News in brief

Watershed program taking applications

The federal Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting applications from landowners and farmers seeking financial help in adopting conservation practices to improve water quality in watersheds that are included in the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative.

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 16. Projects eligible for funding include finding ways to maintain productivity while improving water quality and quantity, as well as enhancing wildlife habitat, according to Michael Sullivan, the service's state conservationist.

Project areas open for sign-up include: the Middle Cache River Project, covering portions of Craighead, Jackson, Poinsett and Woodruff counties; Lower Arkansas, portions of Jefferson, Lonoke and Pulaski counties; Grand Prairie Watershed, portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, Prairie and Monroe counties; and the East Arkansas Enterprise Community Inc., L'Anguille River, portions of Cross and St. Francis counties.

Applicants can sign up at U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service field service centers. Maps and details about initiative projects are available online at www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov.

-- Glen Chase

Economy, trends focus of luncheon

Experts on the regional, national and international economy will be on hand to discuss the current situation and ongoing trends at the 21st annual Business Forecast Lunch in Rogers on Jan. 30.

John James, the chief executive of Fayetteville-based Accumen Brands, will moderate Business Forecast 2015.

The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center. It is hosted by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Information is available by calling (479) 575-4151, by email at cber@walton.uark.edu or online at the Business Forecast website at cber.uark.edu.

-- John Magsam

Arkansas Index up after Fed statement

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, gained 7.31 to 380.30 Wednesday.

"U.S. stocks soared higher on Wednesday after the Fed pledged to be patient raising interest rates in 2015," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.

Murphy Oil Corp. shares rose almost 6 percent.

Acxiom Corp. shares rose 4.9 percent.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Business on 12/18/2014

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