Business

Tyson Foods obtains $1.5 billion loan from creditors

Tyson Foods has secured a $1.5 billion term loan facility with lenders lead by Morgan Stanley. The meat giant also drew down the entire amount which will be due in…

Pradco, Glatfelter among Fort Smith area manufacturers producing critical medical supplies

The power in Fort Smith manufacturing was highlighted Wednesday (April 1) when Pradco Outdoor Brands of Fort Smith and Glatfelter’s Fort Smith plant stepped up to help those on the…

Jonesboro curfew remains to deter looters after tornado, protect against COVID-19 spread

Jonesboro is likely to remain under curfew until further notice the city announced Wednesday (April 1). A curfew has been in place since an EF-3 tornado ransancked the city’s commercial…

Local banks ready to band-aid small businesses through the coronavirus crisis

Seventy-seven thousand or more filing for unemployment. A near 9% unemployment rate. Retail sector jobs declining by 16%. Employment in the arts, entertainment and recreation tumbling by 20%. Consumer spending…

Murphy Oil shrinks capital expenditures again, cuts executive pay

Amidst worldwide falling crude oil prices, Murphy Oil Corp. has further reduced its capital expenditures for 2020. In March, the El Dorado-based oil and gas exploration company dropped its cap…

Governor’s Cup winners to be announced on April 9

College and high school students may be shuttered from school this spring due to the pandemic, but a select few were still able to compete in the finals of the…

COVID-19 testing rate improves; new visitation rules issued for Arkansas parks

State officials continue to be frustrated with the pace of COVID-19 testing, but reported on Wednesday (April 1) gains and new activity on that front, with one being a pilot…

Rep. Murdock tests positive for COVID-19 virus

Rep. Reginald Murdock, D-Marianna, has become the first Arkansas legislator to discover he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, disclosed the news…

Kroger to offer pay bonus, expand benefits amid COVID-19 impact

Kroger and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union announced a $2 per hour pay raise for 3,000 Arkansas grocery workers at Kroger Stores across the state. This pay…

COVID-19 considerations

The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably affected Arkansans’ daily lives and routines. One night recently, my 9-year-old daughter asked if I experienced something like this when I was her age. Of…

Cattle producers take major hit

One of Arkansas’ leading agricultural industries is taking a direct hit from the COVID-19 outbreak. Cattle producers are feeling the strain as unprecedented unemployment and consumer uncertainty have rattled the…

COVID-19 forces restaurant owners to cope with sudden new realities

The list of small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) national emergency is extensive. In the second week of March, the World Health Organization officially classified COVID-19 as a pandemic….

Delta Dental offers $6.5 million for state dental practices in ‘financial stress’

Benefits provider Delta Dental of Arkansas has pledged $6.5 million in emergency financial assistance to dental practices in Arkansas. The Delta Dental of Arkansas Advance Receipts Program will provide financial…

UA Little Rock retrenchment process moves forward despite coronavirus disruption

UA Little Rock Chancellor Dr. Christina Drale says the metropolitan campus can’t wait for the coronavirus crisis to subside before making tough decisions on keeping, eliminating or redesigning the school’s…

St. Bernards will not furlough workers; Jonesboro curfew extended

COVID-19 has forced many businesses to shutter and furlough employees, but as of right now that’s not the case at St. Bernards. The state’s largest private healthcare provider, Baptist Health,…

Locations unknown of COVID patients in Crawford, Sebastian counties

There are six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sebastian County, at least one in Crawford County. But where are they? Talk Business and Politics has tried to narrow it down…

Tyson Foods to provide almost $60 million in bonuses for frontline workers

Tyson Foods announced it will pay approximately $60 million in “thank you” bonuses to 116,000 frontline workers and Tyson truckers in the U.S. who support the company’s operations to provide…

Arkansas officials work to limit out-of-state visitors; ‘success’ cited in social distancing

A state that has spent millions of dollars in past decades to encourage people from out of state to visit Arkansas’ parks, rivers and other ecotourism resources is now working…

Specialty crop block grants available through Arkansas Department of Agriculture

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). These grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to…

Arkansas Department of Commerce ready for Quick Action loans for COVID-19 impacted

The Arkansas Department of Commerce will begin receiving applications for the Quick Action Loan Guaranty Program to address the immediate needs of businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The program…