Author: Michael Tilley

Michael Tilley

January job numbers up in most Arkansas metro areas

Five of the seven metro areas in or connected to Arkansas had year-over-year job gains in January, and five had jobless rates at or below 4%. Only the Jonesboro and…

Arkansas River tonnage down through February

Arkansas River tonnage totaled 1.81 million tons in the first two months of 2025, down 1.3% compared with 2.07 million tons in the same period of 2024, according to a…

Fort Smith airport traffic down to begin 2025

Fort Smith Regional Airport traffic in the first two months of 2025 is down 3.1%, driven lower by a more than 11% drop in February numbers. The early trend follows…

F-35 pilot training center cost rises to $1.2 billion, impact up to $1.4 billion

Despite global rumblings about NATO allies and other foreign nations being concerned about using the F-35 fighter, retired Air Force Col. Rob Ator said Tuesday (March 18) the F-35 pilot…

LeFlore County dropped from Fort Smith metro area jobs reports

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has removed LeFlore County in Oklahoma from the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which technically reduces the region’s workforce size by almost…

Arizona-based charter school applies to open campuses in Fort Smith, Jonesboro

Tempe, Ariz.-based Academies of Math & Science (AMS) has applied to open public enrollment charter schools in Fort Smith and Jonesboro. The Fort Smith campus for kindergarten through eighth grade…

New 142nd headquarters to be built at Fort Chaffee

The Arkansas National Guard will on Thursday (March 13) ceremonially mark the start of construction on a new headquarters at Fort Chaffee for the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, which is…

Sen. Boozman, Rep. Womack ‘confident’ about foreign pilot training center future

Two members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation are not concerned about the future of a foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith, even with U.S.-NATO relations in new and uncertain territory,…

Area homebuilders break ground on 2025 showcase home

More than 50 people gathered Wednesday (March 5) in cold and windy conditions to ceremonially break ground on the 2025 showcase home that is part of a promotion effort of…

Estimated cost of planned state prison in Franklin County now at $825 million

The cost of the proposed 3,000-bed state prison in Franklin County is now estimated at $825 million, more than double the approximate $405 million state officials said it would cost…

Fort Smith liquor tax increase proposal is off the table

There will be no tax increase on the shot of whiskey you may consume in a Fort Smith sports bar and restaurant to celebrate a Razorback victory or, more likely,…

Fort Smith metro property deal numbers in 2024 below 2021 levels

Fort Smith metro apartment property, commercial property, and land sales in 2024 are significantly below post pandemic levels, but apartment and land sales recovered slightly from 2023 lows. The region…

ATU-Ozark set to graduate more nursing students

The Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus has 31 students on track to graduate in May from the nursing program, above 23 in May 2024. Students in the program have also posted…

Benton County top US county for wage growth, Arkansas wages up 5.5%

At 15.5%, Benton County had the largest average weekly percentage wage growth in the third quarter of 2024 among the 369 “largest” U.S. counties, according to a report posted Wednesday…

State of the State 2025: Tariffs, trade policies cloud 2025 economic outlooks

Most key factors of economic activity in the U.S. and Arkansas economies are expected to moderate in 2025 compared with 2024 and 2023 trends. The broader U.S. economy is expected…

Fort Smith metro home sales, values up in 2024; below 2021 records

Fort Smith metro home sales were up almost 7% in 2024 thanks in large part to gains in Crawford County. The 2024 increase is a recovery from an almost 15%…

Fort Smith metro ends 2024 on a positive jobs note

The Fort Smith metro ended 2024 with a lower jobless rate and a net job gain of 1.3% compared with December 2023. The education and health services, manufacturing, and tourism…

Cherokee Nation contributes $8 million to planned Mercy-Fort Smith cancer center

The Cherokee Nation on Thursday (Feb. 13) announced an $8 million contribution to Mercy-Fort Smith for its planned cancer center. The hospital system has been relatively quiet about the planned…

State of the State 2025: Energy, workforce among top issues for manufacturing sector

Energy and workforce availability, higher costs, and global uncertainty primarily related to tariffs and trade wars are on the minds of U.S. and Arkansas manufacturing industry executives as they navigate…