Author: Michael Tilley

Michael Tilley

UA System Board rejects resolution to acquire University of Phoenix (Updated)

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with changes and additions throughout. A vote held Monday (April 24) that one University of Arkansas System Board Trustee said was nothing more…

UA System Trustees debate merits of University of Phoenix acquisition

The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees on Wednesday (April 19) heard almost three hours of discussion about ongoing efforts to buy the University of Phoenix (UofP). The meeting…

‘Deep work’ ongoing to establish foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith

With Fort Smith chosen for a foreign pilot training center, members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation are pushing to secure funding, commitments, and relationships from and with the U.S. Air Force…

First quarter passenger traffic rises at the Fort Smith Regional Airport

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport are up more than 3% in the first quarter of 2023 after finishing 2022 with a 30.5% enplanement increase over 2021 in which…

Fertilizer, iron and steel help push Arkansas River tonnage higher in the first quarter

A 31% gain in inbound traffic pushed Arkansas River tonnage to 3.076 million tons in the first quarter of 2023, up 13.6% compared with the same period in 2022, according…

Rep. Womack tours U.S. Marshals Museum, says it will have ‘amazing impact’

“Wow,” was the first response from U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, following his tour Wednesday (April 12) of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith. He said what was once…

Mercy Fort Smith installs new cancer, cardiac scanner

Mercy Fort Smith has invested just under $3 million to install a new GE Omni Legend PET/CT scanner, with General Electric saying the Fort Smith hospital is the first in…

Arkansas tax revenue up 5% through March, surplus tops $300 million

Arkansas tax revenue in the first nine fiscal months of the year (July 2022-March 2023) totaled $6.192 billion, up 5% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year…

Air Force Academy, Harvard part of Marsh’s pancreatic cancer research passion

Madison Marsh is beyond busy. The Fort Smith native will graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy in June. After that, she plans to attend the Harvard Kennedy School of…

Wasson named interim Fort Smith CVB director; process begins to hire new director

Longtime journalist and community promoter Lynn Wasson has been named interim executive director of the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) following the March 20 resignation of former director…

Arkansas’ jobless rate down to 3.2% in February, unchanged from February 2022

A slight percentage increase in the number of employed compared with the number of jobless helped push Arkansas’ February unemployment rate to 3.2%, down from 3.4% in January and unchanged…

Arkansas Tourism Ticker: Tourism tax revenue, job numbers set new records

Arkansas’ travel and tourism sector posted healthy revenue and job gains in 2022 compared with 2021, even when factoring in inflation. The state’s 2% tourism tax set a new record…

The Ouachitas to bring bar and taproom to The Bakery District

It was a happenstance meeting between Derek Campbell and Griffin Hanna during a beer tasting at Papa’s Pup & Pizzeria in downtown Fort Smith that an idea was born to…

Fighter pilots from Poland planned to be the first at training center in Fort Smith

While Singapore pilots have been most associated with the foreign pilot training center to be based in Fort Smith, it will be F-35 pilots from Poland who are expected to…

Final decision places foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith

It’s official. Fort Smith will be home to a foreign military pilot training center, initially bringing more than 500 military personnel and an estimated 300 “dependent families” to the city…

Fort Smith Board approves development plan rejected by city planning commission

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (March 7) approved proceeding with what has become a controversial plan for a more than $10 million commercial and multifamily residential development…

ArcBest update shows lower revenue, softer demand in early 2023

A Monday (March 6) ArcBest update suggests that pricing benefits for shipping and logistics companies from the global supply chain pressure that emerged during COVID-19 shutdowns and other disruptions in…

Arkansas’ natural gas severance tax revenue on pace to set a new record

Arkansas’ natural gas severance tax revenue is on track in fiscal year 2023 to set a new record and top $100 million if trends continue in the next four months….

Extra Fort Smith sales tax money may pay for Creekmore Park pool improvements

The city of Fort Smith may use around $4 million from $14.635 million in remaining proceeds of a voter-approved sales tax to pay water and sewer bonds. The bonds were…

ArcBest sells FleetNet in a $100 million cash deal

Fort Smith-based ArcBest announced Tuesday (Feb. 28) the sale of its FleetNet segment to Cox Automotive in a $100 million cash deal. The maintenance and repair unit of ArcBest generated…