by - March 3, 2022 3:40 pm
Two of the eight metro areas within or including parts of Arkansas had jobless rates below 2% in December, and only two metros (central Arkansas and Hot Springs) have employment…
by - March 2, 2022 3:35 pm
An improving economy for hotels and restaurants and increased motor vehicle sales helped push Arkansas’ tax revenue up 7.1% in February, with year-to-date (July 2021 to February 2022) revenue up…
by - March 1, 2022 6:48 pm
No Democrats filed for the top six Sebastian County elected positions, assuring that the posts will again be held by Republicans following the 2022 general election. However, three of the…
by - March 1, 2022 6:12 pm
Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax totaled $20.544 million in 2021, up 51% compared to 2020 and up 16.7% compared with the pre-pandemic record year of 2019. The 2021 gain suggests the…
by - February 27, 2022 3:18 pm
Self-recognizing a hubris-induced mistake and turning to humility-driven corrective collaboration often results in a better outcome. So it is with the Fort Smith Board of Directors and their collective pivot…
by - February 24, 2022 3:44 pm
Most members of Arkansas’ Congressional delegation on Thursday (Feb. 24) called for stiffer sanctions against Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin following that country’s invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden…
by - February 22, 2022 5:17 pm
More than 100 people braved frigid temperatures Tuesday morning (Feb. 22) to mark the beginning of construction on a $162.5 million expansion of Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith that will…
by - February 17, 2022 5:18 pm
Fort Smith could have another charter high school in August, with Premier High School seeking a charter amendment from the Arkansas Board of Education to open a school for at-risk…
by - February 16, 2022 3:32 pm
Opening of a Fort Smith campus by Fayetteville-based Haas Hall Academy received unanimous approval Feb. 15 from a state Charter Authorizing Panel. Final approval for the campus that will employ…
by - February 16, 2022 3:30 pm
Responsive Education Solutions (RES) is seeking approval from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to locate charter schools in Jonesboro and Texarkana. However, the Jonesboro request was pulled by RES…
by - February 10, 2022 2:43 pm
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday (Feb. 10) said he will push for an estimated $60 million to $100 million plan to add 498 prison beds to the state’s prison system….
by - February 9, 2022 3:48 pm
COVID-19 has been anything but hospitable to Arkansas’ leisure and hospitality sector. Jobs in the sector reached a record 122,900 in December 2019. Just four months later sector employment would…
by - February 8, 2022 5:12 pm
Air travel is slowly returning to Fort Smith, but at levels still well below those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport in 2021 totaled…
by - February 6, 2022 11:54 am
Arkansas’ economy was on track for robust gains in 2022 until the Omicron variant of COVID-19 put a kink in the line. Economists still believe the state’s economy will grow…
by - February 4, 2022 10:49 am
North Little Rock-based Abaca has processed more than $2 billion in transactions for the cannabis (marijuana) industry. Growth with the financial technology (fintech) banking company comes as more states in…
by - February 3, 2022 4:26 pm
The good news about Arkansas’ tourism industry is the state’s 2% tourism tax is on pace to top the $20 million mark for the first time in 2021. The not-so-good…
by - February 2, 2022 4:25 pm
A Republican primary is set for the newly drawn Arkansas Senate District 27 seat which represents Fort Smith and parts of Chaffee Crossing with Kelly Proctor Pierce entering the race….
by - February 1, 2022 9:08 am
For the second consecutive quarter, Fort Smith-based ArcBest posted revenue above $1 billion, and full-year net income of $213.521 million was three times the $71.1 million in 2020. Full-year earnings…
by - January 27, 2022 5:31 pm
The U.S. Air Force is conducting what amounts to two virtual town halls in early February to provide info and seek comments about a plan to locate a foreign military…
by - January 25, 2022 3:07 pm
With Arkansas’ jobless rate reaching a record low despite fewer people employed compared to the same month in 2020, December’s jobs report is an example that the jobless rate is…
