News on the Wire

Walmart is one step closer to Bella Vista

Bella Vista residents had plenty to say about why they do not want to see a 6.22 acre tract of residential land rezoned commercial at Monday’s (June 11) public meeting….

U.S. beef herd at lowest level in 50-60 years

BLOOMBERG — The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to the smallest since three years before Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s Corp. hamburger stand, reducing supply and raising prices even…

Trust lacking say Fort Smith director candidates

While City of Fort Smith Board of Directors candidates at the Monday (June 11) League of Women Voters Candidate Forum did not agree entirely on what the top issues the…

Wal-Mart faces more shareholder litigation

New York City’s pension funds is the latest group of disgruntled Wal-Mart shareholders to file suit against the retail giant. The Office of the New York City Comptroller and the…

Signature shortage cited with severance tax push

Arkansas Municipal League director Don Zimmerman issued an email Monday (June 11) to advocates of a hike in the severance tax on natural gas and warned that the petition campaign…

Apple adds features to stay ahead of Google (Updated2)

BLOOMBERG — Apple Inc. unveiled the next version of its mobile software, adding maps and integration with Facebook Inc. to ratchet up pressure on Google Inc. in the market for…

U.S. food service sector shows improvement

The national food service sector posted a 1% increase in restaurant traffic during the first quarter of 2012. While the uptick was nominal, it was the strongest gain in four…

Ethics push gains bipartisan support

Two legislative ethics champions agree that lengthening a waiting period for their peers to lobby and banning gifts to lawmakers are good public policy, but they disagree on changes to…

No-gays policy OK with area Boy Scout council

The Boy Scouts of America has again denied it is reviewing its policy that denies membership to homosexuals, with the leader of the Westark Council representing 17 counties in northwest…

Fort Smith Board could veto trash election results

Fort Smith citizen Joel Culberson is fighting to revisit the automated-versus-non-automated refuse collection debate by officially placing it on the November ballot. But according to City Administrator Ray Gosack, a…

CEOs losing optimism about U.S. growth

BLOOMBERG — U.S. chief executive officers are turning more pessimistic about a second-half recovery as rising unemployment and Europe’s debt turmoil threaten domestic growth prospects. CEOs from General Motors Co….

Health law adds 6.6 million young adults to parents’ plans

BLOOMBERG — About 6.6 million young adults under age 26 joined their parents’ insurance plans in 2011 because of the U.S. health-care law, the largest one-year increase in medical coverage…

Van Buren banquet delivers job news, award surprise

The about 350 who attended the 57th annual Van Buren Chamber of Commerce banquet saw newspaper veteran Kenneth Fry awarded the prestigious Iverson Riggs Memorial Citizen of the Year Award…

U.S. household worth rises $2.83 trillion

BLOOMBERG — Household wealth in the U.S. climbed in the first quarter by the most in seven years, bolstered by a jump in stocks prices and more stable home values….

Whirlpool closure appears clean from environmental view

The closure of the Whirlpool plant on June 29 may leave a crater in the Fort Smith economy, but the company appears to be ready to leave the facilities now…

STEPS better connects children with parents

“Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can help a foster child.” Fort Smith citizen Susan Hooks shares these words from the office of Safety Training Education Prevention…

State to pay $310 million trust fund debt by 2015

Artee Williams, the director of Arkansas’ Department of Workforce Services, is confident a more than $310 million debt owed by the state to the federal government will be repaid no…

Tablets gaining on laptop market

The tablet computer is just two years old but is redrafting the rules for a burgeoning mobile society across the globe. City leaders in Fort Smith and Springdale and bankers…

Reform initiative receives bipartisan support

Gov. Mike Beebe (D) said he would support a potential ethics reform proposal on the same day that former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and Lisenne Rockfeller, widow of former Lt….

Director Merry: No collaboration on vote

During the Tuesday (June 5) City of Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting, City Director Philip Merry made a comment that raised at least one eyebrow, that of Ward 3…