Business Watch

Roughly 1,800 Afghan refugees were settled in Michigan after the fall of Kabul a year ago. They are seeking asylum, arguing their lives would be in danger if they returned to their homeland, which is now under Taliban rule.

Airports in Alpena, Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Pellston are losing direct flights to Detroit and Minneapolis, which could add hours to trips and devastate airport revenues.

Call it the inflation circle of life. Second-quarter financials show that inflation hammered businesses this spring as they spent more. To try to keep earnings on track, they raised prices.

Soaring fuel and equipment costs are forcing some truckers out of the business, adding to supply chain woes.

The state’s manufacturing heritage will help Michigan increase its role in high-tech semiconductor production, business leaders said, as President Biden will soon sign into law billions of dollars in production incentives.

A judge who ordered the increase and extension of sick leave delayed implementation of his own ruling while the case is under appeal.

Regulations outlawing local bans of short-term rentals passed the Michigan House at 2 a.m. last October. Since then, it’s stalled as business groups and lawmakers continue to debate what communities can outlaw.

Wineries along the “Traverse Wine Coast” said they had to get creative to withstand the pandemic while making customers feel safe and eager to return. Horses are part of the plan, as are golf cart rides through fields of lavender.

The five candidates hoping to win the Aug. 2 Republican primary offer broad outlines of an economic policy (tax cuts, fat trimming) but few if any details. So far, the economy isn’t front and center in the race, but that will likely change quickly after the primary.

Those living in mobile home parks throughout Michigan are struggling raising rents, and bills that would have provided relief are stalled in the Legislature.

Michigan started 2022 with fewer jobs, lower adjusted household incomes and a lower job participation rate than before previous recessions, leaving a shakier foundation to withstand an economic downturn.

Historic Dundee thought it had a chance to land a Stellantis electric vehicle battery plant. But the automaker chose Kokomo, Ind., instead. Now Dundee and other engine factory towns must consider how to remain viable as EVs production builds.

The “Parallel Reality” screen allows up to 100 people to view the board, but see only their own flight and gate information. Travelers said they’re impressed, but a technology expert said such technology raises privacy concerns.

The owner of All Star Mechanical turned his typical quarter-page ad for heating and cooling repairs into a political screed. People noticed.

Rising interest rates are meant to stem inflation, but the results can be “painful” as the economy shrinks, state business leaders say. Michigan has recorded three straight months of job losses, a sensitive topic for the state.

Facilities at the long-closed ski resort were finally demolished in late 2021, clearing the way for neighbors in Leelanau County to dream about what’s next. But the answer remains a mystery.

The cannabis industry has seen sales climb and prices drop almost every month since legalization. That’s good news for an ever-growing number of customers, but making the business “a grind.”

City officials said they were putting faith in the word of Kellogg officials that the company would not abandon Battle Creek. But the food company, which is splitting off most of its business to a headquarters in Chicago, has been shrinking its local workforce for years.

An iconic Michigan brand, Kellogg Co. announced it is splitting into three companies, taking its growing and most profitable product (snacks) out of state, and creating an uncertain future for its sluggish cereal brand.

The cereal-maker, founded in Battle Creek and Michigan’s fifth-largest public company, soon will operate as three companies. Unclear is how much of it will remain in the state.