A-State Chancellor asked about higher ed changes under legislative consideration

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

During her state of the state address earlier this week, Gov. Sarah Sanders said she wanted to streamline the college application process and wanted to create a process to terminate college professors for “woke indoctrination.” Arkansas State University Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields was asked about these ideas Wednesday (Jan. 15) during the meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Jonesboro.

Shields said he thinks the first part of Sanders’ proposed “Access Arkansas” higher education reforms could be a good tool for incoming college students. It would streamline the application process for colleges and universities to one universal form.

It would allow prospective college students to compare and contrast things like education and boarding costs, cost of living in certain college towns and cities, and other factors that might impact a student’s choice, he said.

“I’m a fan of that,” said Shields.

A-State Chancellor asked about higher ed changes under legislative consideration

Arkansas State University Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields.

Landreaux, Hegeman to chair State Chamber, AIA in 2025

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Arkansas Inc. (AIA) announced new board leadership for 2025. Laura Landreaux, president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, has been elected chairman of the State Chamber board of directors, while Brad Hegeman, vice chairman and chief strategy officer at Nabholz Corporation, will continue as chairman of the AIA board of directors.

Landreaux brings extensive experience to her role as chairman of the State Chamber board. As president and CEO of Entergy Arkansas, she leads efforts to deliver reliable and sustainable energy to approximately 730,000 customers across 63 counties.

Hegeman has served as AIA chairman since early 2024. As vice chairman and chief strategy officer at Nabholz Construction, he has played a pivotal role in driving the company’s strategic initiatives and growth since 1996.

Landreaux, Hegeman to chair State Chamber, AIA in 2025

President Biden blocks U.S. Steel sale to Nippon

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Citing national security concerns, President Joe Biden has blocked the sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese-based Nippon Steel Corporation. The $15 billion deal, more than a year in the making, was halted by the president on Friday (Jan. 3).

“We need major U.S. companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests,” Biden said in a released statement.

Both U.S. Steel and Nippon immediately threatened legal action. In a jointly released statement, the two steel manufacturers said there is no threat to national security and this was a politically motivated move.

President Biden blocks U.S. Steel sale to Nippon

Arkansas awarded $17 million grant to support maternal health initiatives

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas has been awarded a $17 million grant, the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Human Services announced Monday (Jan. 6).

Applying for the TMaH grant was among the recommendations made by the Strategic Committee for Maternal Health established by Gov. Sarah Sanders’ executive order last year. The funds will support efforts to improve the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and babies, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) said.

The grant will provide the funding over 10 years to several state Medicaid agencies, including Arkansas, with a goal of reducing disparities in access and treatment.

Arkansas awarded $17 million grant to support maternal health initiatives

Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame to add 6

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Six inductees will be added to the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, reflective of industry-changing work in aquaculture, forestry, rice, poultry and cattle as well as the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

The six inductees that make up Class XXXVII are:

• Aubrey Blackmon of Houston, a founding member of Perry County Cattlemen’s Association in 1970 and recipient of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association lifetime service achievement award in 2012;

• Carl Brothers of Stuttgart, who spent 53 years with Riceland Foods, retiring as senior vice president and chief operating officer and whose leadership was instrumental in passage of the 1985 farm bill, also known as the Food Security Act of 1985;

• Chuck Culver of Fayetteville, retired University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture executive who helped secure more than He helped secure more than $600 million in public and private funding for agriculture research and extension projects;

• Mike Freeze of Little Rock, co-owner and operator of Keo Fish Farms — America’s largest producer of hybrid striped bass fry and fingerlings — who helped Arkansas become one of the top three states in aquaculture production;

• The late Jack Reaper of Albion, who was a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp before starting with a 24-acre farm in White County and growing it into a model farm that included poultry, cattle and row crops; and

• Frank Wilson of Rison, who began planting pine trees with his dad more than 70 years ago and started Wilson Brothers Lumber Company in 1972, followed by several logging companies and other timber industry enterprises offering more than 100 jobs in rural Cleveland County.

Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame to add 6

Polish F-35 jets expected to soon arrive in Fort Smith

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

The first two F-35 fighter jets built for Poland will soon roll off the Lockheed production line in Fort Worth, Texas, and Col. Nicholas Ihde is ready to fly one of the fifth-generation jets to Fort Smith and “bring to fruition” the U.S. Air Force foreign pilot training center.

Ihde, commander of the 85th Fighter Group at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, told Talk Business & Politics on Thursday that the jets expected to arrive in September could arrive in Fort Smith as early as Dec. 20. He said the noisy arrival of the first two jets should put to rest any concerns about the reality of the high-profile training center.

“There’s been some naysayers around that think this is never going to come to fruition because it was so far out in the future. What I would tell you is we are right around the corner. In the next week or two I’m going down to Fort Worth to fly the first Poland jet here to Ebbing,” said Ihde, who officially took command of the 85th in early July.

Polish F-35 jets expected to soon arrive in Fort Smith

F-35 jet built for Poland (photo from Lockheed)

2023 consumer expenditures outpace income growth in Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas’ real personal consumption expenditures (PCE) rose 5.3% in 2023, outpacing real personal income growth of 1.5% in 2023, according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Arkansas’ real personal income was $169.738 billion in 2023, up 1.5% compared with 2023, and below the U.S. growth of 2.1%. Following are 2023 real personal income figures and percent changes among Arkansas’ metro areas.
• Northwest Arkansas: $48.089 billion, up 2.9%
• Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $42.409 billion, up 2.7%
• Fort Smith: $11.48 billion, up 0.9%
• Texarkana: $6.811 billion, up 1%
• Jonesboro: $6.507 billion, up 2%
• Hot Springs: $5.078 billion, up 2.2%
• Pine Bluff: $3.662 billion, down 2.4%

2023 consumer expenditures outpace income growth in Arkansas

Warren Stephens to be nominated as U.S. Ambassador to United Kingdom

KUAR | By Roby Brock / Talk Business & Politics

President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday (Dec. 2) that he will nominate Warren Stephens, chair, president and CEO of Little Rock-based Stephens Inc., as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Stephens Inc. is a privately held, independent financial services firm headquartered in Little Rock. Stephens has 28 offices worldwide and employs more than 1,200 people. It has offices in London, England and Frankfurt, Germany, two of the largest financial centers in Europe.

In a statement on his Truth Social account, Trump said:

“I am pleased to announce that Warren A. Stephens, one of the most successful businessmen in the Country, has been nominated to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, a role in which he will act as our Representative to the United Kingdom. Over the last 38 years, while serving as the President, Chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc., Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist.

Warren Stephens to be nominated as U.S. Ambassador to United Kingdom

Talk Business & Politics

Tyson Foods to shutter two more plants, cut 229 jobs

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Two small Tyson Foods’ plants in Philadelphia are slated to close over the next two months. The Original Philly cook beef plant and the Original Philly raw plant acquired by Tyson Foods in 2017 will close by Jan. 31.

The news came from a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN notice) filed with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania this past week.

The plants employ 229 workers who prepare Philly steak products for Tyson’s prepared food business. Tyson has not yet said if the production will be shifted to another facility. Tyson Foods said it is working with state and local officials to provide additional resources to those who are impacted by the plant closures.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our two Prepared Foods facilities in Philadelphia to increase the efficiency of our operations. We understand the decision’s impact on our team members and the local community,” Tyson Foods said in an email to Talk Business & Politics.

Tyson Foods to shutter two more plants, cut 229 jobs

Butterball closing Jonesboro plant, 180 workers affected

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Butterball will shutter its Jonesboro turkey processing facility next year impacting about 180 workers. The tentative plan is to close the plant by Feb. 3, 2025, according to a release from the company.

A reason for the closure was not released. Production at the Jonesboro plant, which produced cooked, ready-to-eat deli breasts, will be moved to other Butterball facilities.

Workers at the plant were informed during a meeting Wednesday (Dec. 4). Those who stay will be paid in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications Act. It wasn’t immediately known if some of the displaced workers will be moved to other facilities within the company’s system.

Butterball closing Jonesboro plant, 180 workers affected

Traditional Thanksgiving meal cost down 5% from 2023

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Families celebrating Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey dinner could pay about 5% less than a year ago, with the cost averaging $58.50 for a group of 10. The 2024 estimated cost is below the $61.17 in 2023, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

A Thanksgiving meal is still 19% more expensive than in 2019 as food inflation has remained sticky since the pandemic. Turkey prices are cheaper this year with supply outpacing demand. The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, about 6% cheaper than a year ago. Several retailers discounted turkey prices since the survey was completed the first week of November.

“The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” said AFBF Economist Bernt Nelson. “The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal.”

Traditional Thanksgiving meal cost down 5% from 2023

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Harrison-based Natural State Beef is the brainchild of Mike Fountain who said in 2020 when he could not find ground beef at the grocery store amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to think about the need for local beef supplies in his home state.

“It was very frustrating to see the local cattle supply backing up because commercial slaughter plants and feed lots were barely running because of worker shortages,” said the third-generation farmer and rancher.

Fountain said he has been in the cattle business his entire life, but when he was young his grandad also raised hogs. He said after feeding the pigs, he would sell them for profit. But over the years, family hog farms have died off, except for a few commercial farms for large companies. He said the Arkansas dairy industry also dried up, and he just could not sit back and watch the cow-calf industry also fold because of the lack of commercial markets.

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores

U.S. Highway 67 designated as Interstate 57

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

A stretch of Interstate 57, formerly U.S. Highway 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge has been designated as an interstate. The 120 mile swath is part of a highway that connects Canada to Mexico and goes through large cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Little Rock.

“Designating the sections of U.S. Highway 67 that already meet Interstate standards as Interstate 57 highlights this route and the cities and counties along this route for economic growth and job creation,” said Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Alec Farmer. “This designation’s true value is connecting this north-south interstate route from Interstates 30 and 40 in central Arkansas via an existing Interstate 57 Mississippi River Bridge with many of the nation’s other primary east-west routes such as Interstates 70, 80 and 90 – better connecting Arkansas with the rest of the country.”

Arkansas has about 16,400 miles of paved roads but only about 800 miles are designated as interstate. The more interstate miles a state has improves its economic viability, Farmer said. State officials have been pushing for I-57 to become an interstate for more than six decades.

U.S. Highway 67 designated as Interstate 57

Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Alec Farmer.

Board of Corrections votes to accept land for planned prison

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas Board of Corrections (BOC) on Friday (Nov. 8) voted to accept the land for a planned 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County. The move comes after considerable protest from county residents and Arkansas legislators who represent the area.

Six of the seven-member BOC voted to accept the land, with one member abstaining.

Gov. Sarah Sanders, Arkansas Department of Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace, Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness, and other state and local officials announced Oct. 31 that the state has purchased land north of Charleston in Franklin County to build the prison. The cost for the 815 acres was $2.9 million.

More than 1,800 area residents attended a town hall Thursday to ask questions about the prison and push back against it being built in Franklin County.

Board of Corrections votes to accept land for planned prison

Issue 2 passes, Pope County casino dead; Issue 1 receives voter approval

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Tens of millions of dollars spent for and against an effort to block construction of a casino in Pope County with a constitutional amendment resulted in the passage of Issue 2. Voter approval of the issue means a Pope County casino will not be built.

Arkansas Secretary of State numbers show that 55.8% of voters were for Issue 2 as of 11:45 p.m. However, 55.6% of Pope County voters were against Issue 2 – an amendment based on the belief that voters should have a say about having a casino in their county.

Voters overwhelmingly approved Issue 1 with 89.7% of the vote as of 11:45 p.m. Issue 1 was a referred constitutional amendment from the Arkansas General Assembly that would expand the use of lottery proceeds so that they can be used to fund scholarships for Arkansas citizens enrolled in vocational- technical schools and technical institutes. The popular legislative referral was pushed by Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, and Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock.

Issue 2 passes, Pope County casino dead; Issue 1 receives voter approval

Eureka Springs voters decide to retain hospitality taxes, tourism commission

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Eureka Springs will retain its hospitality tax revenue and its adverting and promotion commission after 71.2% of voters in the tourism-focused city rejected a citizen initiative to put an end to the tax and the commission.

The final tally, according to the Carroll County Clerk’s office, had 839 votes against Issue 3 – the measure to remove the tax – and 339 votes for.

“It was the Eureka Springs business community that realized that the lifeblood of Eureka Springs is tourism. Without tourism, and without the promotion of tourism … the town could not exist. This was the business community and a tourism workforce of almost 3,000 people saying they wanted to keep this thing alive,” Mike Maloney, tourism director of the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission, told Talk Business & Politics.

Eureka Springs voters decide to retain hospitality taxes, tourism commission

All four of Arkansas’ GOP U.S. House members re-elected

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

In deep red Arkansas, outcomes of races in the state’s four Congressional districts provided no surprises, with all four of the GOP incumbents coasting to easy reelection wins. But as of late Tuesday night, it was unclear if they were returning to the majority in the U.S. House.

In the 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, defeated Democrat Rodney Govens and Libertarian Steve Parsons. As of 11 p.m., and with 81% of precincts reporting, Crawford received 72.8% of the vote, Govens had 24.9%, and Parsons was at 3.04%. The win sends Crawford to Congress for his eighth two-year term.

In the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, defeated Democrat Marcus Jones. As of 11 p.m., and with 75% of precincts reporting, Hill received 57.1% of the vote, and Jones had 42.9%. Hill returns to Congress for his sixth two-year term.

All four of Arkansas’ GOP U.S. House members re-elected

ARDOT receives $43.9 million grant for Helena Bridge

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) received a $43.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program for rehabilitation of the U.S. Highway 49 Mississippi River Bridge between Helena-West Helena, Ark., and Lula, Miss.

This project is a collaborative effort between ARDOT, the lead grant applicant, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), a co-applicant, for the rehabilitation of the Helena Bridge.

The Helena Bridge is a critical Mississippi River crossing of local, national, and international importance. This Mississippi River crossing is nearly one mile long and is currently rated as being in “poor” condition.

ARDOT receives $43.9 million grant for Helena Bridge

SPP approves $7.7 billion plan to expand, upgrade transmission capacity

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Little Rock-based regional transmission organization Southwest Power Pool has approved a $7.7 billion plan to expand and upgrade the region’s transmission capacity, according to a Tuesday (Oct. 29) news release.

The organization’s board of directors approved the plan Tuesday as demand rises for reliable electricity throughout its service territory, which includes a part of Arkansas.

According to the release, SPP’s 2024 Integrated Transmission Plan is the single largest portfolio in terms of size and value that SPP has proposed for construction in its 20-year history as a transmission planning coordinator. The approved plan includes 89 transmission upgrades needed to address increasing electricity consumption and changes in the region’s generating fleet. The 89 projects represent 2,333 miles of new transmission and 495 miles of transmission rebuilds.

SPP approves $7.7 billion plan to expand, upgrade transmission capacity

Law prohibits the wearing of political-advocacy apparel in voting centers

by Tina Alvey Dale (tdale@talkbusiness.net)

Electioneering is prohibited 100 feet from the door of every voting center in Arkansas and this includes wearing campaign shirts, hats, or any other apparel with images or words that advocate for or against a candidate.

Arkansas law defines electioneering as the “display of, or audible dissemination of, information that advocates for or against any candidate, issue, or measure on a ballot.

It includes distributing campaign literature or literature regarding a candidate, issue or measure on the ballot; soliciting signatures on any petition; soliciting contributions; displaying a candidates name, likeness or logo; displaying a ballot measure’s number, title, subject or logo; displaying or dissemination of buttons, hats, pencils, pens, shirts, signs or stickers containing electioneering information; and disseminating audible electioneering information.

Law prohibits the wearing of political-advocacy apparel in voting centers