News on the Wire

‘Gritapalooza’ focused on tourism, Marshals Museum support

The Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau is having fun with the opening of the “True Grit” remake, and is hoping the fun will result in the hype from the…

Fort Smith area running low on publicly held companies

If completed, the ABB-Baldor deal will leave only two publicly held companies based in the Fort Smith area — Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp., and Van Buren-based USA Truck. Zurich,…

UAFS police chief reassigned

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith police chief who was recently the center of controversy has been moved to another position at the university. Kevin Thiele was reassigned Nov….

Golden Living expands with pharmacy service

Fort Smith-based Golden Living has established a new, in-house consulting pharmacy company that will focus on improving medication safety and patient outcomes, according to a statement from the company. Golden…

Sebastian County approves new health insurance plan

story by Aric Mitchell [email protected] Sebastian County Quorum Court members approved a health insurance plan and a number of budget deductions Tuesday night for the coming year. The self-insured plan…

Fort Smith board approves 2011 budget, 5% water rate bump

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (Dec. 7) voted 7-0 to approve a $269 million budget for 2011 that includes increased revenue from a 5% water rate increase…

Arkansas bankers unhappy with Dodd-Frank financial reform law

A room full of 300 state bankers and business leaders gathered at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock to discuss the ramifications and potential repercussions of the wide-ranging financial reform…

Fort Smith only state metro area to see jobless rate increase

The Fort Smith metro area was the only one of eight Arkansas metro areas to see an increase in the October unemployment rate. According to stats released Tuesday (Dec. 7)…

UAFS unveils look of new $14.5 million library expansion

story submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Those attending the Dec. 7 meeting of the Board of Visitors at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith received…

Fort Smith sees dip in tax collections; countywide tax up 1.74%

Fort Smith and Sebastian County sales tax collections continue to be trend-proof, with the October report showing a 0.3% dip in Fort Smith and a 1.74% gain countywide. Each of…

Hospitality tax gains continue; sector employment falls

Area hospitality collections continue to improve, despite a continued decline in hospitality sector employment in the Fort Smith region. Van Buren hospitality tax collections during October totaled $32,150, up 1.2%…

Supreme Court to review of Wal-Mart discrimination case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (Dec. 6) approved a limited review of what could be the largest class-action lawsuit — Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores — in the country. On…

Area building permits down 18.3% in November

The past four months have been slow for the area construction industry, with the value of permits issued between August and November by Fort Smith, Greenwood and Van Buren totaling…

Fort Smith board to consider 2011 budget, rate increases

Big decisions are expected Tuesday night (Dec. 7) as the Fort Smith Board of Directors will vote on the 2011 budget and consider water and sewer rate increases. Estimated revenue…

Womack seeks Appropriations Committee post

U.S. Rep.-elect Steve Womack, R-Rogers, is seeking a post on the powerful U.S. House Appropriations Committee, but is more interested in helping to cut spending than in delivering “pork” back…

Foreclosed home sales in area, state down in third quarter 2010

There were 53 foreclosed homes sold in the Fort Smith region during the third quarter of 2010, down from the 68 in same quarter of 2009, and with the average…

Harvel: Alliances, member action will help economic development

Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce President Paul Harvel reiterated Wednesday his desire to see chamber members “empowered” to use the chamber to make positive community changes and to help…

Small campus, ‘liberal’ education valued by UofO president

story and photos by Linda Kaufenberg [email protected] Dr. Rick Niece, president of University of the Ozarks and the final 2010 speaker for the 360 Leadership Series, talked about the value…

State revenues up, Beebe lifts COLA freeze

Continued improvements in consumer and business spending has helped boost Arkansas tax collections 2.4% above the same fiscal period in 2009. The Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration reported Thursday…

The Compass Report: Flat job numbers continue to stall regional recovery

Third quarter economic conditions were relatively unchanged in the Fort Smith region compared to the 2009 period, with declines in sales tax collections and building permit values and no employment…