Author: Wesley Brown

Wesley Brown

U.S. economy grows at slowest pace since early 2018, fourth quarter GDP at 2.6%

The nation’s economy in the fourth quarter grew at its slowest pace since the first three months of 2018 as consumer and business spending pushed real GDP growth to a…

Uniti Corp. postpones 4Q earnings report amid Windstream bankruptcy fallout

Little Rock-based Uniti Corp. has postponed its fourth quarter and yearly financial results scheduled for Thursday (Feb. 28) as company officials assess the impact of the Chapter 11 petition by…

FedEx launches small business grant contest, top winners will receive over $220,000

Memphis-based FedEx Corp. has announced the launch of its 7th annual Small Business Grant Contest that offers grants and services to ten U.S. based small businesses worth $220,500, the largest…

PSC Chairman says market-based solar program could boost Arkansas economy

Arkansas Public Service Commission chairman Ted Thomas said Wednesday (Feb. 27) that “big picture” legislation to expand the state’s solar marketplace could be a boon for the Arkansas economy –…

Uniti gives thumbs up to Windstream bankruptcy filing

Little Rock real estate investment trust Uniti Corp. on Wednesday (Feb. 27) said it believes former parent Windstream Holdings, Inc. will successfully steer through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that…

Report: Three-fourths of U.S. workers need on-the-job training as nation’s labor pool tightens

As the U.S. job market continues to tighten with the national unemployment rate at 4%, employers are spending more time training new hires as they enter the workforce or switch…

Remix Pitch Challenge startup receives $5,000 for video résumé idea

If your polished résumé or Linkedin.com profile has led to few interviews or scant job offers, a Little Rock entrepreneur believes she has the perfect answer to that problem. During…

Governor’s $95 million highway plan breezes through House committee, part of $300 million program

The trifurcated proposal that would fund the first $95 million of Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s $300 million highway maintenance program breezed through a House panel on Tuesday (Feb. 26) and is…

AEDC chief says state economic development officials ‘closely monitoring’ Windstream bankruptcy

Nearly eight years after former Gov. Mike Beebe and a cadre of state and local government officials convinced Windstream to remain in Little Rock, Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) executive…

Dillard’s 4Q profits beat Wall Street views, CEO cites retail industry challenges

Arkansas department store operator Dillard’s Inc. reported after the close of market on Monday (Feb. 25) that fourth-quarter profits fell below year-ago results that were fueled by the corporate tax…

Windstream inks $1 million per year, five-year employment pact with CEO; stock falls below $1 on credit downgrade

One week after a federal judge handed down a ruling that could push Windstream Holdings into default, the Little Rock telecom’s board of directors inked a new five-year employment deal…

Arkansas, U.S. banks post $59.1 billion in fourth quarter profits

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured in Arkansas and the U.S. saw a hefty boost in fourth quarter profits largely due to lower tax expenses related to the $1.8 trillion…

University of Arkansas in Fayetteville delivers $2.2 billion economic boon to state’s economy, report says

The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville made a $2.2 billion splash on the state’s economy in 2018 and has more than tripled its benefit to Arkansas over almost the past…

Governor’s $300 million highway funding bill moves out of committee, Senate vote on Thursday

A $300 million hybrid funding measure to pay for state highway maintenance by permanently extending a half-cent sales tax and enacting new gasoline and diesel fuel taxes was pushed out…

Entergy Arkansas parent posts 4Q loss of $66 million on nuclear impairments

Entergy Corp. posted a hefty fourth quarter loss related to the New Orleans-based electricity provider’s decision to sell its merchant nuclear and wholesale power fleet and go back to its…

SWEPCO parent signs $1 billion pact to acquire seven Sempra Renewables wind farms

American Electric Power, which last summer canceled the $4.5 Wind Catcher project approved by Arkansas regulators, recently (Feb. 12) announced a deal to acquire 724 megawatts (MW) of operating wind…

Windstream, Uniti stock largest decliners on Nasdaq; Wall Street hedge fund mocks company executives

Shareholders of Windstream Holdings Inc. and closely-tied Uniti Corp. fled both companies’ stocks in Tuesday’s trading session after a Wall Street hedge fund mocked the Little Rock telecom’s response to…

Gov. Hutchinson testifies before Senate panel, asks lawmakers to adopt transformation plan

Gov. Asa Hutchinson made a rare visit to a Senate committee on Tuesday (Feb. 19) to make a strong pitch for his efforts to streamline state government from 42 varied…

Senate adopts new ethics rules, votes for Bates and Cash statues; Governor signs teacher pay raise

The Arkansas Senate on Monday (Feb. 18) unanimously approved both a measure that would prohibit Arkansas lawmakers from dual work as a lobbyist and a proposal to place statues of…

Windstream postpones 4Q, yearly financial report as court ruling fogs future

Windstream Holdings Inc. on Monday (Feb. 18) put off its fourth-quarter and yearly earnings report scheduled for Thursday as the Little Rock-based Fortune 500 company evaluates its options following an…