Mike Babcock urges state backing for new Wings arena

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock urged the state government Tuesday to support plans to build a new hockey arena in downtown Detroit and vaguely referred to a development perhaps connected to it — a mall.

Grubb & Ellis files for bankruptcy

Commercial real estate company Grubb & Ellis Co., which operates in Michigan and elsewhere, said Tuesday it has sought bankruptcy protection as part of a deal to sell most of its assets to the parent of rival commercial real estate services company Newmark Knight Frank.

Geithner: Obama seeks 28% corporate tax rate

Washington— Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the current business tax system is bad for business and for job creation and says a plan by President Barack Obama to reduce corporate tax rates would make the tax system more globally competitive.

2 cancer drugs’ shortage eased

Federal regulators said Tuesday that they have approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs, easing critical shortages — at least for the time being — that have left patients and parents frightened about missing life-saving treatments.

Company sues Apple over iPad name in Shanghai

Shanghai— Apple defended its right to use the iPad trademark in China in a heated court hearing Wednesday that pitted the electronics giant against a struggling company that denies it sold the mainland China rights to the tablet's name.

Briefs: Credit card accounts rise 14% in 2011

More people opened new credit card accounts last year, as the banking industry began to loosen standards it tightened during the recession.

Dow fleetingly breaks 13,000

New York — It came and went in a flash, a number on a board for seconds at a time, but its symbolic power couldn’t be dismissed.

Revenue, union deal tied, American says

American Airlines’ goal to find $1 billion in new annual revenue after leaving bankruptcy pivots on being able to win $2billion in labor and other cost reductions, Chief Commercial Officer Virasb Vahidi said.

Home sales jump more than 4% in January

Washington— Home sales rose in January to the highest pace in nearly two years, flashing signs of health ahead of the spring-buying season.

Construction jobs rebound amid U.S. home remodeling pick-up

Construction hiring is picking up as Americans invest in renovating their homes amid signs that the worst of the housing-market declines may be over.

T-Mobile asks FCC to block Verizon-cable deal

New York— T-Mobile USA, which just had its acquisition by AT&T blocked by regulators, is now urging the federal government to block another deal in the wireless world: Verizon's planned purchase spectrum from cable companies for $3.6 billion.

It takes less to be a 1-percenter in Mich.

In Michigan, where the Great Recession hit hardest, many in the top 1 percent of household income levels don’t feel especially elite.

Olga’s Kitchen consolidates

Olga’s Kitchen is leaving the downtown Birmingham location where it served its homegrown Greek-inspired fare for decades to focus on its newer nearby restaurant concept.

Netflix strikes movie deal with Weinstein Co.

Netflix has locked up the right to show "The Artist" and other movies from The Weinstein Co. on its Internet video service before the films are released to the ...

9 southeast Michigan hospitals named among country's best for emergency care

Nine hospital emergency departments in southeast Michigan have been named to a Denver-based independent health care ratings company's list of the best ...

Obama selects Ford doctor

A Henry Ford Health System doctor has been appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as a member of an advisory group on prevention, health promotion and ...

Southwest revives nonstop Detroit-Las Vegas service

Southwest Airlines Co. on Sept. 30 will resume a flight it hasn’t offered since 2006: nonstop service from Detroit Metro Airport to Las Vegas’ McCarran ...

Dr. Scholl’s energizing its image

Dr. Scholl’s wants to massage its arthritic image. The 106-year-old company began airing TV ads Monday to recast its orthopedic shoe inserts as “energizing ...

Briefs: Sony to debut hand-held game system

Sony’s hand-held PlayStation Vita debuts in the United States and Europe on Wednesday, with a base price of $250.

Government seeks smaller role for Fannie, Freddie

Washington — The government regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has submitted a plan to Congress that would shrink the mortgage giants' role in the ...

Comcast launches new streaming video service

Philadelphia — Cable TV giant Comcast is launching a new subscription video service that will enable its customers to instantly view movies and TV shows ...

Oil jumps to 9-month high after Iran cuts supply

Singapore -- Oil prices jumped to a nine-month high near $105 a barrel Monday in Asia after Iran said it halted crude exports to Britain and France in an ...

Is it OK to leave without a new job lined up? Probably not

While the thought of quitting and telling off the boss can be appealing — and I mean home-baked-brownie appealing — it’s a terrible idea. And there are a ...

For boomers, it’s a new era of ‘work ’til you drop’

Los Angeles— When Paula Symons joined the U.S. workforce in 1972, typewriters in her office clacked nonstop, people answered the telephones and the hot ...

Gin up a free federal tax return

Just because you have to pay taxes doesn't mean you have to pay for the privilege of coughing up your hard-earned dough to Uncle Sam. Thanks to our Internal ...

No joke: Teasing effective brand of office humor

The class clown may get in trouble, but the office wag may be the glue that makes a workplace stick together.

Simplified mortgage statements proposed

Washington— Your monthly mortgage bill soon could get easier to understand, and it wouldn't change each time your loan is sold to a new servicer.

Scout your spring training trip to add bang to baseball bucks

Nothing stirs the blood of baseball fans quite like "pitchers and catchers report." A harbinger of the season, the words mean players are reporting for duty in ...