Ort Back Speaking for ArDOT
by Arkansas Business Staff – 1 week ago
Randy Ort is back as the external spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation but only, he hopes, for a short while.
Government & Politics
The Chinese Century (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
1 week ago
As China becomes technologically independent, Eurasia Group predicts tensions that have been left to simmer will be allowed to boil: national security, global influence, fundamental values.
SAU Bucks Trend as College Rolls Fall
1 week ago
With record enrollment, Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia aims for $22 million in its "Love & Loyalty" capital campaign.
Early Voting Begins for Arkansas' March 3 Primary Election
Early voting began Tuesday for Arkansas' March 3 primary and nonpartisan judicial election, with the solidly Republican state drawing interest among Democratic presidential hopefuls. read more >
Gas Used at Baxter Plant Draws Attention 
Gary Beck doesn't know for certain if his multiple myeloma is linked to his neighbor, a Baxter International plant just blocks away in Mountain Home. read more >
Biggest Deals of 2019 See Values Plummet 85%
The value of big deals in Arkansas plummeted 85% in 2019 compared with the previous year, dropping to $7.9 billion compared with a stratospheric $53.9 billion in 2018. read more >
Open Mike: Ads for Bloomberg Pump $2M Into Arkansas Markets
A $320 million ad push by Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg is driving up prices in Arkansas and elsewhere before Super Tuesday, March 3. read more >
Income Growth in Central Arkansas Lags Nation's
While the unemployment rate remains low in central Arkansas, income growth in the region has lagged behind that of the rest of the United States, notes the Metroplan report “Metro Trends: Economic Review and Outlook.” read more >
Willis to Head Mangan Holcomb's Foray Into Government Savings (Movers & Shakers)
Emma Willis has been hired as a senior strategist at Mangan Holcomb Partners/Team SI in Little Rock. read more >
US Appeals Panel Upholds Block of Medicaid Work Requirements in Arkansas
The Trump administration's effort to remake Medicaid by requiring low-income people to work for health care suffered a serious setback Friday when a federal appeals court ruled it goes beyond what's allowed by law. read more >
State Supreme Court: Adam Weeks Should Be On Ballot
A candidate for an Arkansas circuit judge post should remain on the ballot despite a misdemeanor traffic offense, the state Supreme Court said Thursday in reversing a lower court decision that he was ineligible. read more >
July Trial Set for Lawsuit Over Arkansas Ten Commandments
A federal judge has set a July trial for a lawsuit challenging a Ten Commandments display outside the Arkansas state Capitol. read more >
Harvest House of Cannabis of Little Rock Gets State Clearance to Open
A Little Rock medical marijuana dispensary, Harvest House of Cannabis, has been cleared by the state to open, the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration announces. read more >
Little Rock Mayor Endorses Bloomberg's Presidential Bid
Little Rock's mayor has endorsed Mike Bloomberg's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. read more >
Sun Paper Project in Doubt as Arkadelphia Site Is Groomed for Other Prospects
The Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance announced on Facebook that it's preparing to market a 1,000-acre industrial property described as "the former Sun Bio site." read more >
La Quinta Inn & Suites Attracts $7M Sale (Real Deals)
An affiliate of CorePoint Lodging of Irving, Texas, sold the 261-room hotel in downtown Little Rock to an affiliate of MD Hospitality Group of Chattanooga, Tennessee. read more >
Road Tax Proponents Already Revving Up
A constitutional amendment to make a half-cent sales tax permanent goes before Arkansas voters on Nov. 3. Those in favor of the amendment, which would dedicate the tax revenue to the state highway fund, are already out beating the bushes to drum up support. read more >
The Big Brand Antidote (Craig Douglass On Consumers)
With a pandemic entire countries — indeed, cultures — can be thrown into a type of panic that paralyzes routine activities, including day-to-day commerce driven by consumers. read more >
Pulaski Dispensaries Set Inspections; State Clears Additional Outlet in Pine Bluff
Pulaski County's three medical cannabis dispensaries are on the cusp of opening, pending inspections, and a state spokesman announced Friday that the Medical Marijuana Commission has also cleared the way for an additional dispensary license in Pine Bluff. read more >
US Employers Add 225K Jobs; Unemployment Rate Rises to 3.6%
U.S. employers added 225,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.6% as Americans flooded the job market. read more >
Miller County Leaders Eye Property to Recruit Automaker
Regional Economic Development Inc. has asked Texarkana, Arkansas, and Miller County to buy land so that it can recruit a heavy industrial user, ideally an automobile manufacturer. read more >
Survey: US Companies Add 291K Jobs in January
U.S. companies added 291,000 jobs in January, a big increase from December, but much of that strength likely reflected unusually warm weather during the month. read more >
Arkansas Revenue Above Last Year, Forecast in January
State tax officials say Arkansas' January net available general revenue was $594.6 million, up 7% from the same month last year and 0.2% above forecast. read more >
Former Sens. David and Mark Pryor Back Biden for President
David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator, and his son, former Sen. Mark Pryor, are supporting Joe Biden's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden's campaign said Tuesday. read more >
Jacksonville Sees Donated Parcel as Potential Green Space
A 0.76-acre parcel on the north side of Main Street in Jacksonville was donated to the city by the Wilson Charitable Trust, led by Mike Wilson. read more >
The Good, The Bad, The 'Huh?' (Editorial)
The past few weeks have comprised a particularly strange news cycle — good news, bad news, weird news. read more >
Officials Certify Signatures for Referendum on Eye Law
Arkansas officials on Friday approved thousands of signatures submitted for a referendum on a law expanding the procedures optometrists can perform. read more >
Fashion Leader Rebecca Minkoff to Headline Soirée Women's Leadership Symposium
Fashion industry leader Rebecca Minkoff will be the keynote speaker at this year's Soirée Women's Leadership Symposium in Little Rock. read more >
Arkansas, Oklahoma Governors Welcome Trump's Medicaid Offer
Republican governors in Oklahoma and Arkansas welcomed the Trump administration's offer of more control over Medicaid spending for some of their poorest residents, but it's unclear how many states will take it up. read more >
Willis, Former State 529 Plan Director, Joins MHP/Team SI
Mangan Holcomb Partners/Team SI of Little Rock has hired Emma Willis, former director of the state's 529 college savings plan, to help launch a vertical consultancy at the agency aimed at the government savings sector. read more >
Walton Family Foundation Gives $20M for Delta Trail
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Walton Family Foundation announce a $20 million matching grant from the foundation that will complete a 84.5-mile Delta Heritage Trail. read more >
Campaign Begins Against Recreational Marijuana in Arkansas
Arkansas' surgeon general and church groups launched a campaign Thursday against recreational marijuana proposals that advocates hope to get on the ballot four years after voters approved medical marijuana. read more >
Court: Walmart Doesn't Owe 3rd Party's Online Sales Taxes
Walmart isn't responsible for paying sales taxes for items sold through its online “marketplace” for third-party sellers under Louisiana law, the state's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. read more >
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