by - November 20, 2016 11:12 am
Riff Raff: The lucky ones
Sadness about the loss of such positive energy in this troubled world is natural but please do not be sad for the close friends and family of Patricia Brown, for…
Author: Michael Tilley
by - November 14, 2016 5:17 pm
UA chancellor issues note calling for ‘civility’ during the ‘current political climate’
University of Arkansas Chancellor Dr. Joseph Steinmetz sent an e-mail note to employees seeking to address “concerns about the current political climate” and “strive for civility” in dealing with differences…
by - November 11, 2016 8:16 am
Riff Raff: A Veterans Day remembrance
Editor’s note: This essay about my grandfather, Raymond Evans, was first published November 2002. Raymond Evans died Dec. 6, 2008. There is no expiration on the need to remember Veterans…
by - November 3, 2016 7:18 am
Quarterly income down 32% at ArcBest, non-trucking segments see revenue gains
Third quarter income for Fort Smith-based ArcBest Corp. was down more than 32%, and income in the first nine months of 2016 is down 57.2% compared with the same period…
by - October 30, 2016 2:50 pm
Riff Raff: 3 concerns with Issue 3
As a former chamber of commerce employee, Issue 3 is appealing. As an Arkansan interested in good public policy, the appeal wanes. Issue 3 would amend Arkansas’ Constitution “to encourage…
by - October 23, 2016 9:20 am
State Chamber says it will dial up lobbying efforts on Arkansas issues, government policies
The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce has always been active in pushing business interests, but on Friday (Oct. 21) chamber Board Vice Chairman Joe Carter said the group plans to…
by - October 3, 2016 7:20 pm
Top National, Arkansas trucking lobbyists critical of Congress, regulations and lack of infrastructure funding
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said Monday that “extreme ideology” in Washington D.C., and a “thou shalt not compromise” mentality hurt the industry and the country. Arkansas Trucking Association…
by - September 29, 2016 4:48 pm
Riff Raff: Kneeling, grandstanding, and zig zagging
Questions hitting the inbox in recent days and weeks have sought opinion on protest by anthem kneeling and amazing depths of Wells Fargo thievery. Let’s throw some marijuana in for…
by - September 19, 2016 6:43 pm
Fort Smith area tourism jobs, tax collections up for the first half of 2016
The Fort Smith metro tourism and travel sector has been a consistent bright spot in recent years, with Van Buren hospitality tax collections up almost 9% for the first six…
by - September 12, 2016 1:48 pm
Report: Golden Living center in Fort Smith helps sustain more than 1,600 jobs, $194 million in state GDP
Fort Smith metro business expansions are helping the regional economy finally gain traction in terms of job gains after more than seven years of post-Great Recession declines. But revelations about…
by - September 8, 2016 1:18 pm
OK Foods donates $1.49 million in chicken to food bank; 500,000 pounds over five-year period
Fort Smith-based OK Foods is donating 500,000 pounds of chicken to the River Valley Regional Food Bank. It’s a donation valued at almost $1.5 million, and is estimated to provide…
by - September 5, 2016 11:53 am
Riff Raff: ‘Unexpected’ connects the What Was with the What’s Next
They are back. These artists. These people who see and apply amazing visions where entirely too many of us see only brick and block and plaster and nothing and yesterday….
by - September 4, 2016 10:38 am
Philanthropist Pat Walker, co-founder of Pat and Willard Walker Charitable Foundation, has died
Pat Walker, who along with husband Willard, gave millions to Arkansas organizations and University of Arkansas athletic programs and was a member of the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame, has…
by - August 25, 2016 2:46 pm
National freight sector remains ‘uneven,’ muted consumer spending a concern
Editor’s note: This story is a component of the Arkansas Transportation Report, which is produced by Talk Business & Politics and sponsored by the Arkansas Trucking Association and the Arkansas…
by - August 20, 2016 2:44 pm
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine opens, Gov. Hutchinson says it will help meet a ‘priority need’
Hundreds gathered Saturday morning (Aug. 20) for the formal opening of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, with The Degen Foundation Chairman John Taylor saying the facility has the “potential…
by - August 18, 2016 3:09 pm
Northwest Arkansas Council CEO stepping down to work for Steuart and Tom Walton
Northwest Arkansas Council President and CEO Mike Malone is ending his 10-year tenure with the influential organization, but will remain active in regional development in his new role working for…
by - August 15, 2016 10:54 am
Shared Services Center expansion could add up to 250 jobs in Fort Smith
Community Health Systems could add up to 250 jobs to its Shared Services Center in Fort Smith thanks to an $18.8 million refinancing deal that allows Beaty Capital Group to…
by - July 26, 2016 1:17 pm
Arkansas River traffic rebounds from 2015 floods, tonnage up almost 33% in first half of 2016
Editor’s note: This report is a component of the Arkansas Transportation Report, a monthly compilation of data and news regarding the trucking, railroad, airline, and river barge industries. The report…
by - July 16, 2016 1:03 pm
Garrison Commons park set to open Aug. 1, murals festival artists to soon be announced
Leaders of 64.6 Downtown held a party Friday evening to celebrate the soon-to-be opened Garrison Commons, a free-admission park in downtown Fort Smith that will include a food trailer managed…
by - July 10, 2016 12:17 pm
Riff Raff: Don’t just say no
The medical marijuana debate will ramp up now that at least one medical marijuana issue is on Arkansas’ November ballot. Let’s hope the debate from all sides has more depth…