Author: Wesley Brown

Wesley Brown

Pulaski County judge sues Arkansas Supreme Court after execution case ban

Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen on Thursday (Oct. 5) filed a federal lawsuit against the Arkansas Supreme Court, saying Chief Justice Dan Kemp and the state high court’s…

DFA legal team begins process of culling medical marijuana applications

The state Department of Finance & Administration’s legal team is notifying nearly 100 companies who applied to win one of the eight highly sought-after pot-growing greenhouse licenses to let them…

Arkansas budget coffers still ahead of forecast, September collections tepid

Arkansas’ economy continues to see broad-based growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 even as state revenue collections remained mostly flat, caused mainly by a continued decline in new…

Arkansas student default rate continues four-year decline, state moves closer to national average

Arkansas’ contribution to the nation’s massive $1.4 trillion student loan bubble actually got smaller in 2014, moving the state off another “bottom ten” financial ranking of U.S. states with the…

$200 million wood pellet mill in Pine Bluff on schedule for year-end start despite production, financing hitches

Despite recent setbacks for a project first announced in August 2014, the CEO at Boston-based Highland Pellet Inc. said Arkansas’ first full-scale wood pellet mill is still on schedule to…

Sen. Cotton co-sponsoring legislation to keep arbitration rules at bay, Boozman supportive

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is putting his support behind a Senate resolution that a progressive Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group says will help big banks and other financial concerns take…

Revised second quarter GDP jumps 3.1%, Fed chief says rate hikes still likely

The nation’s economy grew at a solid 3.1% in the second quarter, experiencing the strongest lift in real gross domestic product (GDP) since the first quarter of 2015, according to…

Arkansas personal income growth slows in second quarter, farming economy in downturn

Personal income growth in Arkansas came in just below the national average in the second quarter of 2017 as the U.S. farming economy remains stuck in a prolonged downturn due…

Arkansas congressional delegation meets with Energy Secretary Perry, reiterates opposition to Clean Line project

Members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation said they followed up on earlier plans to ask U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry to end the agency’s participation in the controversial Clean…

National Oil and Gas Gateway consolidates well-level data from Arkansas, participating states

The National Oil and Gas Gateway, made available to the public Tuesday (Sept. 26), is the first public website with oil and natural gas well-level data from multiple states. The…

Former Gov. Beebe blasts Graham-Cassidy bill, calls it a ‘terrible bill for Arkansans’

In a rare public disagreement with his Republican successor, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday (Sept. 25) called the proposed Graham-Cassidy amendment to repeal and replace the Affordable Care…

President Clinton to headline city’s Little Rock Central 60th anniversary events

Former President Bill Clinton and gospel and rhythm and blues singer Mavis Staples will headline a long list of events this weekend and Monday to mark the 60 years since…

Cannabis ‘celebration’ events set, leaders hope to form ‘working relationships’

Two statewide trade groups that have emerged to actively promote medical marijuana use in Arkansas are planning special events to celebrate the hallmark starting point of the state’s newest industry….

Bank of the Ozarks announces formal plans for new Little Rock HQ, construction to start by year-end

Bank of the Ozarks executives formally announced Tuesday (Sept. 19) that the fast-growing publicly-traded financial concern will begin construction on a new 247,000-square-foot headquarters by the end of 2017. Bank…

Gov. Hutchinson puts full support behind latest GOP bill to ‘repeal and replace’ Obamacare

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday put the weight of his office behind Congress’ latest attempt to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system, saying the Graham-Cassidy bill now circulating in the U.S….

Flurry of medical marijuana bids hit on deadline day, 200 out of 300 proposals submitted

After seeing a flurry of last-minute proposals Monday (Sept. 18) for Arkansas’ first pot-growing facilities and retail cannabis dispensaries, the state Medical Marijuana Commission (AMMC) must now sift through a…

As Arkansas and U.S. opioid drug-related deaths increase, so do organ donations

One of the unintended and morbid consequences of the rising number of opioid-related drug overdose deaths in Arkansas and across the U.S. is the recent turnaround in the nation’s waiting…

Arkansas’ jobless rate edges up to 3.5%, labor pool grows by 3,200 positions

Arkansas was the among several states that saw higher unemployment rates in August, but U.S. Labor Department officials said Hurricane Harvey had “no discernible effect” on the nation’s employment picture…

Opioids versus medical marijuana debate begins in Arkansas

As Arkansas moves closer to the Sept. 18 deadline for pot-growing greenhouses and retail dispensaries across the state, one of the key talking points driving acceptance of medical marijuana use…

Arkansas golf courses rebounding from ‘overbuilt’ Tiger era

When Fayetteville’s Razorback Park Golf Course pulled up its golf tees in the spring of 2015, it was among a string of high-profile golf course closings across Arkansas that year,…

Carnall, Spradling elementary schools in Fort Smith recommended for closure

Chandler Equipment invests $14 million into expansion

Mike Preston wearing a new hat in the business arena

Department of Agriculture implements rice in schools pilot program