Home BancShares results due out today
Home BancShares, owner of Centennial Bank offices in four states, will release its first-quarter financial results before the market opens today.
After the release, management of the Conway-based bank will conduct a conference call beginning at 1 p.m. Callers can dial (877) 508-9586 and ask for the Home BancShares conference call.
Home BancShares is expected to report earnings of at least 41 cents a share based on a survey of eight analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
-- David Smith
Entomologist seeks data on buffalo gnat
Kelly Loftin, a state entomologist, would like to know how bad the buffalo gnat problem is in the Delta.
"We've had calls come in of cattle lost, but really have no idea of the scope," said Loftin, of the University of Arkansas System's Agriculture Division.
In a news release Wednesday, Loftin asked farmers and ranchers to report information about animal losses to him or their local county extension offices.
Information on when, where, how many and what type of losses occurred is of interest. Loftin can be reached at (501) 416-3684 or at kloftin@uaex.edu.
Southern buffalo gnats, also called black flies, are a common nuisance in late winter and early spring.
This season's swarms reportedly killed several horses, deer and cattle, and forced an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission education center near Stuttgart to temporarily close.
Loftin said he's seen online posts of "deer coming into sheds and structures to seek some relief from the flies."
-- Nathan Owens
No robocall kingpin, Floridian testifies
A Florida man accused of flooding consumers with 97 million phone calls touting fake travel deals appeared Wednesday before lawmakers to explain how robocalls work and to say, "I am not the kingpin of robocalling that is alleged."
Adrian Abramovich of Miami, who is fighting a proposed $120 million fine, told senators that open-source software lets operators make thousands of phone calls with the click of a button, in combination with cloud-based computing and "the right long distance company."
"Clearly regulation needs to address the carriers and providers and require the major carriers to detect robocalls activity," Abramovich said in testimony submitted in advance to the Senate Commerce Committee. He has asked the Federal Communications Commission to reduce the fine proposed last year, calling it disproportionate, in part because most calls went unanswered or resulted in quick hang-ups.
The panel's chairman, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. called Abramovich and officials from the FCC and other agencies to discuss ways to stop abusive calls. The intrusive and annoying ringing is a leading source of consumer frustration, with the Federal Trade Commission logging more more than 4.5 million robocall complaints.
Abramovich tried to trick consumers into answering and listening to his advertising messages, the FCC said in a news release as it announced action against him last year. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai cited "what appears to be the most egregious neighbor-spoofing robocalling scheme that we have ever seen." The pace of illegal calls in late 2016 worked out to more than 1 million per day, Pai said.
-- Bloomberg News
Senators to EPA: Halt biofuel waivers
Thirteen Corn Belt senators, led by Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to stop issuing waivers that exempt certain oil refineries from federal biofuel laws.
The bipartisan group of senators -- which also includes Tina Smith, D-Minn. -- also asked the EPA to disclose which oil refiners have received the waiver. The EPA has traditionally withheld such information.
Under the nation's Renewable Fuel Standard, oil refineries must blend a certain amount of corn ethanol with gasoline, or buy government-created credits. Smaller refineries -- those producing less than 75,000 barrels of oil per day -- can apply to the EPA for a waiver if blending requirements cause an economic hardship.
Use of the exemption has grown. Reuters reported recently that the EPA has granted an unusually high number of 25 hardship waivers this year since a 2017 court ruling that essentially expanded the program. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, has also reported that large oil companies -- including ExxonMobil and Chevron -- have applied for waivers for smaller refineries.
The EPA said in a statement that discontinuing the waivers would be a violation of the fuel standard.
-- Tribune News Service
Hasbro starts program to recycle toys
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Toy manufacturer Hasbro is starting a pilot toy recycling program.
WLNE-TV reports that the Pawtucket, R.I., company is partnering with the recycling company TerraCycle.
Donated toys will be transformed into materials used to make playgrounds, park benches and flower pots, among other things.
People can participate by creating an online account with TerraCycle. The company will send a free shipping label to attach to boxes of toys to be recycled.
Hasbro says the pilot program will be limited to the contiguous U.S., at first.
If successful, the program will be expanded worldwide.
-- The Associated Press
Amazon tops 100 million Prime members
Amazon.com Inc. chief executive Jeff Bezos said the company has exceeded 100 million paid Prime subscribers and will continue to invest to meet "ever-rising" customer expectations.
Bezos noted the milestone in his annual shareholder letter, published Wednesday. The letter is the founder's opportunity to underline his long-term strategy for investors, seeking to bolster their confidence as he continues to plow Amazon's money into expanding internationally, building a bricks-and-mortar presence, and inventing new products like Echo speakers and the Alexa voice-activated digital assistant.
-- Bloomberg News
Business on 04/19/2018