Business

Big decline reported in active Fort Smith water leaks

The city of Fort Smith reduced the number of water leaks by almost 90% in 2025, with city crews fixing on average 5.3 leaks a day. The work marks major…

Board-supported Bend Advisors opens in Fayetteville

Andrew Dyrhood recently launched a Fayetteville-based executive coaching, business advisory, and investment firm overseen by a board of directors with diverse leadership experience. The Springdale native said the recent launch…

Tourism sector boosts Arkansas job numbers, jobless rate rises to 4.1%

Growth in tourism and education and health services jobs helped push Arkansas job numbers up 1.3% in November, but the number of unemployed rose more than 17% in November compared…

Julia Wintner named Bradbury Art Museum director

The Bradbury Art Museum (BAM) at Arkansas State University has named a new director. Julia Wintner, whose work bridges global contemporary art, community-engaged museum practice, and academic leadership, has been…

Arkansas awarded $14.7 million preschool development grant

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) announced Tuesday (Jan. 6) that Arkansas has been awarded a Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) from the U.S. Department of Health…

Avian influenza spreading among flocks in Arkansas

There are at least three counties in Arkansas where avian influenza has been detected in poultry flocks, said Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division…

Farmers’ sales tax exemption card now available

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced a “Farmers Sales Tax Exemption Card” is now available. The card, which is the result of Act 621 of 2025, makes…

Derrick Smith named managing partner at Mitchell Williams law firm

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. has selected attorney Derrick Smith as the law firm’s new managing director. Smith will work with Mitchell Williams’ board of directors to lead…

Then and Now: Collins influenced NWA entrepreneurial scene

After two decades of helping cultivate Northwest Arkansas’s startup landscape, longtime ecosystem builder Jeannette Balleza Collins is charting a new chapter as director of strategic alliances at Fayetteville-based Zenwork Inc….

Pentagon, Lockheed deal to expand missile production in Arkansas

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin on Tuesday (Jan. 6) announced a unique seven-year deal to boost production of advanced Patriot-system missiles from around 600 a year to 2,000 a year….

Donor, retired colonel give $1.25 million to UA

An anonymous donor and a military veteran has contributed $1.25 million to the University of Arkansas to create endowments for speakers and communication research. The anonymous $1 million gift to…

Immerse comes to Northwest Arkansas

Immerse Arkansas, a Little Rock-based nonprofit focused on addressing needs gaps for teens and young adults, is expanding to Northwest Arkansas, opening an office in Lowell. Scott Bull has been…

Buddy Coleman, founder of ERC and Rausch Coleman Homes, has died

Fort Smith businessman and one-time mayoral candidate Ernest Robert “Buddy” Coleman has died. He was 89. Part of the housing development company he founded in 1957 recently sold for more…

2025: Notable deaths in Northwest Arkansas, Fort Smith metro

January Bur Edson, 77, Jan. 15 — Edson, the trusted face of 5NEWS’ evening newscasts for over two decades, died after a battle with pneumonia, according to his family. Edson…

Proposals for agriculture research and promotion projects sought

Four of Arkansas’ agriculture commodity research and promotion boards are accepting proposals for research and promotion projects. The boards exist to support the growth and market development of the state’s…

Vikings, unknown monuments part of Fort Smith history class

Vikings were in the Fort Smith area between 600 and 800 AD, well before federal regiments were sent to the area. Also, an estimated 12,000 Native Americans called the area…

Arkansas tax revenue up 1.2%, surplus rises to $102.9 million

Arkansas tax revenue is up 1.2%, or almost $50 million, in the first half (July 2025-December 2025) of the state’s fiscal year. The revenue surplus is $102.9 million, up from…

Roller Weight Loss opens bariatric surgery center

Roller Weight Loss & Advanced Surgery, a Fayetteville-based bariatric surgery clinic, recently invested about $8 million to open a 10,000-square-foot standalone ambulatory surgery center that’s adjacent to the clinic. Roller…

Missio, Newell partner on 185-unit multifamily project in Bentonville

Missio Capital and Bentonville-based Newell Development will develop a three-story, 185-unit multifamily development at 2804 S.E. John Rollow Drive in Bentonville. Construction of MidCity Commons is expected to begin in…

Iconic restaurant in Jonesboro shutters its business

One of the iconic restaurants in Northeast Arkansas has closed its doors for good. Lazzari Italian Oven has announced it will permanently shutter its Jonesboro operations. “It is with a…

Razorback football star, real estate developer Jim Lindsey has died

Simmons Foods makes $250,000 pledge to Fort Kids Children’s Museum

The Supply Side: Delivery’s the growth engine for online grocery

Smile Shoppe offers dental memberships amid rising costs