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Special session to end with no changes to state mask mandate ban

Friday is expected to be the final day of a special session that started Wednesday to consider changes to a state law banning mask mandates. House members did not take…

Tyson Foods financials expected to improve in third fiscal quarter report

Most equity analysts expect improved third-quarter numbers from Tyson Foods with a turnaround in the chicken segment, gains in prepared foods and international with solid beef results. The company reports…

Officials still unsure what caused I-40 bridge fracture

Why did a primary support beam on the Interstate 40 bridge that connects West Memphis to Memphis fracture and lead to a near collapse of the busiest freight bridge in…

First day of special session ends with uncertainty on mask policy

The 93rd General Assembly kicked off the start of the special session Wednesday (Aug. 4) to debate amending Act 1002 – a ban on mask mandates. Two bills were filed…

Higher grain prices imperil catfish industry in Arkansas

Arkansas is the birthplace of the commercial catfish farm and processing industry. The state has been a top producer since the 1960s, but that’s under threat right now. Rising grain…

Veteran Fayetteville attorney Christy Comstock is Arkansas’ newest federal magistrate judge

In a law career spanning nearly 30 years, attorney Christy Comstock became one of Arkansas’ most formidable trucking defense attorneys — if not the nation. “She had a national following…

Lawsuit filed that seeks to block state law that prohibits mask mandates

As he had promised, and just a few weeks before public schools begin a new year, attorney Tom Mars on Tuesday (Aug. 3) filed a lawsuit in the Pulaski County…

Governor Hutchinson calls special session as new COVID-19 cases rise

On Tuesday (Aug. 3), Governor Asa Hutchinson put out the call for legislators to meet in a special session beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. Hutchinson is calling on the Arkansas…

Arkansas tax revenue falls almost 22% in July because of 2020 tax shift

Tax collections in July, the first month of Arkansas’ fiscal year, were down almost 22% with the numbers “distorted” because of the pandemic-relief income tax shift in 2020, according to…

Tyson Foods to require COVID vaccine for all U.S. employees

Springdale-based Tyson Foods said Tuesday (Aug. 3) that it would require its U.S. workforce to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Spokesman Derek Burleson said that mandate would affect approximately 120,000 processing…

Hospital officials warn of system overload; lawmakers more focused on vaccines than mask policy

Ahead of a special session the governor is expected to call later this week, Arkansas lawmakers heard from some of the state’s top health officials on Monday (Aug. 2). During…

Report: Little Rock commercial real estate market stabilization continues

Arkansas commercial real estate firm Colliers Arkansas said the state’s largest metro continues to stabilize, the industrial vacancy rate continues to drop, and banks lead the way in new development….

Truck capacity remains tight; freight demand still rolling

As industries ramp output from increased demand in the second half of 2021, truck freight demand also is expected to rise, according to a trucking industry report. Meanwhile, freight spending…

‘High demand’ pushes quarterly income up more than 200% at ArcBest

There’s good money in moving stuff from point A to point B. Fort Smith-based ArcBest posted a more than 200% increase in adjusted net income in the second quarter, with…

Little Rock convention chief says planning for pandemics now a long-term business strategy

Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Gretchen Hall is seeing signs of recovery in her industry, but there is still a lag from 2019 numbers and the new Delta…

Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO on mask restrictions, vaccine hesitancy, and behavioral health

Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Curtis Barnett said the state’s largest health insurance company is supportive of the governor’s new call for a COVID-19 pandemic emergency and a special…

The Supply Side: Walmart’s Open Call gives two Arkansas companies a shot

Two Arkansas-based companies made the cut at Walmart’s eighth annual Open Call event to get their products on the retailer’s shelves. Camo Dust, based in Lonoke, and Bentonville-based Bucklebury each…

Walmart mandates vaccine for corporate staff, steps up mask requirements in stores

Walmart on Friday (July 30) joined a growing number of companies requiring all or certain employees to be vaccinated. The Bentonville-based retailer said all market, regional and divisional employees working…

Democratic Senate candidate Dan Whitfield says infrastructure spending needs to grow

2022 Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Dan Whitfield said he thinks a $1 trillion bipartisan deal on infrastructure doesn’t go far enough, and if he’s elected, he wants to see more…

Judge orders state to return to supplemental unemployment program

Jobless workers who received supplemental unemployment benefits until Gov. Asa Hutchinson removed the state from the program could receive those benefits once more. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright on…