Stories by Glen Chase

Cable firms, Viacom in talks on pact Negotiations between entertainment content company Viacom Inc. and a group representing small cable television operators around the country, including several in Arkansas, continued Tuesday after an e... April 2, 2014

Fiat invites state teen for a tour The convertible’s tag reads “79 Fiat.” The car, a 1979 Fiat 124 model 2000 Spider, has a new top but sports a faded, greenish paint job. When 14-year-old Kenneth Carper of Sherwood turns the key, the ... March 30, 2014

State earns spot on Peanut Board Arkansas is now a “primary peanut-producing state” after federal agriculture officials Monday issued final rules that will put an Arkansas grower on the National Peanut Board. Peanut farming, mostly i... March 25, 2014

Rail car safety left to federal agency Crude oil shipments through Arkansas aren’t regularly monitored by the state’s environmental, transportation and emergency responders even as the numbers of rail cars carrying oil south to Gulf Coast ... March 23, 2014

State farm, business leaders beat drums to redo immigration Federal immigration laws need to be revised to prevent Arkansas jobs from going unfilled, according to several business leaders who began a statewide tour Wednesday as part of a national effort to get... March 20, 2014

Peco Foods to expand in Arkansas The leaders of Randolph and Clay counties said Monday that they expect to see the economic effects of a new $165 million poultry operation ripple across the state’s northeast as Alabama-based Peco Foo... March 11, 2014

Union Pacific’s CEO upbeat for economy Union Pacific Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jack Koraleski believes the U.S. economy will see moderate growth in 2014 as lower energy prices combined with rising foreign labor costs boost domestic man... March 7, 2014

Baptist Health to see change at top Russell D. Harrington Jr., president and chief executive officer of Little Rock-based Baptist Health, said Monday that he will step down on July 1 to become president emeritus and senior adviser to th... March 4, 2014

Study: Farm-product value up 30% Rising commodity prices helped drive up the value of agricultural products produced in Arkansas by 30 percent between 2007 and 2012 to nearly $9.8 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agricult... February 21, 2014

State sows new seeds to link farms, buyers Microphone in hand, P. Allen Smith kept the conversation moving between growers, restaurateurs, processors and marketers. Smith, a celebrity gardener and horticulturalist, was moderating a discussion ... February 16, 2014

Closing to cut 125 jobs in Jonesboro StarTek Inc. will close its call center in Jonesboro for the second time in two years, eliminating 125 jobs, so it can consolidate operations into a new, larger operation in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Rosemar... February 13, 2014

Farm bill called a lesser factor in cotton acres Arkansas’ row crop farmers are expected to add cotton acreage in 2014 as they sort out how the new farm bill will affect their overall operations over the next five years. But growers and analysts sai... February 9, 2014

NLR’s Oakley to buy Oklahoma-based port operator Bruce Oakley Inc. of North Little Rock will purchase Oklahoma-based Johnston’s Port 33 Inc. for an undisclosed amount, the companies announced. On Monday, Dennis Oakley, president of Oakley, called th... February 4, 2014

Arvest to yank cards tied to Target breach Arvest Bank is replacing the debit and credit cards of bank customers connected to purchases from Target stores in November and December when hackers were stealing data from the retailer, making Arves... January 28, 2014

Builder to remit $50,000 in accord A Baton Rouge company will pay a former worker $50,000 to settle a federal lawsuit after the worker complained of being racially harassed and receiving a death threat while working as a technician at ... January 28, 2014

State pushes for seat on U.S. Peanut Board Arkansas’ peanut growers are on the verge of gaining a spot on the National Peanut Board, another sign of how the crop has taken off in the state in recent years. The federal Agricultural Marketing ... January 12, 2014

Restart planned for shut PB plant A Pine Bluff poultry processing plant that shut down abruptly in June is being reopened by Summit Poultry Inc., which has already begun hiring workers to fill 100 positions. Summit took possession of ... December 19, 2013

Farm bill stall has growers in limbo Arkansas farmers are feeling the pinch with Congress deadlocked over a new farm bill at a time when growers across the nation are trying to make planting decisions for next year, the president of the ... December 5, 2013

Peanut acreage declines in state Arkansas’ peanut acreage shrank in 2013 as farmers nationally cut back on planting in response to falling prices and large stockpiles from last year’s bumper crop. But the presence of peanuts as an Ar... November 20, 2013

Arkansas libations booming For Joseph Post of Post Familie Vineyards and Winery in Altus, getting his wines and juices on store shelves outside of Arkansas boils down to one thing: Persistence. Make that persistence combined wi... November 17, 2013

In LR, Bass Pro reels in a crowd on opening night A steady stream of shoppers flowed into the newly opened Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Little Rock on Wednesday as the outdoor-retail chain opened its 62nd store on a cold November night. The new ... November 14, 2013

USDA, China negotiate rice rules A negotiating team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is meeting with a Chinese counterpart this week in the ongoing effort to open Chinese markets to U.S.-grown rice. Ben Noble, executive direct... November 8, 2013

Vilsack says farm bill needs carrot for cities Correction: Lonoke farmer Dow Brantley is chairman of the Arkansas Rice Federation. This story incorrectly identified the organization and Brantley’s position. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack o... October 31, 2013

Conway’s downtown lures investors Over the past decade, about $70 million in private and public dollars have been invested in downtown Conway, a figure that city leaders believe reflects the city’s reputation for diversity both in ter... October 27, 2013

Risk not key, says tiny-loan arranger Matt Flannery, co-founder and chief executive of the microlending nonprofit Kiva, knows that making tiny loans to startup businesses carries risk. Kiva “is like a million people right now, lending $2... October 9, 2013

Forest-products demand seen rising Arkansas’ forest industry can expect demand for lumber, pulpwood and other products to continue to rise as the nation’s economy improves and pent-up demand for new homes continues, members of the Arka... October 3, 2013

Soybean farmers harvesting wins in ‘Race for 100’ Last spring, McGehee farmer Matt Miles worried that one of his Desha County soybean fields was doing so badly, it was going to have to be replanted. But patience, teamwork and cooperative weather tur... September 22, 2013

Farmers show off irrigation projects WYNNE - Cross County farmer Mike Wood began looking for alternative ways to irrigate his rice and soybean fields after becoming convinced the water table west of Crowley’s Ridge wasn’t going to keep u... August 29, 2013

Bass Pro Shop prepares for opening With the shell largely complete, crews are now turning the inside of Little Rock’s new Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World into a retail hub, installing tools of the trade such as cash registers, counters, a... August 18, 2013

KATV, 6 other stations sold in $985 million deal Little Rock’s KATV, Channel 7, is one of seven television stations Allbritton Communications will sell to Sinclair Broadcast Group in a deal announced Monday worth $985 million. The sale also include... July 30, 2013

Verizon Arena a hot stop for shows North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena is off to a hot start in 2013, racking up nearly as many ticket sales for concerts and family-oriented events in six months as it did in all of 2012. In a midyear ... July 25, 2013

Board at work on rules for shipping state wine Arkansas wineries trying to draw out-of-state tourists will have another tool available in late summer: the ability to ship up to a case of wine to a visitor’s home. The state Alcoholic Beverage Cont... July 6, 2013

Acres of corn hit 1 million in state Arkansas farmers managed to plant more than a million acres in corn despite this spring’s wet planting season, the federal agency that tracks agriculture reported Friday. In mid-June, growers were ex... July 2, 2013

Spring weather hinders planting The projected size of Arkansas’ corn crop took a hit as this spring’s wet weather delayed planting and caused some growers to turn to other crops such as soybeans, according to a University of Arkansa... June 13, 2013

Year-old chicken factory is closed A Pine Bluff poultry plant closed its doors Monday - jeopardizing the future of 180 employees - as its owners look for a buyer or new investors after nearly a year of processing chickens. Horizon Foo... June 6, 2013

To be state treasurer: Vote, get elected The only qualifications a person in Arkansas needs to take responsibility for the management of $3 billion of the state’s investments are to be an eligible voter and be able to win a statewide electio... May 30, 2013

LR airport fears D.C. flight at risk Ron Mathieu, executive director of the state’s largest airport, is urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to let US Airways keep all its slots at Reagan National Airport as a way to ensure th... May 23, 2013

Rains bog planting; corn-bean swap seen A wet spring is delaying row-crop planting across Arkansas and likely will shift remaining acreage from corn to soybeans if fields don’t dry up enough to allow equipment to finish getting seeds into t... May 2, 2013

Democrat-Gazette ties drop in circulation to higher price The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette saw its daily and Sunday circulation shrink in the 12 months ending March 31 as it introduced price increases. In a report issued Tuesday, the Alliance for Audited Media... May 1, 2013

Business news in brief QUOTE OF THE DAY “Our industry is not an industry of rationality. It’s also an industry of emotions. It’s about brands, it’s about attractive cars, it’s about power, it’s about handling, it’s about ... March 6, 2013

Arkansas catfish farms gasping Arkansas’ catfish farmers saw income from fish sales plummet in 2012 as a steady drop in prices took its toll. Sales of food-size fish generated $17.4 million in revenue last year - down 35 percent f... February 13, 2013

NEWS IN BRIEF AT&T faults server for U-verse glitch AT&T U-verse customers in Arkansas were among those Tuesday reporting service failures along with other customers in many Southeastern states. The exte... January 23, 2013

Corn haul a record for ’12 As expected, Arkansas farmers set a new annual production mark for corn and came close to setting an overall record for soybeans despite record drought and heat in 2012. Growers produced 123.7 millio... January 15, 2013

2nd crop causes baiting law flap for rice farmers Some Arkansas rice farmers who took advantage of 2012’s warm spring to get a jump on planting saw a rare opportunity this fall for a second harvest, called a “ratoon” crop. However, farmers reported ... December 23, 2012

River levels keep state crop prices up As farmers along northern stretches of the Mississippi River worry about low water halting barge traffic, river access has been readily available to growers in Arkansas who are seeing premium prices f... December 13, 2012

Farm bill stretch said best for state U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford said Wednesday that he expects the House and Senate to extend the current federal farm bill before the end of the year rather than try to iron out differences in versions passe... November 29, 2012

Pact to open China’s market to U.S. rice An effort to open the Chinese market to U.S.-grown rice is drawing one step closer to completion as trade officials from both countries hammer out crop inspection protocols. The inspection rules are ... November 25, 2012

State’s jobless rate inches up to 7.2% Arkansas’ unemployment rate ticked up to 7.2 percent in October, the state Department of Workforce Services said Tuesday. Overall, the state’s civilian labor force shrank by 4,700 jobs from September... November 21, 2012

Countersuit filed by farmer over rice seed is dismissed A counterclaim filed by an Arkansas rice grower challenging the quality and yields of hybrid rice seed supplied by Houston, Texas,-based RiceTec Inc. was dismissed Tuesday by a Greene County circuit j... November 21, 2012

Record corn, soybean yields forecast Arkansas farmers are looking at record corn, soybean and rice harvests, even though the state was ravaged by drought for much of 2012, according to a report released Friday. Helped by earlier-thanusu... November 10, 2012