Update: Dennis Smiley Sentenced to 97 Months, Restitution of $4.9M
H. Dennis Smiley Jr. backed away from his lawyer's attempt to blame his victims before he was sentenced Thursday to 97 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. U.S....
View ArticleFacebook Posts Raise Questions For Employers
The Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled in December that a woman who was fired for posting “arguably” critical comments about her employer on Facebook could receive unemployment benefits. It’s the latest...
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The Art of the Plea Deal (Gwen Moritz Editor's Note)
The Washington Post last week served up a treat for us geeks who care how the plea bargain sausage is made: “How David Petraeus avoided felony charges and possible prison time.” Without identifying...
View ArticleSouthern Bancorp Community Partners Names New Policy Director
Southern Bancorp Community Partners, a 501(c)(3) financial development and lending partner of Southern Bancorp, announced Monday the hiring of Jennifer Johnson as the organization’s new director of...
View ArticleArkansas Officials Predict Boost in Revenue Next Year
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas will have more money available for its budget in the coming fiscal year, state finance officials predicted Tuesday as they forecast a $106.8 million increase in revenue. The...
View ArticleTech Park Plans to Close on Phase 1 Friday
The Little Rock Tech Park plans to close Friday on the purchase of downtown properties for the $100 million park's first phase, Director Brent Birch said during a meeting Wednesday. In a conference...
View ArticleDennis Milligan Signs Settlement in Ethics Violation
LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Treasurer Dennis Milligan signed a settlement letter with the Arkansas Ethics Commission on Wednesday, agreeing to four findings of probable campaign reporting violations. In...
View ArticleArvest Adds Bill Jeffs to Central Arkansas Team (Movers & Shakers)
Bill Jeffs has joined Arvest Bank in central Arkansas as a wealth management and regional investment officer. Jeffs has more than 40 years of experience, including executive management positions in...
View ArticleSimmons Bank Drops National, Applies for State Charter
Remember last month when Arkansas Business reported on the trend of national banks converting to state bank charters? (See National Charter Conversions to State a One-Way Street.) That story was...
View ArticleDevelopmental Center Sells for $3.2 Million (Real Deals)
The sale of a 30,565-SF clinic in Little Rock weighed in at $3.2 million. WSCamp LLC, led by Christopher Schultz and Cynthia Knoerr, purchased the Dennis Developmental Center at 1301 Wolfe St. The...
View ArticlePersonal Income in Arkansas Metro Areas See Increase
The eight metropolitan areas of Arkansas reported increases in local area personal income in 2014, with growth ranging from 1.6 percent in Pine Bluff to 4.1 percent in Fort Smith. Michael Pakko, an...
View ArticleArkansas Sees Volume, Value of Biggest Deals Drop
The value of mergers and acquisitions last year reached a record high worldwide and in the United States, but Arkansas was a different story. The known value of big deals in the state — those worth $9...
View ArticleYellen: Slower Rate Hikes On Tap If Economy Disappoints
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the U.S. economy faces a number of global threats that could hamper growth and compel the Fed to slow the pace of future interest rate hikes. She...
View ArticleDonny Rogers Named President of Arvest Trust
Arvest Wealth Management CEO Jim King said Tuesday that Donny Rogers has been selected to replace Diane Wells as Arvest Trust president following Wells' planned retirement earlier this year....
View ArticleTech Park Talks Timeline with KATV; Mary Good to Step Down
Sinclair Broadcasting Group will need at least three years to move its Little Rock ABC affiliate, KATV-TV, Channel 7, from its building at Main and Fourth, Little Rock Technology Park Director Brent...
View ArticleLawyer Appeals Ethics Panel's Decision on Arkansas Treasurer
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock attorney Matt Campbell has filed a circuit court petition challenging the Arkansas Ethics Commission's recent decision on a complaint he filed against Arkansas Treasurer...
View ArticleArkanas Business Recognizes Finalists of 28th Annual Business of the Year Awards
Since 1988, Arkansas Business has honored the state's top executives, small businesses and nonprofits with the annual Arkansas Business of the Year Awards. Readers make nominations and an independent...
View ArticleCrestwood Manor Sale Tops $9 Million (Real Deals)
A 228-unit apartment project in the Hillcrest area of Little Rock tipped the scales at $9.07 million. SRC Kavanaugh Investments LLC, an affiliate of StoneRiver Co. of Birmingham, Alabama, purchased...
View ArticleUnemployment Falls in Arkansas Metros in 2015
Unemployment in Arkansas’ metropolitan areas has fallen significantly in the last year, notes Michael Pakko, an economist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From December 2014 to December...
View ArticleHeartland Bank Takes Over Allied Bank's Last Little Rock Branch
The location of Allied Bank’s last operational branch in Little Rock recently was forfeited in lieu of foreclosure. Heartland Bank of Bryant took ownership of the 7,340-SF building at 5701 Kavanaugh...
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