Business News: GF wages…parking & swim fees

America’s consumers rebounded last month from a weak holiday shopping season by boosting their spending at stores and restaurants at the fastest pace in almost two years, underscoring the economy’s resilience in the face of higher prices and multiple interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Retail sales jumped 3% in January, after having sunk the previous two months. It was the largest one-month increase since March 2021. Driving the gain was a jump in car sales, along with healthy spending at restaurants, electronics stores and furniture outlets.

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The pace of consumer price increases eased again in January compared with a year earlier, the latest sign that the high inflation that has gripped Americans for nearly two years is slowing. At the same time, Tuesday’s consumer price report showed that inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy remain stubborn and are likely to fuel price spikes well into this year.

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North Dakota’s total employment increased 2.7 percent on a year-over-year basis in Q3 to 414,476, a gain of 11,092 jobs. Average weekly wages were $1,190, higher by 10.7 percent from the same quarter one year prior. Grand Forks County gained 813 jobs. Average weekly wages in the county were slightly below the statewide average at $1,073 dollars.

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The City of Grand Forks is looking to hire Interstate Parking to help manage and operate the downtown municipal parking system. The three year contract would come at a cost of $147,610 dollars. The municipal parking systems includes the Central and Corporate Ramps…and surface lots at Riverboat Road and Division Avenue.

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The East Grand Forks EDA is ready to dole out a $149,000 dollar loan to Pierce Investments LLC to help construct a 7,000 square foot addition for Hawkes Manufacturing and Dakota Peat. The expansion will house two new laser cutters designed to boost production. The cost of the build is estimated at $600,000 dollars. The 10 year loan is at a one-percent interest rate. The EGF council is expected to endorse the note this week.

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Park and Rec fees for summer programs in East Grand Forks would climb under a preliminary rate schedule under consideration. The revenue increase is designed to keep up with the rising costs of utilities, supplies, and staffing. Swimming rates would go up a dollar for children and adults. The family pass would climb $40 dollars per season under the plan.

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The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide workforce development and employment training opportunities to economically disadvantaged or at-risk youth ages 14-24 through the Youth at Work Competitive Grant program. A total of nearly $3.9 million is available for distribution.

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Minnesota State has named five finalists in the search for the next president of Minnesota State University Moorhead. The candidates are Mohamed Abousalem, Tim Downs, Scott Furlong, Arrick Jackson, and Jodi Kupper. They are scheduled to conduct campus visits between Feb. 22 and Feb. 24 The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is expected to consider Chancellor Devinder Malhotra’s recommendation at its March 22, 2023 meeting.

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The Downtown Development Association is looking to partner with Half Brothers and Rhombus in staging the Average Person Winter Olympics in Town Square. Teams will compete in such events as the sled relay and speed dressing. The date for the Grand Forks event is March 4th. The city council is expected to OK a noise variance and letter of intent for co-mingling this week.

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U.S. safety regulators have pressured Tesla into recalling nearly 363,000 vehicles with its “Full Self-Driving” system because it can misbehave around intersections and doesn’t always follow speed limits. The recall came after regulators expressed concerns about the way Tesla’s system responds in certain cases along roads.

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McDonald’s McNuggets are going fowl-free. The Chicago-based fast food giant will introduce its first plant-based McNuggets next week. Germany is the first market to get them. The nuggets are made from peas, corn and wheat. They’re the second product McDonald’s has co-developed with Beyond Meat, a California-based maker of plant-based meats. McDonald’s has been selling a McPlant burger in some European markets since 2021.