Author: George Jared

George Jared

Cotton prices surge as drought impacts other cotton growing states

Northeast Arkansas has gone more than a week with little to no rain and cotton farmers are taking advantage. For the week ending May 15, Arkansas cotton was 53% planted,…

At NEA regional forum, leaders discuss growth strategies, airport study

Housing, retail sector growth, quality of life, commercial air service, workforce development and retention are among the issues civic and business leaders in Northeast Arkansas have identified as issues that…

Avian influenza spreading through poultry nationwide; Arkansas farmers brace for impacts

A flu that is nearly 100% lethal to poultry is spreading across the U.S. Thirty-four states have had confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza, according to the U.S….

ASU’s Queretaro’s campus holds second graduation

A record 70 students graduated on Saturday (May 14) with degrees from Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro in Mexico. It was the university’s second commencement ceremony. Among the students, 29…

At 91, William Shatner reflects on space travel, long career

Actor William Shatner, made famous by his role as Capt. James T. Kirk, in the show Star Trek that debuted in the mid-1960s, almost didn’t make it into space. Shatner…

Southern Pharmacy in Jonesboro to build new location

Southern Pharmacy, which has branches throughout Northeast Arkansas, will build a new brick-and-mortar store in Jonesboro, according to Haag Brown Medical Holdings. Work on the new store, which will be…

Arkansas Delta Byways selects first ever Innovation Award winners

Arkansas Delta Byways has handed out its first-ever Innovation Awards for 2020-21. Arkansas Delta Byways is the official tourism promotion association for 15 counties in eastern Arkansas. Those counties include…

Marty Hamrick chosen as new Jonesboro fire chief

Jonesboro has a new fire chief. Longtime firefighter and assistant Fire Chief Marty Hamrick will replace retiring Chief Kevin Miller, Mayor Harold Copenhaver said after a Friday (May 6) morning…

Stuttgart community seeing the light at the end of the broadband tunnel

Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bethany Hildebrand was preparing for an interview through Zoom with Talk Business & Politics when an all too frequent problem emerged. Her internet…

Atlas Tube opens $150 million facility, 75 new jobs to be created

Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, has opened its newest steel mill in Blytheville. It’s the second facility they have opened in Mississippi County’s largest city. The new facility…

Farmers encouraged to use potash ‘tool’ amid rising fertilizer prices

Fertilizer prices have edged slightly downward in recent months, but remain a worrisome aspect of the 2022 growing season for farmers. In addition to supply chain issues relating to the…

Jeff Purinton selected as the new vice chancellor for athletics at Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University System President Dr. Chuck Welch announced Wednesday (May 4) that Jeff Purinton, an athletics administrator who most recently spent the last seven years as part of the…

Three prosecutor candidates make pitches at Jonesboro Kiwanis Club

Three candidates – Corey Seats, Sonia Fonticiella and Martin Lilly – are vying in the May 24th primary to become the next prosecutor in the Second Judicial District which includes…

Rosanne Cash to receive honorary doctorate from Arkansas State University

Multi-time Grammy award winner Rosanne Cash will receive an honorary doctoral degree during Arkansas State University’s spring commencement ceremony on Saturday (May 7). The ASU Board of Trustees voted in…

Homes, Rice, Ducks & the Internet: Broadband expansion expected to benefit Stuttgart

In 1918, the Great War was ending in Europe and a new strain of influenza, the Spanish Flu, was causing illness around the world. Residents of Stuttgart, located in Arkansas…

Planting off to slow start; Arkansas rice acreage may fall to a decades low

Three major crops in Arkansas – rice, soybeans, and corn – are behind planting schedules after heavy rains soaked agriculture fields repeatedly in April, according to Jarrod Hardke, extension rice…

Jonesboro sales tax collections jump in April, third month of 20 percent growth

Inflation, lingering supply chain issues, the aftermath impacts of the pandemic and other factors may have a dampening effect on the economy in Northeast Arkansas in 2022. But consumers continue…

UA researcher receives grant to study moisture levels to keep dry foods safe from bacteria

Bacteria found in foods sicken millions around the globe each year, cost billions of dollars in economic losses, and in rare instances, even result in deaths. One Arkansas food safety…

River boat tourism on the rise in lower Mississippi River region

River boats filled with tourists are becoming more common along the Mississippi River and it could provide an economic spark for the city of Memphis and parts of Northeast Arkansas….

States mull restrictions of foreign purchases of agriculture and forest lands

Foreigners and foreign-based companies have owned agriculture and forestry land in the U.S. since before it was founded, and in recent years that trend has been on the rise. As…