Consumer price index up in Minneapolis: The consumer price index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area rose 0.6 percent in the first half of 2010, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food prices increased 0.6 percent and energy prices rose 6.2 percent, while the index for all other items was nearly unchanged at 0.1 percent. The price index for medical care increased 1.9 percent and education/communication was up 0.4 percent. Read full story

Sun Country workers take ads to the road: Sun country Airlines will receive some free advertising on local roads, courtesy of the company’s employees. More than 60 Sun Country employees have volunteered to install Sun Country advertising wraps on their personal vehicles for a minimum of three months as part of a new marketing campaign.  Mendota Heights-based Sun Country said its employees embraced the campaign with “much enthusiasm.” In fact, many employees have requested to keep the wraps on their cars longer beyond the end of the campaign. Read full story

California sues Minnesota “bounce house” maker: California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. filed a lawsuit Thursday against nine companies that manufacture inflatable children’s bounce houses, including Cutting Edge Creations in Eagan.  According to the lawsuit, the vinyl used by those companies to make some of the inflatable structures contained lead levels that violate state and federal regulations. Read full story

Losses continue to mount at InterBank: InterBank continues to lose millions, according to a recently released regulatory filing with the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision. The Maple Grove-based savings and loan — a $645.7 million-asset institution that’s been mired in bad mortgages — lost nearly $2.4 million in the three months ended June 30, the fifth-largest quarterly loss among Twin Cities banks. InterBank lost nearly $5.3 million in the first half of 2010. Read full story