Arkansas Offers $50M Grant Program for Tourism, Hospitality
The state of Arkansas announces a $50 million grant program aimed at helping the state's hospitality industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. read more >
Tagged: Coronavirus Aid Relief & Economic Security Act (cares)
$124M in ARC Grants Make Rural Broadband Feasible
Contractors are in high gear because federal funds must be used by Dec. 30. read more >
This Will Not End Well (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
The number of COVID deaths in our country has already topped 200,000 (roughly the population of Little Rock). But there are millions upon millions of other casualties: More than 61 million unemployment claims had been filed between March and mid-September. read more >
Jebaraj Gives Passing Grade to CARES Act
Mervin Jebaraj works at the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business so it is apropos that he has a grade for the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. read more >
Pandemic Collateral Damage? Small Firms
The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a wallop to the country’s economy, but experts interviewed by Arkansas Business don’t expect too much lasting damage. There is a caveat, of course. read more >
Some Restaurants See Sales Going Up
Adapting to takeout mode, quick-serve model shows resilience during pandemic. read more >
Digital Divide: Virus Spotlights Arkansas' Broadband Deficit
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 Unemployment Fund Stable, but Worrisome
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 >
Surgery Ban Ends, but Few Go to Hospital
Dr. Gerry Jones thought that after the ban on elective procedures was lifted, there would be a surge of patients. There wasn’t. read more >
Navigating Unemployment Issues When Managing Your Workforce (Daveante Jones Commentary)
Although states are beginning to ease restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers and workers will still continue to deal with the massive toll the pandemic has taken on the workforce. read more >
Ben Burris Feels Financial Crunch
Dr. Ben Burris, the former Fayetteville orthodontist who is charged with bribing former state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, is seeking court approval to transfer his two Florida homes to his wife. read more >
Attorneys See Bankruptcies Rising Soon
Arkansas attorneys are bracing for a surge in bankruptcy filings as a result of the financial upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, and they aren’t alone. read more >
Denial of PPP Loan Makes Matters Worse for Dancor Transit
Dan Bearden thought that getting a COVID-19 relief loan would be just the lifeline Dancor Transit needed to survive bankruptcy reorganization. But the U.S. Small Business Administration denied the PPP application because the company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. read more >
Empty Arkansas Airports ‘Eerie’
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused air travel to plunge, and Arkansas’ two major airports have not been immune. XNA, in Highfill, has seen a passenger reduction of about 96%, and Little Rock’s Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport has been hit with a 95% decrease. read more >
Private Jets Idle, North Little Rock Delays Airport Fix
North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith is halting work on North Little Rock’s $3 million airport expansion as the coronavirus pandemic pushes the private aviation industry into a revenue tailspin. The mayor planned a new 5,900-SF FBO building and a 10,400-SF corporate hangar. read more >
Pandemic Pushes HR Leaders to Make Quick Adjustments
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing human resources managers to adapt quickly to deal with an onslaught of issues, several interviews revealed. read more >
‘Pivot, Not Panic’ (Editorial)
On Thursday, the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program aimed at helping small businesses ran out of money less than two weeks after it began. read more >
Coronavirus Could Kill Rural Hospitals on Brink
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the survival of rural hospitals in Arkansas, several hospital administrators told Arkansas Business last week. read more >
Staying Alive: Restaurateurs Trim & Retool
The coronavirus pandemic is hitting most business sectors hard, but few have been hit harder than the restaurant industry. A disease best fought by isolating people is antithetical to a business model based on breaking bread together. read more >
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