The Indiana Office of Workforce Development today issued its July unemployment report for both the State of Indiana as well as each Indiana County.  The Indiana rate increased .2% from June to finish at 8.5%, while the Starke County rate grew from 10.3 to 10.4% for the month.

THe neighboring states of Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan all saw increases in their unemployment rates from June to July, with Ohio at 9.0%, Kentucky and Illinois at 9.5%, and Michigan at 10.9%.

The Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award has been given to The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC).  The award was given for the largest increase in international cargo of all Great Lakes ports during the 2010 navigation season.  The Port registered an increase in tonnage of 73 percent over the 2009 navigation season.  The Port handled 351,600 metric tons of international cargo, mostly wind components, steel, and construction equipment.  The Port also shipped 14 times more project cargo in 2010 than it did in 2009, resulting in a 43 percent increase in overall shipments and a total tonnage of 1.8 million metric tons.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is located within an hour's drive of Starke County, and the Port has also included Starke County in its Foreign Trade Zone designation, thus allowing a manufacturer in Starke County to more quickly and simply take advantage of the benefits of such status.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced this morning that State Road 8 will be closed between State Road 17 and US 35 between the hours of 7:00 am and 4:00 pm for a chip-seal operation on both Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16.  A detour for people traveling in either direction will be set up, with drivers instructed to use US 35, State Road 10 and State Road 17 as the alternative route.

Congressman Joe Donnelly will serve as host of an upcoming Job Fair to be held next Tuesday, August 16, 2011 in South Bend.  The Job Fair is free to all who attend and no reservation is required.  Participants will have the opportunity to connect with employers as well as representatives of area educational instutitions and retraining programs.

This Job Fair will be held at the Student Activities Center at Indiana University South Bend, 1700 Mishawaka Avenue in South Bend from 9:00 to 1:00 Eastern Daylight Time.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has reported that as of July 22, 2011, work on the Koontz Lake Dam and Bridge Project is about 28% complete.  During the next couple of weeks, the contractor on that job expects to complete forming and pouring the upper portion of the Phase II foundation mat and begin forming and pouring abutment 1, pier 2, and the south training wall.

The bid for this project was received in January of this year and was in the total amount of $4,646,759.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week that the national unemployment rate for the month of July was 9.1%, down from 9.2% in June.  This marks the first time in the last four months that the rate declined.