Author: Roby Brock

Roby Brock

Brawner: Tax Breaks For Tax Cuts

Arkansas News Bureau columnist Steve Brawner explores the subject of our news story on Rep. Davy Carter’s (R-Cabot) efforts to review state sales tax exemptions.

Former Murphy Oil CEO To Chair Board of Directors

Murphy Oil Corp. announced that former CEO Claiborne Deming has been elected as chairman of the board of directors.

Clean & Green: Cornbread Festival A First For Arkansas

It’s one of the South’s all-time favorite comfort foods and the recipes are as varied as the ingredients in Grandma’s cupboard. We’re talking cornbread, which is such a southern tradition that a local group recently organized a downtown festival around it.

New Medicaid Chief Quizzed On Philosophy For Change

Arkansas’ new Medicaid chief, Dr. Andy Allison, received a warm and lengthy welcome from a legislative committee on his first week on the job, fielding questions regarding his philosophy and experience for reforming the state’s financially-strapped health care safety net program.

Lottery Officials Warn Of Declining Revenues, Scholarship Trends

State lawmakers learned Tuesday that Arkansas lottery scholarships are being used increasingly by students attending four-year schools versus two-year schools.

Full Tax Competitiveness Study Released By State Chamber

A study prepared by Ernst & Young for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce measures Arkansas’ corporate tax burden on new investments compared to seven nearby states.

Six Arkansas Cities Honored By Keep Arkansas Beautiful

Six Arkansas cities have been recognized in the 2011 Arkansas Shine Awards program by the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission (KAB), including one city that received the inaugural Arkansas Shine Superstar…

October Metro Jobless Numbers Higher Than One Year Ago

October metro jobless rates were down compared to last month, but up versus one year ago.

Susan Slinkard Named To Investment Post at University of Arkansas

Susan Slinkard of Prairie Grove has been appointed the investment manager in the treasurer’s office of the University of Arkansas. Slinkard replaces Allen Lacey, who will retire after 31 years…

Fort Smith Tea Party Forum Offers Peek at 2012 Elections

A River Valley Tea Party forum provided a glimpse of campaign rhetoric for next year.

Tyson Foods Renewable Fuel Venture Lands U.S. Navy Contract

Dynamic Fuels, a joint venture between Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corp., was awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Navy with 450,000 gallons of renewable fuels.

November Revenue Report Sees Slip In Personal Income Taxes

State finance officials are probably hoping it’s not a November to remember. They’ve certainly seen better ones in terms of revenue growth. Two major components of tax collections missed their…

Arkansas Forestry Commission Laying Off 36 Workers

The Arkansas Forestry Commission will lay off 36 of its nearly 300 employees on Jan. 13.

State Economic Officials Announce Federal Lending Program

Arkansas officials will receive $13.1 million to help boost small business lending as part of a new federal initiative aimed at job growth.

October Home Sales Up Slightly, Full Year Totals Improve

The Arkansas Realtors Association reported October home sales — which showed a mixed bag of results in the major markets — slipping slightly, but sales still showed some improvement year-to-date.

Crystal Bridges Names Laura Jacobs Communications Director

Laura Jacobs will serve as director of communications for the newly-opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Jacobs will coordinate and oversee all the marketing, public relations and branding for…

Acxiom Selling Background Unit for $74 Million

Acxiom Corp. has agreed to sell its background screening unit, Acxiom Information Security Systems (AISS), to Sterling Infosystems, the third largest background screening company in the world.

Republican Party of Arkansas Hires Lambert For 2012 Political Charge

The Republican Party of Arkansas announced that Michael Lambert of Conway will serve as its new Victory Director for the 2012 election cycle. Talk Business’ Jason Tolbert reported on the…

Power Move: Entergy To Spin Off Transmission Assets

Entergy Corp., parent company of Entergy Arkansas, today announced a divestiture and merger transaction that will spin off its electricity transmission business to ITC Holdings Corp. in a $1.775 billion deal.