QUOTE OF THE DAY “Until we see the order in writing as released
by the FCC we can’t give any guidance to
how this will impact the particular stations, in this case in the Little Rock market.” Jennifer Neuman, Nexstar spokesman, on the FCC’s vote Monday to tighten broadcast ownership rules Article, 1DArkansans forecast to plant 33% less corn
Arkansas farmers are expected to plant a third less corn acreage this year, dropping from 880,000 acres in 2013 to about 600,000 acres, according to the prospective plantings report released Monday by the U.S. Agriculture Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Growers are expected to increase rice acreage by 41 percent, from 1.08 million acres to 1.52 million acres;
cotton acreage is expected to increase 10 percent, from 310,000 to 340,000 acres; and soybean acreage is expected to rise 3 percent from 3.26 million acres to 3.35 million acres.
The statistics service also estimated that hay acreage in Arkansas would shrink 3 percent, from 1.34 million acres to 1.3 million acres and that winter wheat acreage will be down from 680,000 acres to 440,000 acres, a drop of 35 percent. Acreage devoted to sorghum is expected to rise slightly, from 130,000 acres to 140,000 acres.
Forbes puts Tyson on ‘trustworthy’ list
Tyson Foods Inc., is included in Forbes’ list of “America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies.”
Tyson was rated for its accounting and governance risk, scoring 83 out of 100 against other large-capital companies. The Springdale-based company was ranked sixth out of 8,000 public companies, which were reviewed in conjunction with GMI Ratings. The large capital category is based on companies with more than $5 billion in market capital.
Sara Lilygren, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Tyson, said in a release that the food industry is based on consumer and company trust.
“Food is a trust business. Consumers put their trust in us that what they feed their family will be safe to eat,” she said.
It is the first time that Tyson has ranked on Forbes’ most trustworthy list. Earlier this year, the company was named by Forbes as one of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.”
FDIC lifts Crawford County bank orders
The federal consent orders against First Community Bank of Crawford County have been terminated, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has said.
The first order, issued on July 31, 2012, was terminated on Feb. 10, but the FDIC didn’t publicly disclose it until Friday. It also ended another sanction against the bank that was issued in September.
Earlier this year, First Bank of Hampton completed the acquisition of the Crawford County bank, which was based in Van Buren.
In 2012, the FDIC gave First Community Bank about 20 stipulations to improve its operations. Those included hiring a bank consultant, retaining qualified management, improving the bank’s capital ratios, writing off assets considered to be a loss by the FDIC, stopping additional credit to borrowers with bad loans, implementing a loan review program and adding $787,000 to the bank’s allowance for loan and lease losses.
At the time, the bank explained that its problems stemmed from several loans adversely affected by the recession.
U.S. to require auto rearview cameras
The U.S. Transportation Department is issuing a final safety rule that requires rearview technology in many new vehicles. The move is an effort to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by backup accidents.
The final rule issued Monday by the department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require new vehicles under 10,000 pounds - including buses and trucks - to include rear-visibility technology if they are manufactured on or after May 1, 2018. The rearview cameras expand the field of vision for drivers to include a 10-by-20-foot zone directly behind the vehicle.
Backup accidents cause an average of 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries a year, and victims often include children and the elderly, the government said.
N.Y. sues, alleges FedEx cigarette loads
NEW YORK - The New York state attorney general said FedEx Corp. has cost the state more than $10 million by purportedly unlawfully shipping contraband cigarettes to consumers.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman made the allegation Monday as he announced the state has joined a federal lawsuit that New York City officials brought against the high-speed mail carrier in December.
The revised lawsuit in Manhattan federal court alleges FedEx made nearly 33,000 illegal shipments of cigarettes to consumers in New York state between 2006 and 2012.
Schneiderman alleges the deliveries violate a 2006 agreement with the New York attorney general’s office in which the company said it would cease all unlawful cigarette deliveries nationwide.
Memphis-based FedEx said the claims lack legal foundation and it supports efforts to stop illegal cigarette distribution.
- The Associated Press
Florida home disclosures fall to 6.2%
The residential foreclosure rate in Florida, which has the highest percentage of delinquent mortgages in the U.S., declined to 6.2 percent in January, according to a report released Monday by CoreLogic Inc. That’s down from 10.1 percent from a year earlier.
Florida’s rate was triple the national average of 2 percent, according to the report by Irvine, Calif.-based Core-Logic Inc., a mortgage data and software company. Florida led the nation with 116,000 foreclosures completed in the 12 months through January, the company said in a separate report in February.
The foreclosure data indicate a rebound in the state housing market, which has declined for five years through the fiscal year ended June 30, as measured by property-tax revenue.
Bonds from Florida issuers have gained 3.4 percent this year, trailing the 3.6 percent gain in the broad $3.7 trillion municipal market, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Business, Pages 24 on 04/01/2014