LANSING - Many Michigan legislators will be pushing new measures to register mortgage lenders and prevent predatory practices, as they grapple with the fallout of the sub-prime mortgage crisis."We have to make sure financial institutions are working in a manner that is consistent with the...
Question: We recently completed some home improvements. I've heard that there may be some tax credits or rebates available if you've made your home more energy efficient. We replaced some windows and remodeled our kitchen and bought new appliances. We also replaced our very...
A professional payroll service can save your business time and money. Preparation of payroll, the associated tax returns and remittance of the related taxes can be stressful for your staff and uses up their available time needed to perform other important tasks. The payroll tax...
Frank Siepker, 32, makes his living as an engineer, where he's precise and practical. On his days off, however, he admits he's looking "for an adrenalin rush" and has found it in the popular world of off-roading. Siepker, a manager at Cherryland Electric Cooperative, is one of...
REGION - Banking institutions have long been good neighbors when it comes to giving back. Here in Traverse City, where at last count 16 different banks are doing business, they have created a strong charitable engine. Some have foundations with fairly deep pockets, some don't....
Hard to believe now, but two decades ago, less than a dozen wineries existed in Michigan. Among those early adopters were Chateau Grand Traverse on Old Mission, Boskydel, L. Mawby and Leelanau Cellars on the Leelanau Peninsula, and St. Julian and Tabor Hill in the southwest. The...
TRAVERSE CITY - Eastern medicine, or "alternative medicine" as many westerners think of it, is a growing presence in healthcare in this community.Jill Donberg established Grand Traverse Natural Healthcare in early January with a focus on bringing an understanding of eastern healing practices to the...
TRAVERSE CITY - When Joe Short opened a small brewery in downtown Bellaire, he had no idea if the venture would be successful. Selling complex ales and lagers in a village of 1,200 residents was a risky undertaking. Would anyone even show up? Short needn't...
You have just come up with the best idea since American capitalism began - or at least you think it is. It may be the proverbial better mousetrap or the widget to end all widgets. You may have spent years in the machine shop or...
Imagine this: an out-of-town, multi-millionaire opens a business in downtown Traverse City. He doesn't pay any property tax, won't pay most of his staff, creates one or two direct-paid jobs and perhaps a handful of indirect minimum wage jobs, and he wants the...
