America’s employers unleashed a burst of hiring in March, adding 916,000 jobs in a sign that a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen. The March increase — the most since August — was nearly double February’s gain of 468,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate declined from 6.2% to 6%.
U.S. consumer confidence surged in March to the highest reading in a year, helped by increased vaccinations and more government economic support. The Conference Board says its consumer confidence index rose to 109.7 in March, the best showing since it stood at 118.8 in March of last year as the pandemic was beginning to hit the United States.
A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests that strong economic growth will continue over the next few months. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says businesses in the area have recovered about half of the roughly 120,000 jobs lost last year when states imposed restrictions related to the coronavirus. The survey includes North Dakota and Minnesota.
Rising commodity prices, good weather and two rounds of government aid in 2020 led Minnesota farmers to their most profitable year in nearly a decade. A report from the University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence pegs median farm net income at nearly $107,000 last year following seven years of low profitability. By contrast, from 2013 to 2019, the state’s median annual farm profit hovered between about $27,000 and $42,700.
North Dakota has the 38th highest tax burden in the U.S according to an analysis by WalletHub. The financial website looked at three major tax types in compiling the analysis: Property taxes…income taxes…plus sales and excise taxes. New York was tops on the “tax burden” list. Alaska was at the bottom of the heap. Minnesota was ranked sixth on the list.
The University of North Dakota this week hired a search firm to help fill the post vacated by Eric Plummer. The former vice president for public safety and chief of police resigned March 1st to accept a new job at the Radford University in Virginia. UND Police Captain Tracy Meidinger is serving as interim chief of police.
North Dakota-based Knife River Corporation has received permitting to expand operational capabilities at its Honey Creek quarry northwest of Austin, Texas. The permit allows the company to add a third crusher and wash screen, and extend operational hours. River purchased this 570-acre property in 2019. The site produces construction aggregates for internal and external supply, including for asphalt and ready-mix concrete production.
Delta Air Lines will stop blocking middle seats in May, meaning that no more U.S. airlines will limit capacity on flights to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Delta’s announcement Wednesday reverses a policy that had been in place since last April. At one time, several other airlines including Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue had also limited seating, while United never did and American did only for a short time. Delta CEO Ed Bastian says nearly 65% of people who flew on Delta last year expect to have at least one dose of the new vaccines by May 1, giving Delta the confidence to sell flights to full capacity.
According to FAA numbers The Grand Forks Airport was the busiest airport in the nation for several days in March. GFK’s combination of passenger flights and UND flight training topped all other airports in the U.S. on March 1-3 and March 8th. During the multi-day streak, GFK’s tower relayed as many as 2,000 instructions to pilots taking off and landing in a given day.
Honda is recalling more than 628,000 vehicles in the U.S. to replace fuel pumps that can fail, causing the engines to stall. The recall covers much of the Honda and Acura model lineup from the 2018 to 2020 model years including the CR-V small SUV, the company’s top-selling U.S. vehicle. The company says the impeller, which is the rotating part of the pump, could be defective.
Most of the regional sports networks began a new chapter Wednesday as they switched over from Fox Sports to Bally Sports. The rebranding of 19 regional networks has been nearly a two-year process after they were purchased by the Sinclair Broadcast Group from Walt Disney Company for $10 billion in 20 Those regional networks that fall under the Bally Sports banner hold the local rights to 42 professional teams – 16 NBA, 14 MLB and 12 NHL.19.
A longtime UND Biology professor and prolific researcher in corn genetics, will receive the 2021 R. Emerson Lifetime Maize Genetics Award from the Maize Genetics Cooperation. William “Bill” Sheridan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, and followed this with research at Yale, the University of Missouri, and ultimately at UND. He has been a UND faculty member since 1975.
A Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed April (2021) Technology month in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Labor Market Information (LMI) Office, the state of Minnesota is home to about 110,000 people working in Information Technology occupations. That’s about 3.8% of total employment in Minnesota,
The Bryce Vine concert at Alerus Center, sponsored by UND Student Government, scheduled for May 1, 2021 has been rescheduled to August 20, 2021. Fans holding event tickets to the previously scheduled Bryce Vine concert can use them for the August 20th date. Fans who would like a refund can contact the Alerus Center box office at (701) 792-1417.
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