News on the Wire

Johnny A ready to electrify Second Street Live!

review by Peter Lewis Despite beginning at age 6 and receiving lessons, Johnny A never quite took to the drums and for that we can all be thankful. “I was…

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….

New poll shows Womack in tighter race with Bledsoe, DeLay

An independent poll of the 3rd Congressional District race shows a tighter margin between frontrunners than did a poll released Wednesday by Rogers Mayor Steve Womack. Womack, along with State…

No takers yet on $1.7 million Town Club building

A little more than three months after the Town Club closed, one of the more impressive and modern buildings on Garrison Avenue remains empty. Sam T. Sicard, vice president of…

Wedding rings, rifles, a Winnebago and parakeets for sale on ‘Dial a Deal’

story and photo by Marla Cantrell [email protected] I discovered the radio call-in program Dial a Deal while driving to work one morning. The first call was a woman trying to…

Womack releases poll showing lead over Bledsoe, DeLay

Rogers Mayor Steve Womack released a poll Wednesday (April 7) conducted by Wilson Research Strategies that shows Womack with an impressive lead over State Sen. Cecile Bledsoe and Fort Smith…

Legislator, Sebastian County attorneys seek lesson on new health care law

Rep. Gregg Reep, D-Warren, tells TalkBusiness.net he wants a series of discussions to occur through his interim committee to help the state prepare for the new law’s pending implementation. When…

Declines continue for area sales tax collections

Fort Smith sales tax collections continue to fall but the decline is less than the 8.9% dip in 2009 compared to 2008. A February report from City Finance Director Kara…

Fort Smith metro jobless rate drops slightly to 8.8%

The Fort Smith metro area unemployment rate February was 8.8%, a small drop from the 8.9% rate in January, but still one of the highest metro rates in Arkansas. The…

Candidate forums set by Fort Smith League of Women Voters (Updated)

The Fort Smith League of Women voters recently announced a series of four candidate forums that is to include the eight candidates in the GOP primary for the 3rd Congressional…

Ad hoc group formed to study convention center issues

The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved names for an ad hoc committee Tuesday night that is charged with coming up with funding and/or operations options for the Fort Smith…

$7.5 million released for area water supply improvement

State and federal officials announced Tuesday (April 6) that the Franklin-Sebastian Public Water Authority will receive $7.5 million in federal stimulus funds to help secure water to more than 29,000…

The City Wire video: Gov. Mike Beebe talks about job recruitment

Gov. Mike Beebe took a few minutes after a recent “community celebration” (April 6) of Mitsubishi’s decision to locate a $100 million plant in the Fort Smith area to speak…

Mitsubishi plant to be up and running by early 2012

Mitsubishi officials confirmed Tuesday (April 6) their intent to build a $100 million wind-turbine assembly plant at Chaffee Crossing, with full production and 400 jobs in place by the first…

Lincoln impressed with regional intermodal progress, plans

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln said it is “incredibly impressive” what business and civic leaders in Crawford and Sebastian counties have done and are doing through the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority….

RITA may soon meet with U.S. Transportation Secretary

Members of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Authority (RITA) may soon have a chance to take their short- and long-term funding needs directly to the top of the U.S. Department of…

Dick Morris to speak at Fort Smith Tea Party rally

Political consultant and author Dick Morris will be in Fort Smith on April 15 as part of a statewide series of “Tax Day” Tea Parties organized by the Arkansas chapter…

Womack raises $150,000 in 3rd District race (Updated)

Rogers Mayor Steve Womack is crowing about his fundraising success, but with the primary election just a little more than five weeks away it remains uncertain whether money will result…

Area tourism officials are bowling for dollars

Potentially thousands of strikes and spares will provide even more ammunition for those who argue that tourism is an important cylinder in the region’s economic engine. Officials with the Southern…

The VP A&P pushes PR on the QR

It’s taking a little PR to get the word out about QR. Maryl Koeth, director of the Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission, recently returned from the Governor’s Conference on…