The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) declined a smaller-than-projected one percent in the second quarter of 2009, according to a report out today from the Commerce Department.
Though that performance marks the fourth straight quarter the U.S. economy has contracted, the drop was smaller than the expected 1.5 percent, and substantially less than the 6.4 percent [...]

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Citizens Financial Bank was honored today by the Board of the Munster Parks & Recreation Department for their continuing sponsorship of the Summer Concert Series. Citizens has been sponsoring the series for the past 11 years. The award was presented by Barb Holajter, Superintendent of Recreation, Munster Parks.
Theresa Mudd, Manager of Citizens Munster 45th Banking [...]

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The Tecumseh Area Partnership (Lafayette, IN) is one of just ten organizations nationwide receiving a share of $10 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to connect older Americans to career opportunities.
The Partnership, a workforce intermediary offering a variety of services, such as WorkKeys Assessments and networking opportunities, to employers and job seekers, [...]

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State representative Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) and Porter County officials are sparring over the proposed regional transportation authority (RTA). Meanwhile, St. Joseph County officials are getting behind LaPorte County’s efforts to delay the referendum on the RTA until next year. More here.
Crown Point, IN, is under consideration for an ethanol plant.
ArcelorMittal lost $792 million in the [...]

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A new statewide prescription assistance program, called Indiana Drug Card, is being launched today. The program, which will provide free drug cards to all Indiana residents, will provide pharmacy discounts on prescription drugs. This program has no restrictions on membership, no income requirements, no age limitations, and there are no applications to fill out. Indiana [...]

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The Center of Workforce Innovations received a $67,000 Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) grant from the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment & Training Services agency and from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
The objective of the VWIP funding is to identify emerging green jobs at local levels and recruit and train veterans to [...]

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Area car dealerships are getting a sales boost from the Federal “Cash for Clunkers” program.
LaPorte County may file suit to delay the November referendum on a proposed regional transportation authority until the primary elections in May 2010. This would allow the county to avoid spending $250,000 to hold a special election in November.
U.S. Steel reported [...]

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An Indiana trial court has awarded more than $42 million to current and former Indiana state employees who were required by the State of Indiana to work 40-hour workweeks from 1973 until 1993 even though other state employees holding the same positions were required by the State to work only 37.5-hour workweeks for exactly the [...]

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Continued upticks in unemployment are sapping consumer confidence, according to the latest Consumer Confidence Index from The Conference Board.
“Consumer confidence, which had rebounded strongly in late spring, has faded in the last two months,” said Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “The decline…was caused primarily by a worsening job market, as [...]

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Data through May 2009, released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show that, although still negative, the annual rate of decline of the 10-City and 20-City Composites improved for the fourth consecutive month in 2009.
The 10-City and 20-City Composites declined 16.8% and 17.1%, [...]

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