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Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus.
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Michigan business leaders fear more closures after 3-week COVID ‘pause’
Frustrations are mounting because Michigan’s restrictions don’t set goals for case counts. That’s prompted some leaders to fear the three-week ‘pause’ could stretch for many more weeks.
‘Shock and despair’ as Michigan bars, restaurants take another COVID hit
In a Q&A, the head of a licensed beverage industry group said the state’s three-week ban on indoor service is not justified by where outbreaks are happening and will devastate businesses and laid-off workers if relief doesn’t come soon.
This Michigan store was a dream come true. Coronavirus still has it on hold.
Not all stores in Michigan reopened or closed. Some are stuck in limbo, like this one, just outside Detroit, where the owner is still hopeful about reopening, when it’s safe.
COVID pushed people outdoors. Michigan’s ski industry is ready for them.
Recreational activity skyrocketed in Michigan through spring and summer. Now the state’s snowsports businesses hope they’ll get a similar burst of sales.
Michigan cracks down on workplace COVID rules, urges remote working
State health officials will be inspecting offices across the state for masks, social distancing and other compliance. Fines of $7,000 are possible if they find violations.
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is being made in Michigan
The drug giant’s campus in Portage is the epicenter for one of several vaccines being developed as the world watches coronavirus cases climb once more.
Michigan softens restaurant rules requiring customer info during COVID
The restaurant industry was frustrated by rules requiring them to collect customer names and phone numbers to help limit COVID-19. New guidance provided Tuesday suggests restaurants won’t be held responsible if patrons don’t cooperate.
Whitmer administration leaves restaurants in dark on new COVID rule
New pandemic rules require restaurants to get customers’ names and phone numbers to help with contact tracing if there is an outbreak. But as the rules took effect Monday, state health officials had yet to give restaurants guidance on how to enforce them.
Michigan unemployment: the latest updates on fraud, stop payments and more
Some say it’s time for full reform. Others just want to make sure the state’s overwhelmed unemployment benefit system can handle today’s claims.
Trump economic adviser to Detroit group: ‘Getting back to work’ is top goal
Larry Kudlow also told the Detroit Economic Club that the administration would not encourage a business lockdown as coronavirus rebounds in Michigan and across the nation.
Michigan retailers worry COVID spike will keep customers away. Again.
It’s been a hard year for stores and restaurants. Now they head into winter amid worry that a second wave of COVID-19 will hinder sales during the critical holiday season.
Michigan business leaders urge Whitmer and Republicans to unite on COVID
Some of the state’s top CEOs sent a letter Wednesday urging Republican lawmakers and the state’s Democratic governor to present a united front on coronavirus safety measures as Michigan braces for a second wave of the virus.
New grocery in Grand Rapids is about more than food. It’s about equity too.
Founder Alita Kelly wants to create ‘an experience that goes beyond just buying groceries’ for a part of the city that has few healthy food outlets.
Q&A: Michigan’s $28B life sciences industry was under the radar. Until COVID
From drug development to medical devices, the state’s bioscience businesses found themselves in the bull’s-eye when coronavirus overtook the United States, said Stephen Rapundalo of MichBio.
Michigan benefited from COVID stimulus and jobless aid. Now what?
Economic relief programs that helped the state’s businesses and jobless now are on hold as the United States pauses new stimulus talks and the state confronts upheaval that impacts state unemployment benefits.
‘Businesses need clarity,’ MI chamber leaders say of shifting COVID rules
Dozens of executive orders have regulated businesses over the last six months. After a chaotic few days of court rulings and political chess games in Lansing, it’s unclear which of them still apply.
Michigan unemployment benefits expanded to 59 weeks for some workers
The state qualifies for a 20-week benefits extension, but not all workers will receive it. Some also are still waiting for $300-a-week bonus payments due to another fraud investigation.
Small business confidence inches up in Michigan. Will sales follow?
Twenty percent of small businesses “are projecting pretty catastrophic impacts” said Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan.
In ‘dire need,’ 1 in 5 Michigan restaurants may not survive winter
Advocates say more policy help is needed to get the state’s leisure and hospitality employees back to work – and keep hotels and restaurants open.
Michigan business found a niche in COVID. Its second act may prove harder.
Sales for TentCraft in Traverse City reached into the millions as it shifted from tents for concerts and trade shows to building temporary medical units. The company now must gauge how to plan for the future.