Business

A key player in the reign of terror that had motorists electing to pay cash inside rather than risk stolen IDs through hidden gas pump skimmers last year has been convicted following a four-day jury trial in Grand Rapids, and court authorities are warning anyone else with the idea of trying that scheme going forward, “You will be caught.” Federal Court officials say that 44-year old Antonio DeJesus Perez-Martinez of Austin, Texas was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire-fraud, credit account fraud, and aggravated identity theft, as the last of eight defendants charged in the case.... ...Read Full Story

The crew at Wightman & Associates in Benton Harbor is getting pretty good at statewide recognition for the great work that they perform. For the third consecutive year they are bringing home hardware from MDOT and the organization that represents paving companies across the state.... ...Read Full Story

A Dowagiac business owner learned the hard way last night that it’s not a good idea to leave your vehicle unattended and running even if you’re just headed back into your building for something you forgot, or to take care of business however brief that business may be. During his brief absence, his 2010 Jeep Wrangler was stolen from his own parking lot while he tended to business.... ...Read Full Story

In a day where there are huge supermarkets scattered across the landscape yet hunger is a daily threat and concern for thousands of people, you have to be heartened by word this week of a new record set by the Meijer Simply Give program which helps replenish food pantries across the state and the region to feed hungry families.... ...Read Full Story

A Chicago-based artist who has admittedly endured a “lifelong obsession” with the color blue, will open a new exhibition of her abstract works of art in the Benton Harbor Arts District’s ARS Gallery beginning in mid-February, for everyone to discover and enjoy.... ...Read Full Story

How do you serve more than 750 eager diners a sampling of 27 different chilis all in a single night’s work? You simply join the fun of the 5th Annual Downtown Chili Tour sponsored by St. Joseph Today and Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ last Friday night.... ...Read Full Story

Community organizers looking for a little extra lift in a particular project might want to contact a Realtor nearby. Once again the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors will be offering grants to community and/or neighborhood organizations for creating small, inexpensive, and incremental community projects.  The projects should foster activities that can help to improve a neighborhood and make it a better place to live, work, and play. The Association’s grant program is called “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Placemaking Challenge”.... ...Read Full Story

What do you feel would make the commercial district around The Orchards Mall in Benton Harbor a better place to work, shop and play? The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission wants your input and hopes you will share your thoughts and ideas on the evening of February 8th from 6pm until 8pm at The Orchards Mall.... ...Read Full Story

In very short order you will no longer be able to shop for Sealy or Tempurpedic Mattresses at Mattress Firm in the Fairplain Plaza in Benton Harbor, or any other Mattress Firm store nationwide, for that matter, following failed negotiations between the two companies on new terms going forward. Tempur Sealy International has issued formal termination notices for all of their brands to Mattress Firm, and will cease doing business with the massive retail chain during this first quarter of the year.... ...Read Full Story

If you think that President Trump’s focus on international trade isn’t critical, perhaps a new report from the Economic Policy Institute will enlighten. That new report tells us that the United States lost 3.4-million jobs, an overwhelming majority of them in manufacturing, in the 14-year span of 2001 to 2015 due to our surging trade deficit with China. Michigan manufacturers alone lost 93,600 jobs over that time span.... ...Read Full Story

A number of people in Michigan, including some in Michigan’s Great Southwest, have been unfairly accused of unemployment fraud after computer issues at the state, or their identities were stolen or they were involved in some other scheme, and now the Michigan Talent Investment Agency is doing something about it for those people.... ...Read Full Story

Every classic car collector has a deep and abiding love for the vehicles he or she has managed to acquire over a lifetime in the endeavor. Naturally, they tend to feel that they have the very best, but they also know that most of the time the Holy Grail is still out there, eluding them. That’s what makes classic car shows such huge hits regardless of how many cars are on the scene. When it comes to which show is the best, the Holy Grail tends to gravitate toward the Lake Bluff Concours d’Elegance of Southwest Michigan.... ...Read Full Story

The sweetheart deal that places Whirlpool Corporation products into every home built by the seventh-largest public homebuilder in the United States has been renewed. The contract with Meritage Homes, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, makes Whirlpool the exclusive provider of major appliances in every new home built including Amana, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, and Jenn-Air brand appliances.... ...Read Full Story

There should be plenty to think about next month when local Girl Scouts take time out to recognize and celebrate World Thinking Day 2017. With multiple countries due to be represented in the grand affair at St. Joseph Public High School, and immigration and the roles of refugees clearly on the minds of millions, the annual event will likely take on special significance this year.... ...Read Full Story

Modern manufacturers stress daily the need for students to be well versed in STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Now a unique program in our region is gaining momentum and you can help them to build up some steam through a fundraising event next month at Silver Beach Pizza.... ...Read Full Story

As the global leader in the manufacturing of appliances large and small, Whirlpool’s team of innovators is always in search of the very best integrated supply chain management professionals in the world. The fact that the top two integrated supply chain management training programs in the world are both housed nearby right here in Michigan provides outstanding access to the best new talent arriving on the scene. Michigan State University is the top ranked program and Western Michigan University is right on its heels.... ...Read Full Story

In a day and age where your personal information is under continuous assault by bad guys trying to steal your identity as well as your stuff, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is using the occasion of tomorrow’s designation at Data Privacy Day to deal out some tips to help your protect the privacy of your personal data.... ...Read Full Story

Income tax refunds mean money and money will always draw the crooks out of the woodwork. That’s why the Michigan Department of Treasury is cautioning Michigan tax preparers to be alert for a new two-part email scheme targeting tax professionals nationwide.... ...Read Full Story

Online visitors worldwide will soon have access to virtually the entire Lake to Grapes region represented by the Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance or CGA, as they are known for short. The Chamber debuted the kick-off of what they are calling the SuperTour 360 — a virtual tour of the entire community that can drill down to each individual business or organization in town for a fly-by tour of the business itself both inside and out.... ...Read Full Story

Rapid response to the interest rate market by the Southwestern Michigan College administration and Board of Trustees will save district taxpayers some $2-million over the remaining life of the bond debt that helped major construction projects on the Dowagiac campus.... ...Read Full Story

Emergency action has been taken to protect the health, welfare, and safety of children involved in a child care group home whose license has been summarily suspended by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Community & Health Systems today.... ...Read Full Story

Growth in Kalamazoo and Indianapolis, coupled with new offices in Grand Rapids and Fort Wayne joined integration of three acquisitions in leading the way for Horizon Bancorp to achieve record 2016 net income in earning reports this week from the holding company’s headquarters in Michigan City, Indiana.... ...Read Full Story

Chemical Financial Corporation, holding company to the wide-ranging Chemical Bank with branches throughout Michigan’s Great Southwest, has posted dramatically increased earnings for the fourth quarter of 2016, driven in part by their acquisition of Talmer Bank which was finalized late in the summer of the year.... ...Read Full Story

A three-month run-up of some 27-percent in the stock price at Whirlpool Corporation began sinking rapidly even before the market opened today after the Benton Harbor-based appliance giant reported quarterly and annual earnings this morning. Shares had fallen by more than 4.5-percent in pre-market trading, recovered ever so briefly when they rang the bell, and then went into a dive dropping to as low as $175.00 per share in the first half-hour of active trading on Wall Street. The stock closed above $190.00 per share at the end of the business day Wednesday. While the company reported a rise in sales, they also posted lower-than-expected profits in the fourth quarter and fell short of the street’s expectations.... ...Read Full Story

To say that 2016 was a busy year for first-responders and rescue teams in the South Haven Emergency Services unit would be somewhat of an understatement. In fact, reality is that the team logged a record number of incident response calls during calendar ’16 according to the team’s Executive Director Ronald Wise.... ...Read Full Story

Okay, admittedly this is likely going to be one of those stories where you think to yourself, “tell me something I didn’t already know!” We Michigan drivers are paying some of the highest automobile insurance premiums in the entire nation. That’s the sobering news from data released this month by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).... ...Read Full Story

When Keith Stelter owned and operated Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. in Niles, he maintained a steady drumbeat contending that inaction on the Keystone XL Pipeline was keeping his company from expanding dramatically. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify before the United States Congress on the issue. So, it’s sadly ironic that the company that he sold two years ago will cease operations in Niles by this summer, after word comes literally hours after President Donald Trump signed executive orders breathing new life into the pipeline project.... ...Read Full Story

The namesake behind the Art Van Furniture chain across the Midwest reports today that he is selling the company to one of the world’s oldest and most experience private equity firms. For the first time in nearly 60-years Art Van Elslander will no longer play a role at the 100+ store chain in five Midwestern states.... ...Read Full Story

The age old song 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall will virtually come to life right before your very eyes this spring thanks to the 8th Annual Art of Beer Festival at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center in mid-March. Perhaps the best juxtaposition of all is that it falls this year on the St. Patty’s Day weekend.... ...Read Full Story

When Anytime Fitness opened in St. Joseph eleven years ago it was only the second Anytime Fitness facility anywhere in the state of Michigan, and over the ensuing several years it was expanded on three separate occasions to accommodate the huge influx of eager fitness fans who loved the concept of having a key to the front door that they could use anytime they wanted 24/7/365.... ...Read Full Story