Stories by Glen Chase

Getting it straight Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.'s plan for revenue from a proposed increase in the city sales tax rate would allocate $11,775,000 per year toward public infrastructure projects over the next 10 ... August 23, 2023

Off-duty Oklahoma deputy arrested in Washington County shooting FAYETTEVILLE -- An Adair County, Okla., deputy was arrested Friday in connection with a shooting earlier this month near Lincoln.Matt Durrett, Washington County prosecuting attorney, said Travis Adams... September 25, 2022

The World in Brief U.K. celebrates Falklands mine cleanup LONDON -- Britain's Foreign Office says the Falklands soon will be land-mine free -- almost 40 years after the 1982 conflict between the United Kingdom and Arge... November 11, 2020

Names and faces m Stressed out while working at a bank in New Zealand, Junelle Kunin began searching for music paired with teachings from the Dalai Lama to calm herself down and allow herself to focus. But she couldn... June 10, 2020

State ag chief goes far afield for trade Since taking over as the state's agriculture secretary in March, Wes Ward has devoted much of his time to looking for ways to expand foreign markets for Arkansas-produced crops. In June, Ward traveled... August 10, 2015

Cuba ripe for rice sales, governor says STUTTGART -- Arkansas needs to do what it can to position itself to export goods such as rice and poultry to Cuba as Congress debates whether to end a 50-year-old trade embargo with the island nation,... August 8, 2015

LR Main Street Lofts sees 3 file liens A contractor, material supplier and the design firm that worked on the Main Street Lofts project in downtown Little Rock have filed multiple liens seeking more than $1.4 million that has gone unpaid o... August 4, 2015

Tyson fills vacancy on board of directors Correction: Mikel A. Durham, recently named to the Tyson Foods Inc. board of directors, is the chief commercial officer of CSM Bakery Solutions. Because of inaccurate information provided by Tyson, Du... August 1, 2015

Metova to hire 100 more in Conway Metova Inc., the Tennessee-based mobile application software development company that opened an office in Conway in January, said Thursday that faster than expected growth means it will add more jobs ... July 31, 2015

’15 rain takes toll on wheat crop Worries about low-commodity prices last fall combined with a wet start to 2015 took a toll on Arkansas’ wheat crop just a year after farmers set a record for average per-acre yields. Jason Kelley, a g... July 29, 2015

Act aims to raise farmers' fuel bar Arkansas Congressman Rick Crawford wants farmers to be able to store as much as 10,000 gallons of fuel above ground before being required to comply with a federal rule regulating when agricultural ope... July 25, 2015

U.S. rice industry: Speed China pact U.S. rice farmers, processors and merchants are calling on federal trade negotiators to cut the final deal needed to allow U.S.-grown rice to be sold in China. The USA Rice Producers' Group unanimousl... July 16, 2015

20 counties still await USDA's disaster label Nearly half the counties named in letters from Gov. Asa Hutchinson seeking help for farmers with flooded fields and lost crops failed to make the cut when federal officials issued a presidential disas... July 11, 2015

Siloam Springs hospital names new CEO Siloam Springs Regional Hospital has named Patrick Kerrwood its new chief executive officer. He starts July 13. He has more than 10 years of hospital experience, most recently as assistant CEO of Nort... July 3, 2015

State's milo acreage nearly triples Wet weather in May and June combined with uncertain commodity prices helped push Arkansas farmers away from planting cotton and corn, but the same two factors contributed to an almost threefold amount... July 1, 2015

State a bioindustry hive, report says Arkansas is among the states listed as having the highest concentrations of jobs in industries that produce bioproducts -- goods made with plant-based chemicals, plastic and other materials -- accordi... June 19, 2015

New grain-dealer rules shape up to track sales The state Plant Board has released a new set of draft rules intended to regulate grain dealers in Arkansas to create a clear paper trail for agency auditors to track crops moving from a farmer's stora... June 13, 2015

Farm-disaster label sought in 37 counties Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday requesting that 37 counties be declared agricultural disaster areas so farmers and ranchers affected by ... June 10, 2015

Planting window closes on wet fields MORRILTON -- As floodwaters recede, farmers in the Arkansas River Valley must wait to see if their fields will dry out enough for them to plant or replant crops as the window of opportunity to get cro... June 9, 2015

Warrant names former archivist A Pulaski County circuit judge Monday issued a bench warrant for John M. Rogers for not responding to an order to produce discovery requests and provide a list of assets as part of a civil suit filed ... June 9, 2015

Board sorting out grain-license law Applications for new grain dealer licenses are starting to flow into the state Plant Board as the agency continues its effort to finalize the record-keeping rules it needs to track grain sales during ... June 6, 2015

Hit hardest by state flooding, river valley farms await ebb Flooding caused by long periods of rain in April and May has made it impossible for some Arkansas River valley farmers to get crops into the ground or to complete other tasks such as cutting hay for l... June 3, 2015

Backyard-chicken raisers warned of flu Bruce Holland was surprised by one thing when avian influenza struck in Arkansas earlier this year: Backyard flocks seemed to have escaped the "bird flu" virus that can wipe out flocks large and small... May 31, 2015

State farmers study: Profit or herbicides? A growing number of Arkansas row crop farmers are taking a fresh look at conventional varieties of corn and soybeans rather than genetically modified seeds able to resist herbicides used to combat wee... May 24, 2015

Belly-up Turner Grain to liquidate HELENA-WEST HELENA -- A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday granted a motion to liquidate the assets of Turner Grain Merchandising Inc. rather than have a receiver attempt to restructure its debt so ... May 15, 2015

State gets licensing for dealers in grains The state Plant Board on Wednesday approved an emergency rule needed to begin licensing the people and companies who buy and sell grain in the state, but delayed action on record-keeping requirements ... May 14, 2015

State's licensing of grain dealers nearing fast The state Plant Board on Wednesday will consider rules needed to issue licenses to anyone who buys and sells grain in Arkansas under a new state law passed in the aftermath of the failure of Brinkley-... May 12, 2015

State catfish farmers hope comeback near Arkansas' catfish farmers are seeing higher prices and lower feed costs this spring, giving producers hope that years of industry declines are nearing an end. "What's happened is that we've shrunk dow... May 10, 2015

FBI to state: Beware agri-tech spies An FBI investigator cautioned the Arkansas Agriculture Board on Wednesday that the state's agriculture industry needs to do more to protect proprietary trade secrets from foreign industrial spies. Whi... May 7, 2015

Group: Change rules on rabbits A Los Angeles-based animal welfare group Tuesday called on federal agriculture officials to require that rabbits get the same humane slaughter rules used for cattle and other livestock after the group... May 6, 2015

Act ends tax on some nonresidents' planes Keith Rose of Rose Aircraft Services Inc. in Mena estimates that an outdated state law that required nonresident aircraft owners to pay sales taxes if they transfer ownership of a plane in Arkansas ha... May 4, 2015

In next dry days, farmers rush to plant A wet spring is once again slowing Arkansas' planting season, with row-crop farmers taking advantage of every dry opportunity to hit the fields. On Tuesday, Derek Haigwood of Newport, who farms 3,20... April 29, 2015

State's rice, proximity called ideal for Cuba To Carl Brothers of Stuttgart-based Riceland Foods Inc., Cuba is perfectly situated to take advantage of U.S.-grown rice rather than having it shipped thousands of miles from Asian nations such as Vie... April 27, 2015

Senator pushes credit for Cuba Cuba would be able to use credit to buy U.S. agricultural products such as rice and chicken under legislation introduced Wednesday by U.S. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D. U.S.... April 23, 2015

Businesses reassess role after development pick Arkansas' business leaders are beginning to sort out what role the private sector will play in future economic development after Gov. Asa Hutchinson called on the nonprofit Arkansas Economic Developme... April 18, 2015

Farmers facing money erosion Two years of lower commodity prices, combined with uncertainties about new federal crop insurance programs, are making 2015 a tough year for row crop farmers to secure operating loans. "No doubt, we'r... April 12, 2015

Export banker: We help little guy ALEXANDER -- Small companies such as Power Technology Inc., an Arkansas-based maker of lasers used in analytical devices, often need help when it comes to entering new export markets. That's where the... April 8, 2015

2 tout global market for state goods Correction: Leocadia Zak, director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and Grant Tennille, former executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, spoke April 2 at the Clinton... April 3, 2015

Soybeans up, cotton waning, U.S. predicts Arkansas' soybean acreage is expected to rise by 6 percent to 3.45 million acres in 2015 as row-crop farmers work to respond to ever-changing commodity prices. While soybean and grain sorghum acreag... April 1, 2015

Farmers see milo demand growing Arkansas row crop farmers are likely to add grain sorghum acreage this spring as they try to deal with harvest-time price shifts for other commodities including corn, cotton and soybeans. Jason Kelley... March 31, 2015

Czechs in state on trade mission A trade delegation from the Czech Republic learned Thursday that it has things in common with Arkansas businesses when it comes to export markets: complex paperwork and a changing labor force. Radim P... March 27, 2015

Board racing to implement grain law The Arkansas Plant Board is scrambling to adopt rules needed to implement a new state law requiring some businesses or people who buy or sell grain to obtain a state license and prove they have the fi... March 25, 2015

Ward OK'd as state ag officer Wesley Ward of Lake City was set to become Arkansas' third agriculture secretary after Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed paperwork confirming Ward in the post Friday. Earlier in the day, the Arkansas Agricul... March 21, 2015

Anthem warns state on data breach Letters warning thousands of Arkansans to be on the lookout for identity or credit theft scams, the result of a data breach at insurer Anthem Inc., are now arriving in mailboxes. Tony Felts, a spokesm... March 20, 2015

Ag chief nominee backed by panel Wesley Ward of Lake City got a recommendation Tuesday from the state Agriculture Board's nominating committee to become Arkansas' next agriculture secretary. Ward, 32, was chosen by Gov. Asa Hutchinso... March 18, 2015

Farmers pick substitute crops as state cotton acreage shrinks Cotton acreage is expected to shrink again in Arkansas in 2015, possibly by as much as 40 percent to around 200,000 acres. The decline matches a national trend as planting decisions by growers are b... March 15, 2015

Governor names pick for ag secretary Gov. Asa Hutchinson named attorney Wesley Ward of Lake City as his preference to become the state's third agriculture secretary, replacing Butch Calhoun, who left the post in December. The governor an... March 14, 2015

Fly Arkansas to lease LR airport space Fly Arkansas LLC, an aviation services company based in Mountain Home, is poised to lease nearly 56,000 square feet of space in the 406,000-square-foot property that once housed the former Hawker Beec... March 11, 2015

Farmers get more time to file data Arkansas farmers are taking advantage of an extended deadline to update yield histories and establish base acreage for their crops as new crop-loss rules set by the 2014 farm bill come into play. Grow... March 8, 2015

Trustee: Turner Grain is hopeless The trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court wants Turner Grain Merchandising Inc., the troubled Brinkley-based grain dealer, to liquidate its assets, rather than attempt to restructure, so it can repay ... March 3, 2015