Stories by Aaron Gettinger

GTL Americas working with Hyundai to design a fuel factory in Jefferson County Little Rock company GTL Americas said Wednesday that South Korean conglomerate Hyundai ENG America and Houston-based S&B Engineers and Constructors will be its design and planning partners for a f... September 21, 2023

Little Rock Postmaster Paula McDore marks 5 years on the job Little Rock Postmaster Paula McDore marks three years on the job this month, saying the nature, stability and benefits of the job keep her engaged as the Postal Service evolves.From Harrell, in Calhou... September 20, 2023

Standard Lithium buys Lafayette County land for $1.3 billion plant Vancouver, British Columbia-based Standard Lithium has purchased 118 acres of timberland on Arkansas 29 in Lafayette County for its planned stand-alone $1.3 billion lithium extraction and refinement p... September 19, 2023

Federal student loan payments restart will broadly affect economy, individuals specifically The end of the pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments -- interest began accruing this month, and payments begin in October -- will result in borrowers rethinking their spending and taki... September 15, 2023

Many issues behind paucity of African Americans in veterinary medicine in Arkansas, across U.S. Veterinarian has been called the whitest job in America, and the scant number of Black vets is similarly pronounced. Just over 2% of vets nationwide are Black, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. ... September 14, 2023

Eudora, Helena-West Helena and Osceola are focus of Delta Regional Authority pilot program Eudora, Helena-West Helena and Osceola are three of the eight communities in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee participating in the Delta Regional Authority's new DRIVE Pilot, which aims to stre... September 13, 2023

Arkansas towns make most of change when industries close Camden, a focal point of south Arkansas' timber industry, faced a herculean task moving forward 22 years ago, when the International Paper plant closed with the loss of 650 jobs.Ash Flat, where th... September 12, 2023

CEO says Standard Lithium targeting full-scale commercial production in ‘26 Vancouver, British Columbia-based Standard Lithium, which has been operating a demonstration facility in El Dorado to mine the soft metal used in batteries, is targeting a final investment decision an... September 8, 2023

Dassault Little Rock facility to get completion work for new Falcon jet The Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency recently approved operation of Dassault Aviation's newest twin-engine business jet, the Falcon 6X.The Paris-based jet ma... September 6, 2023

County economic developer coordinator sought ahead of Husqvarna’s Nashville, Ark., exit The City of Nashville, Howard County and the Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas are working together to fund an economic development coordinator ahead of the Husqvarna Group'... September 1, 2023

Arkansas 42nd in Oxfam ‘Best States to Work’ Oxfam America has ranked Arkansas 42nd out of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia on a list of best and worst states to work in, finding fault with Arkansas' employment and lab... August 31, 2023

Jo Ellen Ford, 86, dies; UAMS philanthropist and wife of Alltel CEO Jo Ellen Ford, wife of the former state Sen. and Alltel CEO Joe T. Ford and a generous philanthropist to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, died Monday after suffering a pulmonary emboli... August 30, 2023

Jo Ellen Ford, UAMS champion, volunteer, dies at 86 Jo Ellen Ford, wife of the former state Sen. and Alltel CEO Joe T. Ford and a generous philanthropist to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, died Monday after suffering a pulmonary emboli... August 29, 2023

87 years’ combined menswear experience at Baumans leaving with 2 employees’ retirement Baumans Fine Men's Clothing, the august 104-year-old Little Rock menswear store, is losing two longtime employees, a salesman and a former owner who has worked at the store for nearly half its exi... August 26, 2023

Federal Metal investing in NLR Suburban Cleveland-based Federal Metal is opening a facility designed to shred aluminum and copper, scheduled to begin operations this autumn, a $20 million investment that will bring up to 50 jobs.Th... August 25, 2023

Ace Glass plans to recycle glass at new NLR plant Arkansas-based Ace Glass plans a manufacturing plant in North Little Rock to recycle glass into applied industrial products.Company President Courtney Little said one of them, cullet, is glass recycle... August 24, 2023

Little Rock school leaders say AI helps teach students while they work to prevent its exploitation Little Rock school leaders said Tuesday that artificial intelligence is helping them to teach students, but that instructors are also working to prevent its exploitation.In a panel discussion at the R... August 23, 2023

Chicken and waffles food truck finds a home in North Little Rock After having storefronts in North Little Rock, Little Rock and Conway, Ceci's Chicken N Waffles returned to North Little Rock three years ago, operating from a kitchen on wheels alongside a number of ... August 19, 2023

Georgia developer plans to turn Little Rock’s old AT&T, VA hospital buildings into apartments Developer Pace Burt of Albany, Ga., has bought the former AT&T building on 1111 W. Capitol Ave. and the former Veterans Health Administration hospital at 300 E. Roosevelt Road and plans to rehabil... August 18, 2023

Inflation the reason for auto insurance premium spikes in state, industry sources say Motorists nationwide are seeing their vehicle insurance rates increase rapidly, even as the inflationary surge that coursed through the economy is cooling in other sectors.That's because insurers ... August 15, 2023

Millions of dollars being invested in Arkansas pickleball facilities amid rising retail sales Time will tell if pickleball follows the trajectories of jogging, aerobics or racquetball, but millions of dollars are being invested in Arkansas public and private facilities for the sport, and retai... August 12, 2023

Dollar General building distribution center in North Little Rock, will sell fresh produce in more stores Plans by Dollar General Corp. to open a huge distribution center in North Little Rock and expand offerings of fresh produce in its Arkansas stores were celebrated Wednesday by local government and bus... August 10, 2023

Conway Regional, UnitedHealthcare reach agreement, putting system back in network Conway Regional Health System has reached a multi-year agreement with UnitedHealthcare that will take effect on Aug. 15, six weeks after dropping out of network with the insurer in a contracting dispu... August 10, 2023

Arkansas Waterways Commission soliciting feedback as it updates strategic plan The Arkansas agency responsible for promoting the Arkansas, Mississippi, Ouachita, Red and White rivers for transportation purposes is updating its 2018 strategic plan, inviting public feedback throug... August 9, 2023

After 63 years of burgers and BBQ, owner of Polar Freeze in Walnut Ridge retires Velma Allison married a restaurant owner who worked seven days a week in 1960, a few years after graduating from high school. She would go to the Polar Freeze in Walnut Ridge after her day job as a se... July 29, 2023

Buc-ee’s chain considers Benton Texas-big travel center Buc-ee’s is apparently seeking to acquire property at Interstate 30’s exit with Arkansas 229 in Benton.Matt Thibault, spokesman for Mayor Tom Farmer, said the Bento... July 28, 2023

‘Arkansas Rocks’ owner acquiring 16 more radio stations Broadcast Industry Group, LLC, which runs the Arkansas Rocks KLRG 880 AM radio station in Central Arkansas, is acquiring 13 more radio stations and three FM translators from Plainview, Texas-based Hig... July 28, 2023

Yell County newspaperwoman's widower says he'll keep publishing, as promised Mary Mae Fisher was 17 when she began working at a four-generation Arkansas newspapering family's business and 19 in 1968, when she married that family's scion. The personal and professional m... July 26, 2023

Democrat-Gazette raises digital subscription price The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette are raising the price of digital replica subscriptions to $39 a month, starting Sept. 1.The price of website ac... July 25, 2023

Unemployment rate in state falls to 2.6% in June Arkansas' unemployment rate declined to 2.6% in June, a record low, with the drop mirroring the national jobless rate.That Arkansas rate dropped 0.1 percentage point since May and is lower than an... July 22, 2023

WSJ: Exxon Mobil plans lithium processing facilities in southern Arkansas Exxon Mobil plans to build lithium processing facilities near Magnolia in southwest Arkansas that can produce as much as 110,000 tons of the metal a year, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.Tha... July 21, 2023

Nashville officials scramble to prepare for Husqvarna factory closure Husqvarna, the Swedish outdoor power tool manufacturer, will close its Nashville factory over the course of the next 18 months, eliminating as many as 700 jobs in a blow to the small town's econom... July 20, 2023

The cult of Aldi is coming to Little Rock Aldi, the discount supermarket chain, has reportedly purchased a building in Little Rock, to the delight of its local fan base.Thousands of Facebook users liked, commented and shared late-June media r... July 19, 2023

Family-owned bookstore finds success in Russellville RUSSELLVILLE -- Dog Ear Books, which opened in 2016 as a family business and remains one, is now in its third location in downtown Russellville, having found a retail niche in the city.Its success mar... July 18, 2023

7 Brew franchisers say local growth is just getting started The "seven" in the name of drive-thru coffee shop 7 Brew comes from the number of different coffees the business served when it first opened in 2016.Seven years later, the caffeine purveyors... July 8, 2023

Arkansas wedding industry takes stock of Supreme Court ruling Recent interviews with Arkansans working in the wedding industry -- caterers, photographers, bakers, planners and venue-operators -- suggest that many will continue working with gay couples, despite a... July 7, 2023

Thousands insured by UnitedHealthcare now out of network with Conway Regional over billing impasse The Conway Regional Health System did not accept a new contract from UnitedHealthcare governing the insurer's payouts for the hospital's care on June 30, causing the hospital to go out-of-netw... July 6, 2023

Holiday fireworks in Arkansas are a family tradition and a family business For eight weeks a year, four in midsummer and four over the holiday season, a collection of family outfits sells long-anticipated orders of fireworks to Arkansans from every corner of society. The ove... July 2, 2023

West LR development to have upscale hotel, restaurant Colliers International's The Middle project near the junction of Interstate 430 and the Cantrell Road and Rodney Parham Road intersection, is still percolating, and the developer expects the compl... June 30, 2023

Porsche dealership coming to Little Rock early next year Kelly Wolf, chief executive officer of the Houston-based indiGO Auto Group, says local conditions are ripe for his company to open a Porsche dealership in Little Rock early next year, restoring the Ge... June 29, 2023

Phil Kaplan, civil rights attorney and philanthropist, dies at 85 Philip Edwin Kaplan, who represented Arkansas prisoners, educators and newspapers in civil rights and civil liberties cases; caused a wholesale reform of the state's prison system; and prodigiousl... June 27, 2023

Summer heat kicks Little Rock’s snow cone businesses into gear It's hot out, and promises to get hotter. But rising temperatures mean sales season for Little Rock's snow cone stands.It's a dessert of many names and varieties, even just in the United S... June 27, 2023

Sunday afternoon storm causes wide-spread damage and power outages The National Weather Service in Little Rock on Sunday reported "widespread" damage across the state after winds that "easily" ranged between 60 and 80 miles an hour."It's ... June 26, 2023

Moms turning to doulas for pregnancy aid Doulas, professionals who assist pregnant mothers before, during and after a birth, are rare nationwide and rarer still in Arkansas.But those in the industry say demand is growing and that their work ... June 25, 2023

Spa City hospital gets entry to forum CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs has joined the Forum for Shared Governance , an international organization of 41 hospitals that operate under a shared-governance management model.The model prioritizes med... June 24, 2023

Pride a boon to Northwest Arkansas’ hospitality, retail business This weekend's Northwest Arkansas Pride festival, the biggest Pride Month event in the state thanks to its proximity to Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Springfield, Mo., and Little Rock, which has its Pride... June 23, 2023

Central Arkansas tops rental market study, apartment listing website says Central Arkansas offered the best opportunities for apartment renters out of the country's 71 largest metropolitan areas in the first quarter of this year, according to a recent study."Little... June 23, 2023

Little Rock businessman is Hotel Hot Springs new owner Keith Holland of Little Rock has purchased the 200-room Hotel Hot Springs, an anchor of the resort town's hospitality business through its connection to the next-door Hot Springs Convention Center... June 21, 2023

Local uBreakiFix franchisers shift with brand as smartphones have stronger glass, market saturation Much has changed over the years in the market for smartphones and for the businesses that repair them. With the advent of more damage-resistant phones, the repair corporations have been acquired by co... June 16, 2023

Rebuilding tornado-wrecked houses looks slow, say real estate professionals Many of the Little Rock houses that took direct hits from the March 31 tornado are still missing their roofs, and the tarp-covered homes that have roofs are sustaining damage months after the disaster... June 15, 2023