News on the Wire

Clear Channel cuts Arklahoma AM show after 20-year run

Arklahoma AM, a morning radio show that has been a cornerstone in the Fort Smith media market for more than 20 years, is no more. The last show was Monday…

Restaurant owners organize to oppose prepared food tax

A group of about 25 area restaurant owners and managers agreed Monday (July 19) to launch a 60 day to 90-day process designed to defeat any attempt by the city…

Futter to serve as Boy Scout journalist for The City Wire

Editor’s note: Andrew Futter is a Boy Scout with Troop 316 in Fort Smith. He will report on the 100 years of Scouting from the Scouting National Jamboree. story by…

Drum corps battle invades Van Buren

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] At 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning (July 20), 135 bedraggled musicians from the Santa Clara Vanguard will file off tour buses, spend the next half-hour…

Talk Business Poll: Boozman has big lead; Beebe’s lead surprisingly narrow

The newest Talk Business Poll shows U.S. Rep. John Boozman with a 25-point lead over U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, and shows Gov. Mike Beebe with just a 9-point lead over…

Medal of Honor recipient Nick Bacon dies

Nick Bacon, one of only 25 Arkansans to receive the Medal of Honor and the only Arkansan to receive the award for service in Vietnam, died today (July 17) following…

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….

Fort Smith board to consider $1.53 million in budget cuts

Specific cuts proposed for the 2010 Fort Smith city budget total more than $1.53 million, according to details released Friday afternoon. A July 15 memo from City Finance Director Kara…

Area bank execs wary of new federal bank rules

Execs with banks based or active in the Fort Smith area are concerned that recently approved legislation presumably overhauling the nation’s financial will result in more regulations and higher costs…

Sen. Lincoln, Whirlpool say tax-credit bill would preserve jobs

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln was in Fort Smith on Friday (July 15) to tie continued job growth at Whirlpool’s Fort Smith plant with the passage of HR 4213 — a…

Womack far outpaces Whitaker in campaign fundraising

Rogers Mayor Steve Womack’s campaign collections between April and June were more than 28 times that of his Democratic challenger David Whitaker. Whitaker and Republican Womack face each other in…

The Razorbacks need a rival … now

story by Gary Brown, president of College Sports Matchups (CSM is a content partner with The City Wire) [email protected] Arkansas has a problem. It is a pretty significant one, too….

U.S. Senate sends financial overhaul bill to Obama

The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s financial system and government oversight in reaction to the economic collapse of late 2008. The bill passed the Senate chamber…

Mid-year chamber report: $300 million in possible new biz investment

About 400 gathered Thursday (July 15) to hear a Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce mid-year progress report that included the claim of more than $300 million in possible investments…

J.B. Hunt tops Wall Street view as 2Q earnings jump 117%

Lowell-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. profits easily topped Wall Street expectations as the Arkansas trucking giant’s second quarter earnings were lifted by improved pricing margins and across the board…

Van Buren A&P continues struggle with tight budget

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] Flowers or advertising: that’s what it came down to at the Wednesday (July 14) meeting of the Van Buren Advertising and Commission. The agency is…

Economy watchers say ‘double-dip recession’ unlikely

Editor’s note: Portions of the following story were first posted in this story by Roby Brock at TalkBusiness.net, a content partner with The City Wire. Worries about a potential second…

Area foreclosure filings up 34% in first half of 2010

Recent foreclosure data from RealtyTrac show a more than 34% increase in the number of Fort Smith area residents unable to keep their home and other property out of the…

Teachers train for robotics competition

info for story submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Teachers from seven area school districts and representatives from two universities met July 14 at the University of…

Arkansas Lottery vending machine plan draws criticism

The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has been embroiled in controversy ever since Lt. Gov. Bill Halter proposed the lottery two years ago. Let’s face it, lotteries are controversial, but in Arkansas…