Business

Construction is expected to start this spring on a project more than doubling Indiana Michigan Power’s electricity production from solar energy sources. The Fort Wayne-based company has won approval from Indiana officials for the solar farm planned for the Granger area just northeast of South Bend. Completion for the project is expected later this year and is expected to generate …

The Michigan Public Service Commission last week approved a settlement agreement that establishes new rates in support of Indiana Michigan Power’s Michigan Plan, originally submitted last June. The agreement was reached between Indiana Michigan Power and parties representing the interests of consumers, environmentalists, businesses and the state of Michigan. MPSC approval provides I&M the opportunity to make significant investments in …

Michigan regulators have approved a rate increase for Indiana Michigan Power, though one significantly smaller than initially sought by the utility. The Michigan Public Service Commission approved an agreement Thursday allowing the Fort Wayne-based company to boost its Michigan customers’ rates by a total of $36.4 million annually. That’s about 38 percent lower than the proposed $58.5 million increase. Regulators …

A Wisconsin-based fast-food chain will be opening a store in Three Rivers next year. Construction on Culver’s started last month after passing through appropriate city channels in September and October. The eatery is expected to open in May or June. The new Culver’s is being built on the west side of U.S. 131, between the Oasis restaurant and Victory Lube. …

Michigan regulators have approved a 9.2% natural gas rate increase for 300,000 customers of SEMCO Energy Gas. The utility will use the nearly $20 million rate increase to replace gas mains and initiate an infrastructure reliability improvement program. The Port Huron-based company delivers natural gas to customers in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula and in parts of the …

Michigan would become the fifth state to require that egg-laying hens be housed in cage-free areas under legislation approved by the state House and backed as aligning farms with where the industry is headed. The main bill is part of a broader update of the state’s animal industry law. The measure would change and delay confinement standards for hens. Each …

Gerald R. Ford International Airport in western Michigan will add eight passenger gates during a $90 million expansion that is expected to create hundreds of jobs. The airport’s governing board says “Project Elevate” will enhance the airport and make more flights available to the public. The money will come from bonds, government grants and passenger fees. The Grand Rapids airport …

B&D Travel Consultants LLC will open with a new location on Monday. The company acquired All About Travel of Three Rivers within the last year, which helped the business grow. Currently, B&D Travel Consultants also has a Sturgis location. The new office in Three Rivers will be located at 140 W. Michigan Avenue. The company began in Sturgis back in …

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget says jobless rates during June were up six- to eight-tenths of a percentage point in southwest Michigan. Employment in St. Joseph County rose by 275 people from May, but is down by 200 compared to June 2018. There were 27,575 with jobs in June, but with the labor force increasing by 425, …

May’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was half a percent higher than the previous month. The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 4.2 percent May unemployment rate marked an increase from April’s 3.7 percent. St. Joseph County’s rate was slightly greater than the state unemployment average, which was 3.9 percent …