GF Business News - knoxradio

Doug Barrett | Dec 22, 2018 AT 5:16 pm

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Ford is recalling more than 410,000 F-Series pickup trucks with engine block heaters in the U.S. because they can catch fire. The recall covers certain F-150s from the 2015 through 2019 model years. The company says in government documents posted Friday that water and contaminants can get into the heater cable and cause corrosion. That can cause electrical shorts.

Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting goods rose at a modest pace last month, but the gain was driven entirely by demand for military aircraft. Excluding transportation equipment, orders fell. The Commerce Department says that durable goods orders rose 0.8 percent in November. The figures suggest that U.S. factory output, while mostly solid, may slow in the coming months.

The parent company of Caribou Coffee and Bruegger's Bagels says hackers gained access to customer information at 265 of its stores, mostly in Minnesota. The Minnesota-based company says the data breach occurred between Aug. 28 and Dec. 3. Caribou says it's possible that customer name and credit card information may have been taken. Caribou says it believes the breach has been contained but advises customers to monitor their credit card statements and credit reports.

A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states suggests the regional economy is growing. The overall index of the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet survey for December climbed back above growth neutral to hit 54.2, compared with 49.9 in November. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

A total of 101 fatal work-injuries were recorded in Minnesota in 2017. That’s up from 92 fatal work-injuries in 2016 and 74 in 2015. It was the third highest tally since the annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries report was implemented in 1992. North Dakota recorded 38 deaths.

Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held at 2.8 percent in November, according to data released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Over the past year, Minnesota added 33,460 total jobs, a 1.1 percent growth rate.

Minnesota's attorney general is suing Comcast/Xfinity, alleging the company has overcharged thousands of consumers for cable TV packages, charged them for unordered equipment and services, and failed to deliver on promised Visa gift cards. Attorney General Lori Swanson says the lawsuit follows more than two years of investigation. The lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis on Friday.

Pete Kuhn of Grand Forks has been named AARP Driver Safety State Coordinator in North Dakota. Kuhn joined the Driver Safety program as a volunteer instructor in 2007. AARP has 88-thousand members in North Dakota.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the winners of the 2018 "Boots to Business Instructor of the Year" awards. The awardees were recognized for their excellence in teaching the Boots to Business course, the entrepreneurial track of the Department of Defense's Transition Assistance Program. This year's winners include Eric Giltner, SBA North Dakota District Office.

Other winners include:

* Will Katz, University of Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

* Walt Abbott, Washington, D.C. SCORE

* Steve Watts-Oelrich, Business Impact Veterans Outreach Center (VBOC), Seattle, Washington

* Stuart Walters, CEED North Carolina Women's Business Center (WBC)

It’s a busy travel weekend. Airlines expect a 5.2 percent increase in holiday travel over alst year. The industry group says airlines have added 143,000 seats per day on domestic and international flights. The least-busy days are expected to be Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

'Twas the week before Christmas and shoppers were already returning their holiday hauls. Delivery company UPS says there are many reasons for the pre-Christmas return boom, including more people buying stuff for themselves that they want to send back.

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