by - July 6, 2020 3:19 pm
With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise and the number of hospitalizations reaching new records, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday (July 6) the state plans to invest $40 million to add…
by - July 5, 2020 7:04 pm
Editor’s note: Story updated to add a response from Director André Good and to remove a response from Director George Catsavis. At least four of Fort Smith’s seven City Directors…
by - July 3, 2020 2:49 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has opposed mandates for wearing masks, said Friday (July 3) he has signed an executive order allowing cities to adopt a “model ordinance” requiring mask use….
by - July 2, 2020 4:42 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson made it clear he supports allowing people to use an absentee ballot if they fear during the COVID-19 pandemic going to a public place to vote, but…
by - July 2, 2020 3:07 pm
“Obviously, this is not good news,” Arkansas Secretary of Health Dr. Nate Smith said Thursday (July 2) after the state again set a record for known COVID-19 cases reported in…
by - July 2, 2020 12:05 pm
Fiscal year 2020 (July 2019-June 2020) tax revenue ended down just 2.5% despite several months in early 2020 of economic disruption resulting from COVID-19 shutdowns. The revenue was 4.1% above…
by - July 1, 2020 3:58 pm
The May jobless rate was lower than April in all of the eight metro areas in or connected to Arkansas, but the rate in all regions remained well above the…
by - July 1, 2020 3:19 pm
Do you want football in the fall? Wear a mask. Do you want to avoid a growing number of known long-term health problems resulting from COVID-19? Wear a mask. Such…
by - June 30, 2020 4:15 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday (June 30) that better-than-anticipated tax revenue allows him to authorize a 2.2% merit pay increase for all state employees. The governor said the state will…
by - June 30, 2020 3:48 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson continues to say a statewide mask mandate is not right for Arkansas, pushing back against a growing number of states and cities enacting similar measures and against…
by - June 29, 2020 4:49 pm
With the exception of Van Buren, sales tax revenue in the Fort Smith metro is not yet showing significant declines previously expected because of economic disruptions related to COVID-19. Fort…
by - June 29, 2020 2:57 pm
The pace of new known COVID-19 growth in Arkansas slowed over the weekend and on Monday (June 29), but Gov. Asa Hutchinson said there is a “great deal of concern”…
by - June 28, 2020 6:44 pm
Moments presenting an opportunity for change are maximized when considering all options to change opportunities. Which is why we should assess new directions for the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors…
by - June 26, 2020 3:36 pm
A day after Gov. Asa Hutchinson noted recent declines in new known COVID-19 cases in Northwest Arkansas, cases in that area rose almost 35%, and the state reached on Friday…
by - June 25, 2020 3:32 pm
Early signs of a decline in the growth of COVID-19 cases in Northwest Arkansas was touted Thursday (June 25) by Gov. Asa Hutchinson as a sign his strategy is working…
by - June 24, 2020 3:11 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson is asking for $22 million in federal funds set aside for pandemic response to hire an additional 350 contact tracers needed as the number of COVID-19 cases…
by - June 23, 2020 3:56 pm
After being leery of earlier dire predictions about COVID-19 infections in the state, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday (June 23) said Arkansans should take serious the modeling that shows the…
by - June 22, 2020 4:59 pm
Not so fast on placing your bets. Gulfside Casino Partnership, which on June 18 was awarded a license for a a $254 million casino resort in Pope County, must now…
by - June 22, 2020 3:35 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday (June 22) the state is “not backing off testing,” and said President Donald Trump’s “flippant” comment about slowing down COVID-19 testing does not reflect the…
by - June 19, 2020 3:29 pm
With known COVID-19 cases hitting a new record and cities acting or considering rules to require the use of face masks, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday (June 19) announced new…
