WEHCO taps Gaines for development job
Eliza Gaines, who has served in several roles with newspapers owned by WEHCO Media Inc. of Little Rock, has been named vice president of audience development.
Gaines is the daughter of Walter E. Hussman Jr., the chairman and chief executive officer of WEHCO Media. WEHCO Media owns the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"In this capacity, Eliza will work with our editors and reporters on sharing ideas across our individual newspapers, evaluating new opportunities for content distribution and monetization and promoting efficiency through new technology tools," said Nat Lea, president and chief operating officer of WEHCO Media. Gaines will report to Lea.
Gaines also has served as assistant publisher of the Democrat-Gazette and executive editor of the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs.
WEHCO Media owns newspapers in Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri, as well as cable television operations in several states.
-- David Smith
NW Arkansas posts lowest jobless rate
The Northwest Arkansas, Jonesboro and Texarkana metropolitan areas had the lowest unemployment rates in the state in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday.
Northwest Arkansas had an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent in May, down from 4.7 percent in May last year. Jonesboro had a rate of 5.0 percent, down from 5.7 percent a year earlier, and Texarkana also had a rate of 5.0 percent, compared with 6.2 percent in May 2014.
The Arkansas unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in May, and the national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.
Other May unemployment rates, compared with May last year, were Little Rock, 5.1 percent, down from 5.6 percent; Fort Smith, 5.9 percent, down from 6.2 percent; Hot Springs, 5.9 percent, down from 6.3 percent; and Pine Bluff, 7.7 percent, down from 8.4 percent.
-- David Smith
13 advancers raise state index by 2.31
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 2.31 to 367.33 Wednesday.
"U.S. stocks bounced higher on renewed optimism over Greece and some mostly positive U.S. economic data," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock. "The Arkansas Index moved higher as 13 stocks advanced and five declined."
USA Truck dropped 6.7 percent in active trading.
P.A.M. Transportation Services gained 1.6 percent in above-average volume.
Total volume of the index was 25.7 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 07/02/2015