Business

The federal government has cut its funding to its Small Business Development Centers, but the program’s Inland Empire office has barely felt the reduction. The reduction forced the local office to change one full-time consultant to a part-time position but otherwise day-to-day operations haven’t been affected, said Vincent McCoy, executive …

Unemployment in California dropped to eight percent in February, as the state’s jobless rate continued its steady decline. That number was virtually unchanged from January, when the state’s unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, but it did represent a significant year-to-year drop: unemployment in California was 9.4 percent in February 2013, …

The owners of a Riverside 7-11 are suing the convenience store chain’s parent company in federal court, claiming the store was taken away from them without cause. Dilip and Saroj Patel, who owned and operated the store at Magnolia and Jurupa avenues for more than two decades, lost the business …

Inland Empire Economic Partnership will host a workshop on California’s new tax credit program that is designed in part to help small businesses. The program, which is being held in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. March …

A veteran of the hospitality industry has bought the Holiday Inn Express in Temecula. Lipsa Patel purchased the franchise hotel at 27660 Jefferson Ave. for $11.3 million, according to a statement. Patel, who has been in the hotel and restaurant business for more than 25 years, bought the facility with …

Kaiser Permanente is moving closer to developing a campus in Murrieta. Officials with the large healthcare provider are preparing to submit a formal application to the city in June, according to a report originally published in The Press-Enterprise. Murrieta officials have also advertised for proposals from consulting firms that might …