Business

House advances highway fuel taxes, amendment

The twin pillars of Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s highway plan – a fuel tax increase and an extension of the half-cent sales tax – moved another step closer to passage Monday…

Walmart hires new chief antitrust counsel

Walmart announced a new addition to its legal team for the role of chief antitrust counsel being filled by Suzanne Wachsstock, effective March 4. Wachsstock joins Walmart from American Express,…

Rosanne Cash, Marty Stuart will headline Johnny Cash Heritage Festival

Two Grammy Award winners will headline the benefit concert at the 2019 Johnny Cash Heritage Festival in the cotton field adjacent to the Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess. The festival…

Finalists for ASU vice chancellor announced

Arkansas State University Chancellor Kelly Damphousse will welcome the three finalists for the vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost position to the university campus during the month of March….

Travel industry strong in Little Rock

Little Rock continues to the lead the state’s travel industry, according to the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2018 annual report. More than 6.4 million people visited Pulaski County…

Walmart partners with Affirm to provide credit option to customers

Walmart shoppers who want a credit option for larger purchases made in stores or online will soon have another choice. The retail giant is partnering with Affirm, a financial services…

Arkansas tax collections $5.1 million below forecast, four months left in fiscal year

Arkansas tax collections fell short of expectations in February due to thousands of federal employees across the state impacted by the partial government shutdown last month, state budget officials said…

Number of employed in Fort Smith metro dips in December

Although the number of unemployed in the Fort Smith metro fell almost 12% in December compared to December 2017, the region’s labor force and number of employed continued a decline…

Benton County voters to decide if new courts facility is long overdue or more than necessary

Through the county courthouse’s third-floor conference room windows, Benton County Judge Barry Moehring shares how he sees a new county courts campus fitting “efficiently” among existing buildings in the historic…

Crystal Bridges hires Makele Ndessokia as chief people officer; Bakker and Carroll promoted

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has hired Makele Ndessokia to fill the newly-formed role of chief people officer. The Bentonville museum also promoted Diane Carroll from director of communications…

Bud Agency to advocate for medical marijuana industry, reduce ‘implicit bias’ against the drug

With Arkansas’ medical marijuana industry just a few months – if not weeks – away from finally providing products to patients, public relations veterans Elizabeth Michael and Martin Thoma hope…

NIH to track outcomes of liver transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients

The first large-scale clinical trial to study liver transplantation between people with HIV has begun at clinical centers across the United States. The HOPE in Action Multicenter Liver Study will…

CenterPoint Energy turns $90 million profit amid $6 billion Vectren merger

CenterPoint Energy Inc., which closed its $6 billion deal to acquire Indiana-based Vectren Corp. earlier this year, posted fourth quarter profits of 18 cents per share on Thursday (Feb. 28)…

AG Rutledge supports changes to ballot initiative process, wants telecoms empowered to stop unwanted robocalls

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, R-Ark., wants to end two big distractions for Arkansas voters: unwanted robocalls and last-minute court rulings related to ballot initiatives. Rutledge, who appeared on Talk Business…

Windstream to be delisted March 6 from Nasdaq, will now trade ‘over-the-counter’

Once a high-flying Fortune 500 concern with revenues exceeding $6 billion, Windstream Holdings Inc. will be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market March 6, only days after seeking Chapter 11…

Neil Greenhaw launches music publishing company

Music producer Neil Greenhaw, owner of Bentonville-based music production facility Haxton Road Studios and a leader in the region’s emerging musical landscape, has launched a music publishing company called Haxton…

Manufacturing sector expanded at a slower rate in February

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined 2.4 percentage points to 54.2% in February, from January. A reading above 50% indicates the manufacturing economy is generally expanding and below 50% indicates…

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…

SWEPCO seeks 24% monthly increase in Arkansas residential bills

Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) on Thursday (Feb. 28) submitted a request to the Arkansas Public Service Commission for a net annual increase of $45.6 million in the company’s non-fuel…

Chaffee authority takes action to find new director

The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) Board of Trustees voted to name Janet Gabrey, director of finance, the temporary office manager until a new executive director is named. The board…