Linda Collins-Smith, Former State Senator, Found Dead at Her Home
Former state Sen. Linda Collins-Smith was found dead at her Randolph County home on Tuesday, her former press secretary told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT-TV, Channel 8. read more >
Northeast Arkansas
GateHouse Sold Conway Paper to Paxton, Former Publisher Says in Post
The Log Cabin Democrat in Conway has been sold by GateHouse Media to Paxton Media Group of Paducah, Kentucky, according to the paper's group publisher until Friday, Kelly Sublett. read more >
St. Bernards Medical Tower Set for December Opening
St. Bernards will hold a ribbon-cutting for its surgical and intensive care tower on Dec. 10, and patients will move into the 245,000-SF building on Dec. 13. read more >
Log Cabin Democrat, Other GateHouse Papers Primed for Purchase
They're not writing the headlines yet, but media industry insiders are whispering about a possible sale of the Log Cabin Democrat and three other GateHouse Media newspapers in Arkansas to the Paxton Media chain of Paducah, Kentucky. read more >
Young, Changose Named to Asian Business Board (NEA Movers & Shakers)
Mark Young and William “Goose” Changose have joined the board of directors of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses. read more >
Presenting the 40 Under 40 Class of 2019: An Annual List of Rising Stars
Meet 40 impressive young business and community leaders of Arkansas who will give you confidence that our state will be in good hands for decades to some. read more >
Mike Downing to Be Chief of Staff in Jonesboro
Mike Downing has been hired by Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin to be the city's chief of staff. read more >
Acquisitions Alter List of 75 Largest Private Companies in Arkansas
The departures of five companies that were acquired in the past year made room at the bottom of the list for companies that had not made the cutoff last year — or ever. The price of entry to the list? $100 million read more >
Walter Hussman Risks Business 'In Order to Save It'
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Publisher Walter Hussman Jr. talks about replacing newspapers with iPads, why he's not selling his flagship and who his real competitors are. read more >
Trade War Puts Riceland Into 'Holding Pattern'
Riceland Foods Inc. of Stuttgart has been hit with shrapnel from the U.S.-China trade war. read more >
Give Peace a Chance (Editorial)
We agree with U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton that the sacrifices being asked of Arkansas farmers do not strictly compare to those made by service members. But the United States has a volunteer military, and Arkansas farmers didn't sign up for a lengthy trade war. read more >
Osceola Banking On Beautification Proposal
At the next Osceola City Council meeting in June, members will hear a third reading of a proposed city ordinance creating a land bank commission to support beautification and renovation projects. read more >
Red Wolf Convention Center Plans September Open in Jonesboro
The $58 million Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel and Red Wolf Convention Center at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro is set to open in late September. read more >
Citizens Bank's Batesville HQ Sets Model for New Branches
The directors of Citizens Bank at Batesville were already contemplating a new headquarters building when they hired Phil Baldwin as CEO in 2013. The 37,000-SF $13.8 million building finally opened last month, and it is decidedly different. read more >
Cross County Bancshares Seeks Bigger Stake in Central Bank
The parent company of Wynne's Cross County Bank currently owns nearly 20.2% of Little Rock's Central Bank and could up its position to as high as 35%. read more >
Federal Charters Down to a Dozen in Arkansas
With Fidelity National Bank of West Memphis transforming into Fidelity Bank, the ranks of federally chartered banks in Arkansas are whittling down. read more >
Joe Clay Young Moves Up at Merrill Lynch (Movers & Shakers)
Joe Clay Young IV was recently promoted from first vice president to senior vice president at Merrill Lynch in Jonesboro. Brenda Eldridge has been hired as chief financial officer at Partners Bank of Helena, the new name of the bank previously known as Helena National Bank. read more >
Zane Gastineau Takes Seat as Dean at Harding's College of Sciences (Movers & Shakers)
Zane Gastineau's appointment as dean of the College of Sciences at Harding University in Searcy was effective last week. read more >
Bill Shannon Earns Farmers National Award (Movers & Shakers)
Bill Shannon of Jonesboro has received the Gold Eagle Award for real estate sales in 2018 from Farmers National Co. read more >
Democrat-Gazette Continues Print Pullback; Sunday-Only Paper Coming
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette readers in Conway get notice that weekday print delivery there will cease in July. The news comes amid talk about a staff meeting in which top officials discussed plans to print only on Sundays by the end of the year. read more >
Ritter Communications Seeks Partner in Continued Growth Push
Ritter Communications of Jonesboro is looking for a partner, not a buyer. Responding to a Wall Street Journal article, officials of the family-owned, regional broadband provider said that at this time the company is seeking investment partners only. read more >
The Cold War Hot Again, Blytheville Moves Ahead with Museum Plan
Cold War nostalgia is in full swing, leading some to forecast success for Blytheville's efforts to transform the former Eaker Air Force Base into a Cold War museum. read more >
Keli Jacobi Joins Lyon College (Movers & Shakers)
Keli Jacobi has been hired as the director of marketing and communications at Lyon College in Batesville. read more >
Sunstar Merges with Todd Agency of Little Rock
Sunstar Insurance Group LLC of Little Rock has continued its expansion trend, announcing a merger with the Todd Agency of Little Rock. read more >
Prysmian Group to Expand Paragould Plant, Add 12 Jobs
Prysmian Group of Milan, Italy, says it will expand its Paragould facility, investing $2.8 million and adding 12 positions. The plant already employs 182 people at 1 Prestolite Drive. read more >
Walter Hussman Bets Big on a Digital Democrat-Gazette
Soon, readers won't get a newspaper outside central Arkansas and the northwest. Operations will be mostly digital, and a Sunday-only print edition is conceivable, Publisher Walter Hussman says. read more >
Shawnie Carrier Connects with Jetton General (NEA Movers & Shakers)
Shawnie Carrier has joined Jetton General Contracting in Paragould as director of strategic development. read more >
Ritter Extends Reach with $8M Data Center in Jonesboro
Ritter Communications celebrates the start of construction on its $8 million, 8,882-SF cloud and data storage facility in Jonesboro. read more >
Joseph Bates Honored for Lifetime Achievement at Health Care Heroes Event
Joseph Bates III of the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Health Care Heroes awards luncheon on April 24. read more >
Arkansas Duck Hunting Not Dead Yet
Reports that there were “no ducks” in the Arkansas Delta this hunting season were greatly exaggerated, but industry leaders are concerned nonetheless. read more >
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