Unemployment Benefits Extended

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush signed a bill Friday that extends unemployment benefits by seven weeks, plus an additional 13 weeks on top of that in hard-hit states such as Michigan.

Michigan’s jobless rate now stands at 9.3 percent.

The additional 13 weeks kick in once the unemployment rate in a state hit 6 percent or higher.

“This is really good news,” said Tom Clementson, an Indian River road construction worker laid off a year ago.

“This will give my son and me a longer time to find a job. Nobody is hiring here,” added Clementson, who exhausted his latest unemployment benefit checks six weeks ago. His son also lost his construction job.

Michigan’s jobless rate is its highest since July 1992. The national average is now 6.5 percent.