With Arkansas’ growing trade relationship with Asian countries, Gov. Mike Beebe (D) will soon get a first-hand look. Beebe will lead an economic development trade mission to China in April, Talk Business has confirmed. The trip will focus on recruiting potential businesses to Arkansas as well as pushing new export opportunities in China for Arkansas products [...]

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Arkansas lawmakers will convene on Monday, Feb. 13, at noon in the state capitol to convene the second fiscal session. Gov. Mike Beebe (D) is scheduled to talk to legislators in a joint session of the Arkansas General Assembly at 12:30 p.m. Lawmakers will have 30 days, with a possible 15-day extension, to conduct their work on [...]

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After withdrawing a January effort to tap tobacco settlement funds for drug courts, State Sen. Bill Pritchard (R-Elkins) says he will make a second run in the upcoming fiscal session, which begins Monday, Feb. 13. In January, Pritchard suggested the Joint Budget Committee use funds at the Department of Health to make a shortfall in the [...]

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Friday night (Feb. 10), four new members were inducted in the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. The four businessmen were: John Ed Anthony, chairman of Anthony Timberlands Inc. of Bearden, president of Shortleaf Stable, and former president of Loblolly Stable, one of the premier thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operations in the United States. Wayne Cranford, chairman emeritus [...]

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Check Talk Politics report on the basics of Arkansas Forestry Director John Shannon’s resignation.  I thought I would add a bit of video for you here (see below). Although Shannon resigned in the opening minutes of the Arkansas Joint Legislative Audit, the meeting went on for about two hours and became contentious at times.  Part of [...]

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Ashok Saxena, dean of the University of Arkansas College of Engineering and holder of the Irma F. and Raymond F. Giffels Endowed Chair in Engineering, has announced that he will resign as dean on July 1. Saxena has accepted a two-year appointment as the senior leader at Galgotias University, a new private, multidisciplinary research university [...]

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After a tumultuous 3 months, State Forestry Commission director John Shannon resigned. The state agency has been embattled as reports of financial mismanagement plagued its operations and led to layoffs of 39 employees. Some funding has been restored allowing for the re-hiring of 15 fire fighters. A damaging legislative audit report pointed more blame towards Shannon’s oversight [...]

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The embattled Director of the Arkansas Forestry Commission John Shannon resigned today after a report from Arkansas Legislative Audit reveled that he was at least partially to blame for his agencies troubles.  The audit confirmed that the AFC improperly borrowed more than $6.4 million from federal grant to help funded in operating budget when revenues [...]

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Memphis TV station ABC24 has the audio posted on their website on their report which is apparently one of the key evidences in a case being made regarding absentee voter fraud in the special election of State Rep. Hudson Hallum (although I am told the case could be much bigger than just Hallum.) The recording is [...]

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Trucking firm, P.A.M. Transportation reversed a string of quarterly losses with a small fourth quarter profit, but still finished 2011 in the red. The Tontitown-based dry goods hauler reported fourth quarter net income of $133,037, or $0.02 diluted earnings per share. Revenues rose sharply in part due to fuel surcharges to $89.39 million during the quarter. For [...]

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