News in brief

September tonnage at 38,000 for LR port

The Port of Little Rock worked 26 barges and handled 38,000 tons of cargo in September.

The figures were similar to the ones the port reported in August, but continue to be down slightly from barges and cargo tonnage from a year ago and dramatically off from the 2019 totals, before the coronavirus pandemic.

In September 2020, the port worked 29 barges and handled 44,000 tons of cargo, 10.3% and 13.6% lower, respectively, than last month's totals.

Last month marked the two-year anniversary of the best September recorded in port history when it worked 60 barges and handled 90,000 tons.

A factor in last month's low numbers was the closing of the David D. Terry lock for maintenance, which halted barge traffic into the second week of September.

For the year, barge activity is down 7% and cargo tonnage is off 9% compared with the same period in 2020. The port has worked a total of 265 barges and worked 395,000 tons of cargo in the first nine months of 2021. In the same period a year ago, the port worked 286 barges and handled 435,000 tons of cargo.

-- Noel Oman

Murphy USA board adds two directors

El Dorado-based Murphy USA, Inc., has added two new directors to the company: David Goebel and Rosemary Turner.

Together they bring deep expertise in food and supply chain logistics to a Fortune 500 company known for its gas stations near Walmart stores.

Currently, Goebel is chairman of the board at Jack in the Box, Inc., and Turner is chairwoman of the San Francisco Federal Reserve board of directors. They both have decades of prior executive experience and act as directors at various companies like Wingstop and TFI International.

"We are looking forward to working with both as we continue to execute our strategy and enhance our value creation for shareholders," Madison Murphy, chairman of Murphy USA, said in a written statement Tuesday.

According to a recent investor filing, Goebel and Turner will each receive compensation of $33,750 as independent directors. Their additions bring the total number of board members to eleven.

-- Nathan Owens

State index up 11.50 to end day at 730.20

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 730.20, up 11.50.

"Strong corporate earnings continue to fuel investor enthusiasm as averages closed near record highs with the utilities and real estate sectors outperforming the broader market," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.

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

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