Newport’s Iron Mountain Train Depot still has its century-old ticket window, but instead of sending railroad passengers on their way, the refurbished station will soon put Arkansans on a track to better careers. read more >
The cities of Hamburg (Ashley County), Hazen (Prairie County) and Earle (Crittenden County) recently received Arkansas Rural Connect grants of $2 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million, respectively, for broadband deployment projects. read more >
The Arkansas Department of Commerce announced Wednesday that it has awarded the city of Magazine (Logan County) a $1.03 million Arkansas Rural Connect grant to deploy fiber internet there. read more >
The Arkansas Department of Commerce gives the city of Lonoke a $2 million grant to deploy fiber internet there. read more >
A $26.4 million bond issue is in the works to mortgage a state-owned building read more >
Roger Williams’ eight-year path to his dream — a $3.5 billion plant to make ultra-clean diesel near the banks of the Arkansas River — is intersecting with a quite literal road, perhaps the state’s sturdiest. read more >
Fairfield Bay, in partnership with Arkansas Telephone Co., has received a $1.57 million Arkansas Rural Connect grant to deploy fiber internet to homes there. It’s the first such grant to be awarded. read more >
The coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed much of daily living online, highlights Arkansas’ status as a laggard in broadband deployment and illustrates the digital divide between broadband haves and have-nots. read more >
Arkansas officials confirmed last week that the state filed an insurance claim in a May 15 website security lapse that exposed sensitive data on 30,000 Arkansans seeking pandemic unemployment benefits. read more >
The state’s unemployment fund was in the best of shape before the pandemic and is still healthy, but politicians and community leaders are worried it will be depleted by early 2021 if the economy does not bounce back as expected. read more >
The Arkansas Department of Commerce on Tuesday released a spreadsheet of the 10,537 businesses that have been approved for Arkansas Ready for Business grants totaling more than $115 million. read more >
Arkansas has been awarded a $2 million, four-year U.S. Department of Labor grant to provide more information technology training throughout the state. read more >
Arkansas Commerce Secretary Mike Preston says the COVID-19 pandemic is an “unprecedented” challenge to the state’s economy, but the state is in a good position to cushion the blow to businesses and employees. read more >
Candace Franks, the Arkansas state bank commissioner, says total assets under supervision have almost doubled since 2012. read more >
Plans are still taking shape to move 977 state employees into the six-story building at 1 Verizon Drive in the Riverdale area. read more >
The state Public Service Commission weighs Entergy's solar proposal as third-party arrays save cash for untaxed entities. read more >
Fire Chief Kevin Miller of Jonesboro has received the E.W. Sewell Fire Chief of the Year Award from the Arkansas Fire Chiefs Association. read more >
