GF Business News: GFK traffic…gambling & snow tires

A survey of grocery shoppers’ spending habits and attitudes by the Food Industry Association suggests while U.S. consumers remain concerned about rising food prices they are less likely to cut back on the number of items they purchase.  Among those who are concerned about rising food prices, only 32% in February reported buying fewer items as a strategy to address rising prices, down from 41% in October.

North Dakota taxable sales and purchases climbed 17.7% in calendar year 2022.  S & P’s totaled $23.9 billion dollars. The North Dakota Tax Department says 14 of the 15 major industry sectors posted gains.  A closer look at the numbers show Fargo climbed 5.1%…Grand Forks 4.7%…and Bismarck reported a 3.7% increase.

Minnesota’s unemployment rate inched down two-tenths of a percent to 2.8% in March 2023 from February.  Minnesota lost 5,700 jobs, down 0.2%, from February to March on a seasonally adjusted basis. The private sector lost 6,100 jobs, down 0.2%. Government jobs grew by 400 in Minnesota over the month.

Traffic through North Dakota’s eight commercial airports reached 101,146 passengers in March.  That’s an almost 4% increase from the same period one year ago.  The numbers also reflect the highest level of monthly airline passenger traffic seen in North Dakota over the last three years.  A total of 9,320 people passed through the gates at the Grand Forks Airport in March.  Boardings at the GFK for the first three months of 2023 are up 5.9%.

The Grand Forks council has set a public hearing date May 15th on a PILOT request from Enclave Companies to construct an industrial building near I-29.  The 100,000 square foot building to be called The Exchange would target prospective industrial customers.  The tax breaks would help support the $12 million dollar project investment.

Katherine Preszler has joined the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC) as its Workforce Development Specialist.  Preszler comes to the EDC with experience in operations, video production, and project management from the production company, Twin Tandem.

While two-thirds of the country now offers legal sports betting, only six states offer online casino gambling, confounding industry hopes that the rapid growth of sports betting would also bring internet casino wagering along with it.  By contrast, 33 states plus Washington, D.C. offer legal sports betting.

Volunteers with Minnesota’s Adopt a Highway Program collected 38,500 bags of trash from ditches and medians in 2022.  Collectively the 1,860 highway groups volunteered over 88,000 hours last year.  The Adopt a Highway program has been part of MnDOT’s maintenance operations since 1990.

Michelin is recalling more than 542,000 light truck tires in the U.S. because they don’t have enough traction to work in all snowy conditions. The recall covers certain Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric tires that Michelin says don’t meet U.S. snow tire safety standards. Dealers will replace the tires at no cost to owners.