Author: Michael Tilley

Fast 15: Tom Hanna

Fort Smith-based KMW Properties was a “passive” real estate development company primarily supporting the operations of Hanna Oil & Gas. That began to change when Tom Hanna returned to the…

Gov. Sanders: New Air Force mission in Fort Smith will have ‘generational impact’

The plaudits were frequent and magnanimous Friday (May 5) as political and business leaders met at the Ebbing Air National Guard base in Fort Smith to ceremonially mark the U.S….

Riff Raff: Watch your step

An outline of planned pay raises for more than 1,100 teachers was presented during a Fort Smith Public Schools Board meeting in late April. There was little board discussion about…

Runway work, Crystal Bridges dinner, ‘unanimous testimony’ helped land pilot training center in Fort Smith

Purposes converged. Rob Ator had been tasked in early 2018 by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson to retain and recruit military operations. The U.S. Air Force in 2019 needed a new place…

‘Conservative’ price is $765 million to create pilot training center at Fort Smith

$765 million. That is the “conservative” cost to turn Ebbing Air National Guard Base at Fort Smith into a foreign military pilot training center. That’s a lot of money to…

Norris Group buys former Fianna Hills Country Club building

Fort Smith-based Norris Group has bought the former Fianna Hills Country Club building and 12 acres for $1.1 million with plans to open a social club and apartments, create space…

First quarter revenue, net income down at ArcBest

First quarter revenue at ArcBest was down almost 13% compared with the same quarter in 2022, the Fort Smith-based company reported Friday (April 28). Reduced consumer demand and a tougher…

U.S. Marshals Museum to open July 1

After more than 16 years of starts and stops and fundraising struggles, the U.S. Marshals Museum will open July 1. The national museum, located near the Arkansas River in downtown…

Medical marijuana sales up 7.1% in the first quarter

Medical marijuana sales in Arkansas during the first quarter of the year totaled $70.5 million, up 7.14% compared with sales in the same quarter of 2022, according to the Arkansas…

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…

Fort Smith metro home sales up almost 4% through April

Bjarke Ingels Group to plan, design 422,000-square-foot university in Bentonville

Retail sales rose 7.19% in May despite inflation, tariff costs

Northwest Arkansas Council hires regional workforce program director