Lou Ann Nisbett

Visions of a $3.5 billion plant to turn natural gas into liquid fuel have tantalized Jefferson County while doubters have touted the project as pie in the sky. With two of four crucial environmental permits in hand, that pie could be going into the oven soon. read more >

The Quapaw Tribe of Indians’ Downstream Development Authority LLC broke ground last month in Pine Bluff and expects a 300-room hotel and 80,000-SF casino complex to be fully built by the end of 2020. read more >

With a $30 million investment commitment from the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, plans to build a $3.5 billion plant to turn natural gas into refined liquid fuel near Pine Bluff reached a significant landmark this week. read more >

Pine Bluff has never lacked for boosters, but there must be more than sentimental nostalgia for a once-great city to create real, sustainable growth. read more >

A growing army of developers and investors are on a mission of revitalization for the city of Pine Bluff. read more >

Summit Poultry Inc. has a pair of new owners who aim to reopen the company next month at the former Horizon plant in Pine Bluff and employ more than 100 people. read more >

Tell Roger Williams that a multibillion-dollar plant for turning natural gas into liquid fuel near Pine Bluff sounds too good to be true, and he’ll turn to history, engineering and finance to argue it’s too good not to be. read more >

Jefferson County taxpayers have picked up the tab for nearly $3 million worth of land, and Energy Security Partners has signed a lease, but the plant site is still not quite a done deal, according to CEO Roger Williams. read more >

A site near Pine Bluff has won the competition to become home to a multibillion-dollar plant for turning natural gas into liquid fuel, economic development officials say. read more >

Lou Ann Nisbett is the president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County. read more >

Jefferson Regional Medical Center — Pine Bluff’s nonprofit hospital operated by Jefferson Hospital Association Inc. — is one of the major sources of jobs for an area that has suffered from loss of industry, plummeting population and spiking crime. read more >