigan Retailers Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Retailers’ expectations for the next three months also climbed. “Two months of job gains, lower gasoline prices and consumers itching for spring […]
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You oughta be in pictures!
(As seen on WZZM TV 13) In an attempt to bring more tourists to the region this summer, the Michigan Film Office has compiled and released a map of where movies have been filmed in West Michigan. The map features seven areas along and near Lake Michigan that have served as sites where movies have […]
Varnum wins $5.1M fees case against BCBSM
A federal judge ordered Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan on May 23 to pay back $5.1 million it collected in hidden fees while serving as third-party administrator for a self-insured employee health insurance plan. Hi-Lex Controls of Rochester Hills, which has a plant in Battle Creek, was represented in its suit against BCBSM by […]
‘Rebalancing education silos’ requires transparent strategic plan
It’s become a typical legislative pattern: The Michigan House passed the state education budget last Tuesday, the Senate passed the legislation Wednesday, and Gov. Rick Snyder began the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Policy Conference on Mackinac Island shortly after noon Wednesday with an announcement of the final school budget in his opening address. Bam! […]
