News on the Wire

Gosack: Ready to tackle the job with ‘fresh eyes’

In an interview the day after he was hired, Fort Smith’s new city administrator hinted at two broad priorities he plans to pursue now that he’s in the driver’s seat…

Womack gains more committee assignments

The appointments for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, just keep coming. On Friday (Jan. 7), Womack, the new Congressman for Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District, was appointed to three House subcommittees:…

Appointments create opening on Highway Commission

Gov. Mike Beebe today (Jan. 7) announced several key appointments, one of which creates a vacancy on the Arkansas Highway Commission. Beebe appointed Elana Wills of Little Rock to the…

CASA Christmas gift issue now ‘accounted for’

It appears the Arkansas Department of Human Services moved quickly to resolve the issue of misappropriated Christmas gifts intended for a few children in Sebastian County. On Wednesday (Jan. 5)…

Regional bankruptcies and incorporations

Following are recent bankruptcy and incorporation filings from Crawford, Franklin, Logan and Sebastian counties. The information is provided by The Daily Record. a Little Rock-based news and legal information publisher….

CASA director: State working to fix Christmas gift problem

The Arkansas director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) association believes a “viable resolution” is in the works on the issue of misappropriated Christmas gifts. On Wednesday (Jan. 5)…

Mallett is off to the NFL

story by Gary Brown, president of College Sports Matchups (CSM is a content partner with The City Wire) [email protected] Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has decided it is time to leave…

Post seating in Arkansas House draws objections

Just a day after they all rubbed shoulders at a chummy legislative reception at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, State Reps. Gary Deffenbaugh, R-Van Buren; Jon Eubanks, R-Paris;…

Tyson Partnership succession plans revealed

When Don Tyson died earlier today (Jan. 6), so did the majority voice in the Tyson Limited Partnership that controlled Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. — one of the world’s largest…

Leon Russell’s ‘distinctive warble’ set for Second Street Live!

Editor’s note: Leon Russell is scheduled to perform in downtown Fort Smith on Jan. 12. at 101 N. Second St., as part of the 2010-2011 Second Street Live! Concert Series. …

Don Tyson dies of cancer (Updated)

Don J. Tyson, a college dropout who grew his father’s chicken production business to a Fortune 500 conglomerate, died early Thursday (Jan. 6) morning. The 80-year old Springdale native was…

Arkansas Legislative Preview: Lottery, constitution and ethics

Editor’s note: The following is the last of three articles by Talk Business Editor Roby Brock, who is a content partner with The City Wire, about nine big issue areas…

CASA alleges state workers ‘misappropriated’ Christmas gifts for children

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) officials in Sebastian County and Arkansas are angry about Christmas gifts they purchased for children being allegedly “misappropriated” by state employees of the Division of…

Gov. Beebe, legislative leaders talk details on session plans

Speaking to reporters, Gov. Mike Beebe outlined issues important to his legislative agenda, covering a wide swath of topics that included highways, taxes, prisons, Medicaid, higher education and the economy….

Files: Prison system fix will require innovative thinking

Arkansas Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, said there will be disagreements on how to fix the state’s prison system, but is confident legislators will see that something must be done…

Arkansas Legislative Preview: Health care, trust fund and education

Editor’s note: The following is the second of three articles by Talk Business Editor Roby Brock, who is a content partner with The City Wire, about nine big issue areas…

Aviation company to add 300 jobs in Blytheville

Aviation Repair Technologies (ART), an aircraft and component repair company, announced Wednesday (Jan. 5) a facility expansion at the Arkansas Aeroplex in Blytheville. The Arkansas Aeroplex is a multi-modal transportation…

$2.6 million ‘Movie Lounge’ project back on track

The Movie Lounge is back on, with Dwight Curry and Lynn Curry Weidman ready to move forward on a $2.6 million project that will create up to 60 jobs and…

Ray Gosack hired as new Fort Smith administrator

After serving almost 12 years as a Fort Smith deputy city administrator, Ray Gosack will now move across the office to be the new Fort Smith city administrator. The hiring…

Area jobless rate 7.9% in November

The Fort Smith metro area jobless rate reached 7.9% in November, unchanged from an October unemployment rate that was revised up to 7.9% after initially posted as 7.8%. Also, the…