News on the Wire

Sale of Sparks ‘on target’ for June close

Negotiations to close the sale of Sparks Health System to Alpharetta, Ga.-based Jackson Healthcare are “on target” for a deal set to close no later than June 30. Sparks announced…

Fort Smith airport to lose Delta connection to Atlanta

The Fort Smith Regional Airport is losing in June its direct Delta connection to the Atlanta airport. The loss is a result of the acquisition of Northwest Airlines by Delta….

National, local truckers watching swine flu

The national trucking industry is taking serious the spread of swine flu. Although it often can be hard to distinguish between media hype and real alarm, government and officials with…

Boozman pushes for I-49 funding

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, testified in support of increased funding for Interstate 49 during a Tuesday morning meeting of the Highways & Transit Subcommittee on high-priority projects for consideration…

GOP Senate seat seeker analyzed

State Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette, is the first Republican to get in the race for the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Arkansas. U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat, has announced…

No bottom seen for national trucking industry recession

The March truck tonnage index suggests the terrible freight recession for the trucking industry has not yet hit bottom. The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage…

Fort Smith Classic unveils entertainment lineup

Country musician Darryl Worley, the new country duet team of Caitlin & Will and cast members of “Trick my Truck” are the entertainment for the June 18 Cox Community Concert…

Whirlpool reports fall in shipments, earnings

Whirlpool reported early Monday (April 27) that it expects unit shipments in its North American region to drop as much as 12% in 2009, up from a previous top estimate…

Nationwide auto sales improve (barely); Auto-related jobs down in Arkansas

Nationwide sales of autos in April is expected to be 859,000 units, a 30.8% decrease compared to April 2008, but a 0.5% increase over March 2009, according to Edmunds.com. A…

KFSM 5News, The City Wire to partner

KFSM 5News and The City Wire will begin May 1 to collaborate and partner in the gathering and dissemination of important business and political news. As the longest serving and…

Building design photos provided by Marshals Museum architects

The U.S. Marshals Museum released Friday four official architect photos and an interior layout map. Cambridge 7 Associates unveiled the museum design Thursday at the museum board meeting. A vote…

Fort Smith sanitation revenues, tonnage up in 2008

The Fort Smith Department of Sanitation posed a 12.2% gain in revenue in 2008 despite a decline in industrial revenue collections and the customer base for commercial collections. Revenue for…

Wakarusa impact potentially more than $10 million

story by Peter Lewis It’s possible the economic impact of the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival will be greater than $10 million. The sixth annual Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival…

Hanna Oil makes big donation to Art Center

The Fort Smith Art Center received a $25,000 donation from Fort Smith-based Hanna Oil & Gas for a capital campaign to renovate a donated building at 1601 Rogers Ave. —…

Preliminary Marshals Museum design unveiled (Updated)

The Marshals Museum Board of Directors and the public were given a glimpse Thursday (April 23) of the proposed design for the museum building. Thursday’s meeting represented a major step…

Tourism agency markets Arkansas events

Just in time to start planning for May, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism recently issued several press releases about events around the state. State tourism officials have said…

State NFIB chief bemoans Arkansas’ tax code

Sylvester Smith, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said he supports a concept to review of Arkansas’ tax policy every two years. He believes Arkansans are “clearly…

Fort Smith High School graduate talks about U.S. foreign relations

Grant Green, a graduate of Fort Smith High School and now a commissioner with the Commission on Wartime Contracting, spoke April 20 about the efforts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan…

Regional sales tax collections solid in 2008; Booneville sees 3-month dip

Regional sales tax collections remained strong throughout 2008, with countywide collections in Crawford, Franklin, Logan and Sebastian counties totaling $43.45 million, up 12.5% over 2007 collections. Of the top 10…

Demolition to start at Phoenix Village Mall

More than $1 million in a demolition and redevelopment phase of the old Phoenix Village Mall is to begin April 23, according to Lance Beaty, a co-owner of the mall…