by - January 29, 2020 2:19 pm
Recent data points to continued growth in tourism and travel businesses in the Fort Smith metro, with hospitality tax revenue and collections of the state’s 2% tourism tax beating statewide…
by - January 28, 2020 3:09 pm
Members of the Fort Smith Board of Directors were told Tuesday (Jan. 28) the city has made a “tremendous commitment” toward fixing sewer system issues mandated by a federal consent…
by - January 24, 2020 4:05 pm
Union membership in Arkansas during 2019 was up more than 10%, going against the nationwide trend in which union numbers fell 1.15%. Union membership in the state also grew as…
by - January 24, 2020 1:58 pm
Arkansas’ jobless rate was 3.6% in December, unchanged from November, and below the 3.7% in December 2018. Year-over-year, the state economy added 16,396 jobs, a 1.25% increase according to data…
by - January 21, 2020 3:48 pm
Arkansas’ travel and tourism economy gained momentum through 2019, with the pace of gains increasing in the September-October period. The state’s 2% tourism tax revenue between January and October was…
by - January 15, 2020 3:23 pm
A “Phase 1” trade deal was signed Wednesday (Jan. 15) by President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He that reduces some tariffs between the countries and seeks to…
by - January 15, 2020 12:05 pm
Fort Smith Regional Airport Director Michael Griffin believes the almost 6% increase in enplanements at the airport in 2019 is a “direct reflection of the local community,” with business travel…
by - January 13, 2020 4:05 pm
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Duane “Dak” Kees is resigning the post after just a little over two years in the role. Kees, a former Walmart attorney…
by - January 7, 2020 2:14 pm
The Fort Smith metro jobless rate was 3.4% in November, up from 3.3% in November 2018, with the region seeing only marginal changes in the size of the available workforce…
by - January 5, 2020 12:01 pm
A resilient manufacturing sector and economic “divergence” between Arkansas’ rural and urban areas were realities of the 2019 economy, with growth likely to slow in 2020, according to analysis from…
by - December 26, 2019 3:37 pm
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is building a stand-alone clinic in Fort Smith that could add around 100 jobs to the Fort Smith metro and “significantly” increase healthcare access…
by - December 20, 2019 2:24 pm
Sebastian County and Fort Smith officials may in 2020 invest in solar power and join a growing number of Arkansas cities and counties that built or announced solar power facilities…
by - December 19, 2019 6:36 pm
Fort Smith attorney Michael Pierce has withdrawn his residency-based lawsuit against Sebastian County District Court Judge Claire Borengasser, but still alleges she lives in Fayetteville. Borengasser said Pierce should also…
by - December 13, 2019 1:11 pm
Not sure if he created The Unexpected to change how we look at downtown Fort Smith or how we look at ourselves; that maybe it was less about murals on…
by - December 11, 2019 11:45 am
Good food, good service and a cash cushion are a must to have a shot at restaurant success in the Fort Smith area. But even then, a slow-growing population and…
by - December 4, 2019 2:03 pm
The Fort Smith metro jobless rate was 3.5% in October, up from 3.4% in October 2018, with the region seeing a slight decline in the number of employed and a…
by - December 2, 2019 4:21 pm
Business and tourism travel in the Fort Smith metro is trending higher compared to a flat 2018, with Fort Smith Regional enplanements up almost 6% between January and October. Hospitality…
by - November 24, 2019 8:04 pm
(Portions of this essay were first posted on Facebook. Apologies to Facebook friends for the partial plagiarism of myself.) It doesn’t take long. When the awards shows – Oscars, Grammy’s,…
by - November 20, 2019 5:57 pm
The Fort Smith Board of Directors and top city staff are set to begin budget hearings Friday (Nov. 22) to review a budget that proposes more than $125 million in…
by - November 20, 2019 2:13 pm
Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue between January and August was up 6.2% compared with the same period in 2018, and also a gain from the 5.2% year-over-year increase through the…
