Author: The City Wire Staff

The City Wire Staff

Allens Files For Bankruptcy Protection

Siloam Springs-based Allens Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in what appears to be an effort to rescue a company that employs 1,173 and has been in business since…

Metro Jobless Rates Improve In August

All eight metro areas in or connected to Arkansas had jobless rate declines in August compared to July, but only three areas (Northwest Arkansas, Fort Smith and Jonesboro) had jobless…

Reports On All-clear For Walmart India Are Premature

Several news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal recently reported that Wal-Mart received a clean record from the foreign investment investigation, sourced from officials close to the issue. But it…

Wal-Mart Cleared In FDI Probe In India

The probe by India’s finance ministry that alleged Wal-Mart violated stringent foreign investment protocol has cleared the retailer, according to multiple reports out of India early Thursday morning (Oct. 17)….

Asa Hutchinson: No ‘Private Option’ If I Had Been Governor

Former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican candidate in next year’s race for governor, said Arkansas’ private option law regulating the implementation of Obamacare in the state would not have…

Boozman, Pryor Lobby FAA To Open Plane Registry

Members of the U.S. Senate have stepped up pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration to keep open its Aircraft Registry Office during the shutdown. The action, led by U.S. Sens….

Arkansas Home Sales Up 12.4% Through August

Home sales in Arkansas’ four largest metro areas during the first eight months of 2013 totaled 13,916, up more than 12% compared to the 2012 period and at a level…

ABB To Sell Baldor’s Generator Business

Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB, the parent company of Baldor Electric Co., has announced it will sell its North American generator business – once a rising star within the Baldor portfolio of…

Dassault Falcon Layoffs May Result From Shutdown (UPDATED)

Editor’s note: Updated with comment from Dassault Falcon, and comment from the office of U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle. An estimated 250 workers at Dassault Falcon’s Little Rock operation may…

10 of 15 Arkansas-based Stocks Up In 2013

Two surprising bank acquisitions and two attempted corporate takeovers have been part of an Arkansas business year in which the share price has increased for 10 the 15 publicly-held companies…

Personal Income Up In Arkansas, Lags U.S. Average

The value of personal incomes in Arkansas was $106.347 billion in the second quarter of 2013, up 2.1% compared to the second quarter but below the 2.69% year-over-year increase in…

Report Touts Robust NW Arkansas Regional Job Growth

Employment in northwest Arkansas grew by 3% from 2011 to 2012, a rate that outstripped the growth rate in peer regions, the state and the nation, according to a report…

Report: New Energy Sources Boost Disposable Income

A report from Englewood, Colo.-based IHS suggests that the unconventional oil and natural gas production in the U.S. boosted disposable income by $1,200 per household in 2012, with the income…

Teacher Insurance Sign-up Delayed One Month

Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday (Sept. 23) gave public school employees at least a one-month reprieve from insurance premiums that are set to rise at or above 50% for many…

Arkansas Employers Must Offer Benefits To Same-sex Couples

Although Arkansas has a ban on gay marriage, many Arkansas employers must now manage certain retirement plans, health insurance plans and other workplace benefits to include same-sex couples legally married…

All Arkansas Metro Areas Post 2012 GDP Gains

The Jonesboro metro area posted the largest percentage increase in real GDP growth among the eight metro areas in or connected to Arkansas, with Northwest Arkansas posting the best GDP…

Home Sales Remain Strong In Arkansas Metro Markets

It’s a good time to be a Realtor. Home sales in Arkansas’ four largest markets during the first seven months of 2013 were up more than 11%, and were pushed…

New Boss Named For Sparks, Summit Hospitals

Charles Stewart is eager to begin his new role as the chief of Sparks Health System in Fort Smith and Summit Medical Center in Van Buren and hopes to bring…

A Color Roadmap To Arkansas Politics

Editor’s note: This guest commentary, which first appeared on The City Wire, was written by Clint Reed, a partner at Impact Management Group. He manages the daily operation of public…

UA Releases Details On Firing Of John Diamond

University of Arkansas officials on Monday defended the sudden decision to end the employment of Associate Vice Chancellor of University Relations John Diamond, with UA Chancellor G. David Gearhart saying…