Business News: GF school hiring…GFK boardings & jobs

North Dakota’s unemployment rate fell slightly in April.  The state’s not seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 2.1 percent. The unemployment rate decreased 0.4 of a percentage point between March and April.  According to North Dakota Job Service a total of 8,957 residents were in search of work last month.

In the week ending May 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 264,000.  The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 29 were in California (2.4), New Jersey (2.2), Massachusetts (2.0), Alaska (1.7), Illinois (1.6), New York (1.6), Oregon (1.6), Rhode Island (1.6) and Minnesota (1.5).

Airline boardings across North Dakota continue to take off.  A total of 87,223 passengers hopped a flight in April.  That was up 14% over the same time one year ago.  With 115,258 available seats the passenger demand produced a load factor of 76%.  The number of successful flights totaled 1,432.  There were 42 flight cancellations.  Boardings at the Grand Forks Airport increased just over one-percent last month to 7,720.

The Grand Forks School Board is expected to name a new Director of Building and Grounds when they meet Monday night.  An interview team is recommending Jonathon Ellwein to the post.  Ellwein is the Maintenance Director for C & W Services/Core Scientific and is home-based in Grand Forks.  A total of three finalists were interviewed for the job.

Target has reported another quarterly profit decline and issued a cautious sales and profit outlook for the current period. The Minnesota-based discounter is dealing with rising costs and consumers who are more cautious about their spending.  Sales rose 0.6% to $25.32 billion in the quarter.

Work is slated to begin this spring on the third phase of a $7 million Whiskey Creek restoration designed to improve water quality, water quantity and wildlife habitat in and along the 20-mile-long Red River tributary and two ditches that outlet into the creek. The goal is to fix a decades-old erosion and flooding problems stemming from sediment buildup. It directly affects about 650 landowners. But the benefits of phosphorus and nitrogen reduction extend north to Lake Winnipeg, which has experienced blue-green algae blooms.

All North Dakota State Parks returned to full-service amenities on Friday. While the campgrounds are open year-round, some amenities are only available seasonally.  This season, guests are invited to stay in new cabins at Grahams Island State Park and Turtle River State Park.

The North Dakota Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced today that the North Dakota Senate and House Chambers will be closed for the summer for mechanical updates.  Due to the closures, there will be no weekend or holiday tours of the North Dakota State Capitol.  The closure will allow for complete replacement of the original, 1933 air handlers that serve the House and Senate Chambers.

The National Conference of State Bank Supervisors has elected North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Lise Kruse to chair its board of directors for 2023-24.  CSBS is the national organization of bank regulators from all 50 states, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. State regulators supervise roughly three-quarters of all U.S. banks and a variety of non-depository financial services.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has named Ekta Prakash as its Office of Public Engagement Director. Prakash will join DEED on May 31 after serving at CAPI USA – Immigrant Opportunity Center for 16 years.  DEED’s Office of Public Engagement works to connect with communities in Minnesota most impacted by racial and other disparities in employment.

Ford is recalling over 422,000 SUVs in the U.S. because the image from the rear camera may not be displayed. The recall covers certain Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators from the 2020 through 2023 model years, as well as 2020 through 2022 Lincoln Corsairs.

Altru has landed on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2023. This award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc.  Over 10,000 medical professionals were invited to participate in the survey. Only 384 winners were recognized on the Best Maternity Hospitals list.