Author: Talk Business & Politics staff

Talk Business & Politics staff

Incumbents prevail in legislative primaries

Incumbents prevailed or led in all Republican and Democratic legislative races on Tuesday (March 5). Results are unofficial and incomplete. Early returns from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office showed…

Rep. Crawford, Judges Grimes and Terry win contested primary races

Three incumbents in contested races sailed to victory Tuesday night in Sebastian County, with the Sebastian County Clerk’s office showing 13,661 total votes cast among 68,819 registered voters. In the…

Gov. Sanders makes appointments to Sentencing Commission, War Memorial board

Gov. Sarah Sanders announced the following appointments Monday (March 4): Arkansas Minority Health Commission Wes Booker, Maumelle, to the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Term expires January 31, 2026. Replaces Gerald…

Gov. Sanders appoints Scott Ford to University of Arkansas Board

Gov. Sarah Sanders announced Monday (March 4) that she is appointing Westrock Coffee CEO Scott Ford of Little Rock to the board of trustees of the University of Arkansas. Ford,…

Arkansas tax revenue down 2%, year-end surplus estimated at $240.5 million

Tax revenue is down 2% in Arkansas’ fiscal year, with a revised general revenue forecast including an estimated fiscal year-end surplus of $240.5 million, according to a report posted Monday…

WhiteRock expands presence with new office at Little Rock Tech Park

WhiteRock, a technology company based out of Little Rock, announced the opening of its new office at the Little Rock Tech Park. This move reinforces WhiteRock’s commitment to fostering synergy…

Fort Smith metro jobless rate rises to 3.8% in December, jobless number up 40%

The Fort Smith metro ended 2023 with a slight uptick in jobs, but the number of unemployed in the region jumped 40% between December 2022 and December 2023, according to…

Gov. Sanders calls on Jiles to resign from Board of Corrections

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Thursday (Feb. 29) joined the call from others for Arkansas Board of Corrections member Alonzo Jiles to resign after it was revealed he faces lawsuits alleging…

Two promoted to executive roles at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield promoted Christy Giglio and Tonya Rogers to lead executive positions. Giglio joined Arkansas Blue Cross in 1997 as a data analyst. Over the past…

Wayne Sanderson Farms to invest $43 million in new Danville feed mill

Oakwood, Ga.-based Wayne Sanderson Farms announced Tuesday (Feb. 27) it is building a $43 million feed mill at the company’s processing plant in Danville, Ark., with completion expected in April…

Cognitive research earns UA professor prestigious NSF CAREER award

Grant Shields, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas, has been honored with a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF)….

Libertarians nominate slate of candidates for legislative seats, Congress

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas nominated a slate of candidates at its annual convention this weekend for the 2024 election cycle. The list of nominated candidates includes: Steve Parsons, U.S. House…

U.S. Marshals Museum Foundation welcomes 3 new board members ahead of March meeting

The U.S. Marshals Museum Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Fort Smith museum, will hold its next scheduled meeting on March 7. It will be the first meeting for three…

Connections: Southern Bancorp hires Michelle Hood for new role

Little Rock-based Southern Bancorp Inc. has hired Michelle Hood of Bella Vista to fill the newly created role of director of product and customer experience. Hood brings over a decade…

Nomination deadline approaching for Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Fast 15 class

Just a few weeks remain to nominate young professionals for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2024 Fast 15 class. The Fast 15 program is designed to recognize an exclusive group…

Soybean yield contest winners announced

The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Soybean Association has announced the winners of the 2023 Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Contest. The contest divides state soybean producers…

EPA announces $53.099 million in water infrastructure grants for Arkansas

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $53.099 million for Arkansas to implement drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. The money is from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law….

Jacimore named president of Arvest’s Fort Smith market

Mike Jacimore is president of Arvest Bank’s Fort Smith region. He replaces Roger Holroyd, who has been with the bank for more than 30 years and is retiring April 2…

Few contested races in Crawford, Sebastian County Quorum Court posts

Though several justices of the peace in Crawford and Sebastian counties will face an opponent this election cycle, only three in Crawford County will face an opponent in the March…

Marshals announce inaugural baseball season schedule

The inaugural season for the Fort Smith Marshals, the baseball team in the newly formed Mid America League, will include a July 4 weekend home stand and the team has…