by - December 22, 2013 4:33 pm
Resolutions, gratitude and saying ‘no’
What is it about the human species that compels us at the beginning of each year to make New Year’s resolutions? Everybody means well but within a few weeks resolutions…
Guest Commentary
by The City Wire staff - December 8, 2013 5:09 pm
Looking for a Fort Smith renaissance
Last month my article “We have arrived” focused on a conversation about Fort Smith compared to Pine Bluff and was provoked by a “top ten list” ranking Fort Smith as…
by The City Wire staff - November 29, 2013 10:23 am
The megasite message
Arkansas must use every available tool at our disposal to highlight our state's economic advantages in a competitive global marketplace. Companies looking to call Arkansas home need and want easy…
by The City Wire staff - November 24, 2013 5:35 pm
What a difference a year makes
This time last year the political rhetoric and conversation around coffee was about the expiration of the Bush “tax cuts.” Most provisions lowering federal income taxes after President Bush had…
by The City Wire staff - November 17, 2013 6:42 pm
Can Hillary win Arkansas in 2016?
There’s a friendly debate among Arkansas politicos these days: If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee in 2016, will she be able to win our state’s six electoral votes? And…
by The City Wire staff - November 12, 2013 10:09 am
The education-jobs link
Students in the Bentonville, Fayetteville and Greenwood School districts, in four consecutive annual reports (2005-08) produced by our economic think tank earned 'A' grades for their performance on standardized national…
by The City Wire staff - November 11, 2013 4:33 pm
We have arrived
For years I have been saying in jest that if Fort Smith isn’t careful we will become the next Pine Bluff. We’ve arrived, at least in one ranking. The website…
by The City Wire staff - October 27, 2013 5:32 pm
The value of goodwill
Almost every homeowner understands the concept of home equity. Home equity is the money you would expect to be left over after you sold your house and paid off the…
by The City Wire staff - October 20, 2013 12:48 pm
Beebe: More work needed on teacher insurance
For only the second time as governor, I have called legislators to the State Capitol for a special session. These sessions are meant to be narrow in focus and efficient…
by The City Wire staff - October 13, 2013 5:17 pm
The need to control costs
The power of compound interest is one of the first subjects a person is taught when learning about personal finance. Compound interest uses the leverage of time and returns (interest,…
by The City Wire staff - October 8, 2013 4:54 pm
Energized in Oklahoma
This week, energy leaders, environmental experts, education professionals and a host of other industry specialists will gather in Tulsa for the Third Annual Oklahoma Governor’s Energy Conference. The conference, which…
by The City Wire staff - October 6, 2013 8:57 pm
Elections have consequences
As a kid, one of my favorite things every Saturday morning was watching Mid-South Wrestling. It was always filled with theatrics, high drama, and a lot of bad acting. Every…
by The City Wire staff - September 29, 2013 6:34 pm
Premium assistance
Tuesday is the big day, the opening of the American Health Benefit Exchanges, more commonly referred to simply as the state insurance exchanges. You can expect a lot of chatter…
by The City Wire staff - September 15, 2013 7:33 pm
It’s a New Day!
A new day is how the U.S Department of Health and Human Services describes Jan. 1, 2014 “for the 19% of Arkansans who don’t have insurance, or Arkansas families and…
by The City Wire staff - September 12, 2013 7:56 pm
Arkansas must fight for manufacturing jobs
The last two decades have not been kind to manufacturing, once Arkansas' largest private industry sector. Manufacturing peaked at 247,300 in February 1995, and has shed 93,400 jobs – an unprecedented…
by The City Wire staff - September 8, 2013 5:49 pm
A color roadmap to Arkansas politics
It’s still very early, but many people have already made bold predictions about the 2014 election cycle based on early polling data. It’s always important to remember that polls are…
by The City Wire staff - September 2, 2013 11:57 am
Listen to the rock star
A couple of weeks ago Bono, the lead singer in the rock group U2 and advocate for the developed world to assist in the economic development of Africa, made the…
by The City Wire staff - August 23, 2013 6:22 am
The inspiration of Chris Battle
This morning in Alexandria, Virginia, a memorial service will be held to honor Christopher Lee Battle. Chris, as he was known to all his friends, died earlier this month after…
by The City Wire staff - August 18, 2013 4:10 pm
The right person
According to the math, hiring the right person for a job is more important to a small business’ success than a large business. Here’s the math. An owner of a…
by The City Wire staff - August 11, 2013 3:55 pm
Mowers, bullets and jobs
I've participated in lots of job announcements as Governor. The ones that seem to generate the most buzz and excitement are those that welcome a new business to Arkansas. I…