Simmons to lead
Northwest council
Mark Simmons, chairman of Simmons Foods of Siloam Spring, is the new presiding co-chairman of the Northwest Arkansas Council.
The nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Council has been in operation since 1990. It was established to promote the region.
Simmons is a founding member of the council, according to a release, and will be the first businessman from Siloam Springs to lead the organization.
He replaces John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods Inc., as presiding co-chairman. The announcement was made earlier this week at the council’s annual meeting in Springdale.
The presiding co-chairman system was established in 2006 and the organization’s top official serves for a year. Past presiding co-chairmen have been Lee Scott, Jim Walton, John A. White, Kirk Thompson, David Gearhart and Tyson.
- John Magsam Schedule at 2 locks changed after repair
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discontinue maintenance closures at the Trimble and Ozark locks on Monday, the Corps said Thursday.
Since October 2012, no boats have been able to pass through the locks, located near Fort Smith and Ozark on the Arkansas River, from 8 a.m. until noon daily. After Monday, the locks will be closed to recreational vessels from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Commercial and government vehicles will be able to travel at any time.
The locks are open to recreational vessels Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on federal holidays.
Locks have been closed to recreational boaters since early June at all Arkansas River locks to allow personnel to perform maintenance.
Daily river information can be found online at www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil
- Brian FanneyState index up 2.23 to close at 275.63
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, was up 2.23 to 275.63 Thursday.
All but three stocks gained ground.
Arkansas Best rose 3.4 percent in light trading.
Home BancShares, which announced this week it will buy Liberty Bancshares in Jonesboro, rose 2.8 percent in heavy trading and hit another 52-week high during the day of $26.48.
P.A.M. Transportation Services lost 2.2 percent on half its average volume.
Volume for the index was 20 million shares, compared with average daily volume of 21.5 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business, Pages 25 on 06/28/2013