Year: 2024

Then & Now: Scott helping clients at Conner & Winters

John Scott, equity partner at Conner & Winters LLP in Fayetteville, has been an attorney for 27 years. He was a partner at Keisling Pieper & Scott PLC in Fayetteville…

Communications Group promotes Lisa Van Hook to president

Marketing and PR firm The Communications Group (ComGroup) announced Thursday (Sept. 5) that Lisa Van Hook will serve as the new president. This change was effective Sept. 1. Van Hook…

Arkansas receives more than $32 million in federal grants for safer streets work

The cities of Little Rock and Springdale will receive $25 million and $5.187 million from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, the U.S. Department of Transportation…

Arkansas State University sets all-time fall attendance record

Arkansas State University fall enrollment ballooned by 12% from last year to an all-time record of 16,687 students, Chancellor Todd Shields said. There was a 14.5% increase in first-year, on-campus…

Van Buren Public Schools expanding band, wrestling areas

Van Buren High School will spend more than $8.4 million to expand facilities in ways to benefit two of the school’s award-winning programs, according to Dr. Harold Jeffcoat, superintendent of…

More soldiers, new equipment slated for the 142nd Artillery Brigade

The 142nd Artillery Brigade, which has units in the Fort Smith metro and Northwest Arkansas, is adding a new battery, and will add nine Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). A…

Developer receives $25 million loan to build 117-unit senior living center in Fayetteville

IPA Capital Markets, a division of Calabasas, Calif.-based real estate investment firm Marcus & Millichap, has secured a $25.52 million loan for the construction of a 117-unit senior living complex…

Value of Fort Smith metro home sales up 14.4% through June

A more than 3% gain in Fort Smith metro home sales during the first half of 2024 appears to be reversing a trend that resulted in double-digit declines in 2023….

Gen 4 Jets to locate operations in Newport

Gen 4 Jets, a luxury private jet charter company, will locate operations at the Newport Municipal Airport, according to the Newport Economic Development Commission. The company is expected to generate…

U.S. banks see second quarter net income rise by 11.4%

The 4,539 U.S. banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) had a combined second quarter net income of $71.5 billion, up 11.4%, or $7.3 billion, compared with the…

UA hits new high with 33,610 students this fall, up 22% over past five years

For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Arkansas has set an enrollment record for the fall semester, according to a Thursday (Sept. 5) news release. Enrollment rose by 4.6% to…

Maternal health working group releases preliminary report

Arkansas health officials released Thursday (Sept. 5) the initial findings of a working group charged by Gov. Sarah Sanders to explore improving the state’s woeful maternal health statistics. The “Healthy…

Baptist Health opens new clinic in NLR Rose City neighborhood

Baptist Health officials on Wednesday (Sept. 4) held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Baptist Health Family Clinic-Rose City, which will serve residents of North Little Rock and…

Arkansas House of Representatives to select new chief of staff

At the request of Speaker-designate Brian Evans, R-Cabot, House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, has selected and appointed Gina Lockwood as the chief of staff of the Arkansas House of…

Grand Savings Bank to open in Centerton

Oklahoma-chartered Grand Savings Bank will open a new location this fall in Centerton. The full-service branch will be at 192 E. Centerton Boulevard. The location, formerly a Legacy National Bank…

Motorcycle group one of several to bring conference dollars to Fort Smith

The Fort Smith’s Convention and Visitors Bureau is focusing on the details to recruit large groups and their dollars to the city. Just four large groups on the books for…

(from left) David McAvoy, Eric McGee, and Rep. Jack Ladyman.

Candidates in House District 32 race square off at Jonesboro Kiwanis forum

Incumbent State Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, squared off against his opponents Democrat David McAvoy and Libertarian Eric McGee on Wednesday (Sept. 4) during the Kiwanis Club of Greater Jonesboro candidate…

Jonesboro awarded grant to study feasibility of children’s museum

The city of Jonesboro was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Arkansas Tourism Attraction Feasibility Study Matching Grant Program. The grant will be used to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study…

The Supply Side: Walmart leads in online grocery with 37% of U.S. market share

Grocery continues to be the leading online category for Walmart, with the retailer taking share from supermarkets in the second quarter, according to a Brick Meets Click/Mercatus report. Walmart, excluding…

Building permit values down 58.3% in the Fort Smith metro

Building activity in the Fort Smith metro continues to come in well under that of the record-breaking 2023 with all three of metro’s largest cities falling well below last year’s…