It was 12.6 percent last month, according to The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. Unemployment was recorded at a 25,000 person increase, keeping Michigan at the No. 1 spot in unemployment in the nation with Oregon at 12.1 percent. South Carolina followed at 11.4 percent.

The state unemployment rate for March 2008 was 7.6 percent.

Rick Waclawek, director of the Michigan DLEG, said the auto industry is an obvious basis for Michigan’s continuing unemployment decline. The auto industry is coming back from the extended layoffs this year, he said.

“After the extra-long layoffs in the auto industry because of inventory levels, the industry is finally hiring many of their employees back in, which is good,” Waclawek said.

Michael Shields, an economics professor, said there are many reasons people are concerned about the auto industry.

“The auto industry really depends on many things for its future, including the decisions of Chrysler and General Motors,” Shields said.

Although unemployment rates continue to rise, some are recognizing positive notes for Michigan. For one, Waclawek said, recent jobloss rates have not gotten drastically worse.

“A silver lining is that there haven’t been any dramatic declines in the construction and retail industries, and health care has also been pretty temperate,” Waclawek said. Shields also agrees that even under the current conditions, “the economy is starting to look better.”

Isabella County has a lower unemployment rate compared to other Michigan counties, and Shields said it was because of the bigger businesses here.

“Not a lot of people are coming here to look for jobs or are losing jobs,” Shields said. “Plus, we have CMU and the casino, which are both big businesses.”

Looking at the nation’s unemployment status as a whole, the future still is at bay, Shields said.

“It worries me that Congress and the people are putting too much concern in the wrong place and will end up pulling a ‘Herbert Hoover’ type thing,” Shields said, and added that Congress and the public are “ideologically being lumped into Hooverism.”

Many believe that 2009 will be the lowest of years before the economy starts its recovery.

“I hope that we can start to really recover by next year, but it’s not guaranteed,” Shields said. “It could happen if there are no more bank-bailout type situations and everything can go smoothly.”

Waclawek said this has expanded to be more than just a problem in the U.S.

“It’s not just the nation’s future anymore, now there is a global economic downturn. When that turns around then Michigan will be able to,” Waclawek said.

metro@cm-life.com

The movie and video game rental store at 1022 S. Mission St., will close down toward the end of this month.

Linda Onstott, owner of Videoland, said she is closing down basically because of economic problems.

“The economy is just not in good shape around here or in Michigan for that matter,” Onstott said.

The store has been getting fewer and fewer customers, especially when finances are tight, she said. Since the lease for the building was already up at the end of April, it just seemed like a good choice, she said.

“I’m not sure of the exact percentages, but there has been a steady decline in both customers and sales in the last couple months,” Onstott said.

Online movie services like Netflix are also becoming a bigger problem for video rental stores, Onstott said, Netflix seems to be drawing everyone in because of its convenience.

“Netflix has reasonable prices, and customers don’t have to physically move to watch movies,” she said. “I definitely believe this growing trend could potentially affect many movie rental businesses besides just us.”

Onstott said right now there is a $2 table with movies for sale, but she does not know what sales specifically will be going on later this month.

“There will be closing sales during the last couple weeks of the month,” Onstott said.

In addition to competition, Onstott said that not being a chain business has only hurt the situation.

“It doesn’t help that people naturally prefer to go to chain businesses like Family Video or Blockbuster. Since Videoland is just a local business it often gets overlooked,” she said.

Not all movie rental places in town are hurting because of the economy, however.

Family Video floor manager Amanda Neil said the franchise store at 317 N. Mission St., has not been affected by the economic times.

“We are surprisingly doing okay right now. Sales have been steady and even up at times in the last few months,” Neil said.

Netflix has also not become an obstacle for Family Video, she said.

“I’m not sure if Videoland’s closure will make a difference in our sales or customers, but we are really hoping that it brings more people into the store,” Neil said.

metro@cm-life.com

In the 2008 Thomson Reuters list of 100 Top Hospitals, CMCH was recognized in the category of small community hospitals.

Eleven hospitals throughout Michigan made the list, including MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland, Mercy Hospital Cadillac, the University of Michigan hospitals and health centers, and Gratiot Medical Center of Alma.

According to Thomson Reuters, an international business information company, the winners were determined by an executive-level scorecard that measures leadership, the success of organizational improvement strategies and the impact of executive decisions.

“One of the biggest challenges is that there are so many focuses that are necessary to observe in a hospital in order to make decisions,” said CEO and president of CMCH Bill Lawrence.

CMCH opened in 1943 as a not-for-profit, locally governed community hospital.

The hospital employs about 700 people and went through a workforce reduction in July 2008, losing 30 staff members that leaders at the time attributed to low patient volumes, decreased payments from third-parties, an increase in bad debt and charity care, and increases in fuel, food and expenses.

This was the hospital’s second time receiving the award, the first was in 1993.

“As of this fiscal year, we finished up a $3 million renovation project on our emergency medical specialist, the emergency room facilities,” said Gregg Beeg, the chief financial officer of CMCH.

This year, the hospital announced a new all-inclusive joint replacement program for individuals undergoing a total joint replacement.

Lawrence said CMCH is planning the construction of a cardiac cauterization lab and the peripheral vascular service line, part of a “cardiovascular initiative.”

metro@cm-life.com

Keep your money in the mitten.

State pride is in vogue when it comes to keeping your money close to home. And while buying local isn’t a new idea, it’s certainly in fashion as the recession continues to shrink the state’s economy.

Everything from the cars you drive to the food you eat has the potential to make an impact.

These are the facts, according to the State Department of Agriculture:

If every Michigan family spent $10 on locally grown fruits and vegetables each week, it would add $37 million to the state’s economy.

As the state’s second-largest industry, agriculture generated $63.7 billion and employed about 1 million Michiganians in 2008.

Michigan is the country’s second most agriculturally diverse state, with more than 200 commodities – dairy, wine and horticulture chief among them.

One of the Motor City’s own, Better Made Snack Foods, has been one of the longest lasting chip companies since 1930. Better Made offers a variety of snack products including potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn, said Catherine Gusmano, manager of the Better Made retail factory in Detroit.

Better Made distributes its products throughout the state in stores such as Kroger, Meijer, and Wal-Mart, she said.

“Even though bigger businesses offer advantages, Better Made helps Michigan’s economy by using locally grown potatoes in their production process,” Gusmano said.

“Reservation of the earth is always important; we do our best to keep that in mind.”

After 102 years, Faygo still bleeds Michigan colors after being created in Detroit by Ben and Perry Felgenson.

Known for serving soda pop, flavored waters and mixers throughout the Midwest, The company currently has 51 flavors of Faygo, and new flavors are produced every year.

“Flavors that are always popular among customers are Redpop, Orange, Grape, and Rock & Rye,” he said.

He said Faygo tries to support Michigan companies as much as possible, but it’s not always easy to get ingredients and capitol locally.

“Every state is protective of their own kind of products, and Faygo supports Michigan-made products 100 percent,” Rosenthal said.

St. John’s Michigan Mint produces sweet treats from mint chocolate to cherry almond. The company buys top-shelf mint that is harvested from over 4,000 farms throughout Michigan.

Heather Hanover, owner of Michigan Mint, said that the company tries to be creative with their products in order to keep up with customers’ needs.

Hanover also agreed that having a locally owned business provides benefits for the economy.

“Michigan Mint is able to generate jobs in the area and give local farmers more business,” she said.

Koegel Meats, Inc. started in the early 1900s by Albert Koegel, and is still selling products throughout Michigan.

Students can enjoy Koegel meats from pork to salami in local retail locations like Kroger, Meijer, or Ric’s Food Center. President of Koegel Meats, Inc. in Flint John Koegel said that Koegel tries to use as many local supplies as possible.

“Although there are no major slaughter plants in Michigan, we try to get some items locally, like the packaging materials we get from Owosso,” Koegel said.

“We also get all of our support, like fixing and repair jobs, from local vendors.”

Mountain Town Station, W. Broadway St., has steaks, a brewery, and a wine shop– all Michigan-made products. Mayor of Mt. Pleasant and owner, Jim Holton, said that Mountain Town’s brewery is especially popular and sells hand-crafted flavors all over the state.

“We also sell a variety of Michigan focused foods like our Maple Vinaigrette Dressing, which is made of maple syrup straight from farms in Shepherd.”

Holton said that Mountain Town tries their best to keep everything local because “local is key.” Producing and selling Michigan-made products can bring advantages.

“Unlike chain companies, every time we make profits we donate right back to the community in schools, churches, and non-profit organizations,” he said. It’s important to be able to help throughout state-wide communities, he said.

features@cm-life.com

At an all-time low, job prospects in Michigan are dismal.

Seventy-eight counties out of 83 in Michigan reported an increase of nearly 2 percent in jobless rates, according to the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. Isabella County was positioned at the bottom of the list at 7.2 percent.

According to the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth the state’s unemployment rate for February was 12 percent, the highest it has been since January 1984. It was a slight increase from January’s 11.6 percent, while the U.S. jobless rate for February was 8.1 percent.

Currently, Michigan holds the number one spot for unemployment in the country, said Rick Waclawek, director of the state Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

“Rhode Island was the only state to beat Michigan out once for the highest unemployment rate in the last 12 months,” he said, with the northern counties in the Lower Peninsula being the worst.

As of January, Mackinac County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 27.6 percent, he said.

“There has been an economic downturn in the northern counties, especially in the winter because skiing and snowmobiling are down this year,” Waclawek said. “There is just less money to spend on leisure and travel.”

Future of unemployment,

industry in Michigan

Almost all major industries in the state, including business, retail and construction, recorded unemployment increases according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

There are numerous plans and propositions being made to help unemployment.

“No Worker Left Behind is one of the main things being done to help,” he said. “This offers education and training to the unemployed so they can earn the skills and degrees they need in order to get jobs.”

Professor of economics Michael Shields said that Gov. Jennifer Granholm is very concerned about trying to bring jobs into Michigan.

“The governor is trying to diversify the structure of employment so that other types of jobs can be created,” Shields said.

The federal stimulus package is another large opportunity that will focus on “shovel-ready projects” and construction, Waclawek said. Shields said the $787 billion bill will help, but is too small.

“Although it will help some, the stimulus package is not sufficiently large enough to bring us out of a recession,” Shields said. “Michigan cannot do much in short-term because they have a balanced, limited budget within the state.”

While the future for unemployment is unknown, Shields thinks it could take some time to recover.

“There will be visible effects for the future, but this year will pretty much be in bad condition,” Shields said. “Michigan should be able to bottom out by the end of the year and start on the road to recovery.”

metro@cm-life.com

The Gender Equity Survey will be available for all Central Michigan University students in an online process when they register for fall courses.

Steve Smith, director of media relations, said the survey will run through the end of August.

“In short, the survey is designed to gather student interest on how the university is meeting its athletic activities standards between the genders,” Smith said.

Westland junior Blaise Badynee said the Gender Equity Survey is a good idea, especially given the recent news about the women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara.

Guevara and the university are the target of a lawsuit brought by former player Brooke Heike, alleging the coach displayed sexual bias when she revoked Heike’s scholarship.

“Hopefully it will help students figure out where they stand on the gender issue, or even better, give the university ideas for how to improve,” Badynee said.

The survey also is known as the Title Nine Model Survey and was created by the federal Department of Education, said Mary Roy, assistant university general counsel.

“The Title Nine Survey is used as a tool to measure compliance,” she said. “The survey helps determine if the abilities of the undermined sexes, in this case women, are being met at the university.”

She said the survey will be administered to the entire student body online.

“The survey will be at the end of the registration process so every student will see it,” Roy said.

The survey is convenient, Roy said, and takes less than five minutes to complete.

“It’s not an annual thing. The survey will only be done once, and based on the results it probably won’t have to be done again for several years,” she said.

Badynee, a member of the Infusion club dance team, said both men and women are capable of being great dancers.

“Gender shouldn’t matter in athletic activities, and if a survey will help people figure that out, then it’s definitely a good thing,” she said.

metro@cm-life.com

It is not always easy for disabled people to get around during the long Michigan winters.

Daryl Hertema of Mount Pleasant saw his mother struggle with transportation in the snowy weather and came up with a solution.

After Hertema’s mother underwent a heart attack and a stroke and lost her peripheral vision, Hertema started working on an off-road mobile wheelchair that would help her get around more easily.

“We really want to make it something people can perform tasks with,” he said.

He created one for his mother, and for the last two years he has been working on forming his creation into a product.

“Many industry people have been contributing and I have been seeking out consultants and contractors throughout the project,” he said.

A Central Michigan University research team has helped develop the invention for market.

“There are currently 10 of the machines being built, and they will be put out into the market in states throughout the Midwest by April, just in time for turkey season,” Hertema said. “Pricing will be between $10,000 and $14,000.”

Hertema said the machine is an all-terrain vehicle targeted toward people who may not be able to get around as easily or maintain outdoor tasks and hobbies anymore.

The vehicle will eventually come with different features for activities such as snowplowing, ice fishing and even a maneuvering chair for hunting, he said. It will be able to go around 12 to 13 miles per hour with great stability for hilly or steep land.

As an Iowa State graduate with a mechanical engineering degree, Hertema also worked at John Deere and Dow Chemical, giving him background knowledge that helped him, he said.

Of course the project has had its challenges. He said that a big challenge for the product has been naming it.

“It’s technically not a wheelchair, but it is a mobility unit that’s all-terrain and user friendly. I’ve hired some marketing consultants to help with the right name,” he said.

“One of my biggest challenges personally has been just trying to understand others’ limitations when they can’t get around,” he said.

Hertema said he is very hopeful for the machine’s future because it got big customer interest at two expo shows in the past year.

metro@cm-life.com

With discussion across the country about environmental issues, flex fuel is one topic raising questions and curiosities in Mid-Michigan.

Flex fuel, otherwise known as E85 ethanol-fuel, is slowly being introduced at gas stations around the country as an alternative fuel option.

According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, E85 is a motor fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

The Citgo on Pickard Street has offered E85 since May 2008, said David Coyne, president of the Coyne Oil Corp.

The station, 910 W. Pickard Road, is independently owned, “so it was our personal choice to install the E85 tanks,” Coyne said.

Michelle Kautz, deputy director of NEVC, said that there are 1,960 stations around the nation that offer E85 and 98 are in Michigan, putting Michigan in the top 10 states with the highest number of E85 fuel tanks.

“The E85 fuel burns cleaner than gas, is less dependable on oil, fuels like gasoline, and people can switch back and forth between regular gas and E85,” she said.

The reason there is not more of it is because the product is scarce outside of the west coast, she said.

Skeptics decry ethanol as a poor substitute to petroleum based gasoline because of the amount of energy that goes into the production from corn to fuel.

Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates an increase in the use of biofuels, including ethanol, through the year 2022.

“Chrysler, General Motors and Ford all promised to produce at least half of their vehicles with the flex fuel option,” she said.

The flex fuel prices differ from regular gasoline depending on several variations.

“Last year when gas was really high, flex fuel was about 40 cents cheaper than regular gas. Now E85 costs about the same as regular unleaded because although gas prices are down, corn prices are still up,” Coyne said.

“Some customers currently use our flex fuel, but it’s basically farmers and people who are willing to pay more for vehicles that take E85,” he said.

Brad Blair, manager of the Blodgett Shell Food Mart, 1911 S. Mission St., said the E85 option has been in use for several months at Shell

“As more people buy hybrids and flex fuel vehicles, the trend should increase,” Blair said.

Using E85 is no harder than pumping normal gasoline, Kautz said. There is a label to guide customers.

“At Citgo, the flex fuel pump works just like the other pumps. The only difference is the nozzle and fittings are made of nickel, and the tank is made of fiber glass in order to handle the amount of ethanol,” Coyne said.

Pocket to pump

- (AP) – AAA Michigan states gasoline prices have risen 6 cents per gallon over the past week to a statewide average of $1.96.

- The auto club said the statewide average is $1.07 per gallon less than last year at this time.

- Of the cities it surveys, AAA Michigan says the cheapest price for self-serve regular fuel is in the Saginaw/Bay City area, where it’s $1.90 a gallon. w The highest average can be found in the Marquette area at $2.04.

- The statewide average for biodiesel is $2.41 and $1.86 for ethanol.

- Dearborn-based AAA Michigan surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily.

metro@cm-life.com

Dressed up like a cowboy and wearing sunglasses, Luke Smith, the volunteer assistant wrestling coach decided to take a chance at speed dating.

“I’m sort of on the bubble about it. I’m nervous, but anxious to meet everyone,” Smith said. “The whole place looks pretty well-decorated; it kind of puts you in the mood.”

Smith was one of 47 love-bound individuals willing to test the waters of love at six-minute intervals at the Bovee University Center Thursday night.

The speed daters took their seats under the dimmed lights at the 30 red and pink candle-lit tables. The mood was set by the a cappella choir, Central Harmony. Then, participants went on 10 six minute dates.

The event ended up coming out on top with more speed daters than expected.

The event coordinator and Mount Pleasant graduate assistant Sally Engler said that 33 people pre-registered for the event, including nine males.

“We are really happy with the outcome of people, since we had more show up,” Engler said. “We thought we were going to be extremely shy of guys, but incidentally, we ended up having more guys than girls.”

The Physical Therapy Department hosted the event and raised about $500 for “Hands for Health,” a program that provides physical therapy evaluations and treatments for people without insurance.

They fell short of their goal of hosting 100 participants and raising $1,000.

Houghton graduate student William Suits signed up to support the cause.

“I didn’t sign up out of obligation. I know where the profits are going, and I know it’s for a great cause,” he said.

Many speed daters started the night out with apprehension, not knowing what to expect. Grand Haven sophomore Courtney Stanley expected a fun experience, but said she had a “creeped out” feeling.

“Since I don’t really know what to expect, I’m hoping it doesn’t turn out to be like the speed dating scene from ’40 Year Old Virgin,’” Stanley said. “Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, though, so I might as well go through with it.”

studentlife@cm-life.com

Love will be in the air Thursday in the Bovee University Center Rotunda Room.

Central Michigan University’s Physical Therapy department is hosting a charity speed dating event from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday.

“Along with soda and entertainment from Central Harmony, it’s just a great way to meet people,” said Mount Pleasant graduate student Sally Engler.

Dates will last six minutes, and each person will be asked to rate each person according to how interested or uninterested they are about hearing from their date in the future.

Natalie Dacho, a Midland graduate student, said the event will provide a new social atmosphere for people to experience.

“I would definitely encourage people to come because it’s the only chance you get to go on 10 dates in one night and help out a good cause at the same time,” Dacho said.

Engler said they are hoping to get about 100 speed daters to make the event a success, and raise $1,000 by the end of Thursday night. Individuals may pre-register daily until the event and must remember to bring their CMU ID to speed dating in order to affirm that they are students.

Benefits will go to the Physical Therapy department’s pro-bono program “Hands for Health.”

Tickets are $10 per person for pre-registry and $12 at the door for 10 dates. For pre-registry, individuals are asked to e-mail their name, gender and gender preference to cmuspeeddating@gmail.com.

Engler said the event will benefit individuals in the Mount Pleasant area and surrounding communities who are uninsured or under-insured.

The “Hands for Health” program provides the people without insurance with physical therapy evaluations and treatments, as well as low-cost necessary medical equipment, she said.

Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase materials, equipment, and rehabilitation items for “Hands for Health.”

studentlife@cm-life.com