People & Business in the news

Arkansas tax revenues up in July

Arkansas’ first month of tax revenue in the new fiscal year was a net positive. The state Department of Finance and Administration’s monthly revenue report for July showed net available…

Appointments made to Arkansas boards and commissions

Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday (Aug. 1) announced the following appointments to boards and commissions: Rosemary Alcon, Ozark, to the Arkansas Board of Health Education. Appointment expires July 31,…

Hawker, Weatherford to cut jobs in central Arkansas

Two reports out of central Arkansas point to job losses that could total 260. In a letter to employees released this morning (Aug. 2), Hawker Beechcraft says it has notified…

Cover-Bryan to head Butterfield foundation

The Foundation of Butterfield Trail Village, Northwest Arkansas’ only LifeCare retirement community, recently appointed Maureen Cover-Bryan as the Foundation’s new executive director. Cover-Bryan will oversee operations of the Butterfield Trail Village Foundation….

Quarterly income dips for Murphy Oil

Murphy Oil Corp. posted second quarter net income of $295.4 million on the strength of improved margins in its refinery and retail operations. The El Dorado-based oil and gas company…

Agribusiness Weekly Update: Chicken and dairy prices going up

Beef U.S. beef packer margins averaged $11.70 per head last week, sliding to $4.47 by Wednesday (Aug.1 ), according to Hedgers Edge. Steve Kay of Cattle Buyers Weekly said margins…

Butterball settles with Arkansas workers

Butterball LLC agreed to settle a class action suit with its Arkansas plant workers that has lingered in the federal court system since 2008. The donning and doffing case settlement…

McMullen named director of the High-Performance Computing Center

Rick McMullen, former director of research computing at the University of Kansas, has been appointed director of the Arkansas High Performance Computing Center. His appointment begins Aug. 13, according to…

Appointments made for Arkansas boards and commissions

Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday (July 31) announced the following appointments to boards and commissions: Jerry Adams, Lonoke, to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Appointment expires…

Acxiom sees quarterly income gain

Acxiom got its first quarter off to a solid start as the database and digital marketer posted net income of $13.33 million on revenue of $271.66 million. One year ago,…

Hatch named UA associate Athletic Director

Byron Hatch has been named associate Athletic Director for business with Razorback Athletics, according to a statement from the office of Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long. Hatch…

Litchy garners 2012 Urban Forestry award

Alison Litchy of Fort Smith, urban forester with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and the city of Fort Smith, was named 2012 Urban Forestry Professional of the Year…

Tyson recalls canned chicken

Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. is voluntarily recalling 70,500 lbs. of canned Premium Chunk Chicken produced by Madelia, Minn-based Tony Downs Foods Company, a co-packer of the product. Approximately 24 cans…

PrivacyStar to add 121 jobs in Conway

Conway-based PrivacyStar will add 121 good-paying jobs through a $270,000 expansion at the company’s Conway headquarters. The company, founded by former Acxiom CEO Charles Morgan, offers a consumer service that…

Wal-Mart appoints Flynn to board (updated)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. appointed Timothy P. Flynn, retired chairman of KPMG International, to its board of directors. Flynn’s service is effective immediately as one of 17 directors and he has…

Struggles continue for Metropolitan National Bank

Privately-held Little Rock-based Metropolitan National Bank reported a $423,000 second quarter loss for the period ending June 30, 2012. The bank said it posted a $273,000 profit one year ago….

Sales tax to fund Fort Smith firefighter jobs after grant expires

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded the Fort Smith Fire Department $987,309 to fund nine new firefighter positions, allowing the department to “increase staffing on aerial firefighter apparatus…

Arkansas Medicaid program to receive $4.3 million

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced Friday (July 27) that Arkansas and other states have reached an agreement with the McKesson Corporation to settle allegations that McKesson reported inflated pricing data…

ATU-Ozark receives approval for new programs

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education board has approved for Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Human Services and a Supply Chain Management option for…

Sparks Health System to use ‘cloud’ records management

Sparks Health System, a division of Health Management Associates (HMA), will join the more than 300 locations nationwide in moving to a cloud-based records management system. HMA announced last week…