In a day-long effort, KATV--along with Entergy Arkansas--is hosting a 'Spirit of Arkansas Telethon' to help raise money for the Arkansas Energy Network and The Power to Care Fund. Both entities offer financial assistance to utility customers on fixed incomes who need...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a $1.99 million grant to help fund an economic development project in Helena-West Helena in Arkansas. HUD officials said Tuesday the grant from the Rural Innovation Fund will be given to Southern Bancorp...

Thanks to a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, affordable housing and economic development in Helena-West Helena will receive a real shot in the arm. HUD announced Tuesday that it had awarded a $1,998, 621 grant to...

Weeks of running the air conditioner on high equals a high electric bill for most Arkansans who will need to make budget adjustments to pay the power company... As part of the initial corporate donation, McDonald presented a $130,000 check to the Arkansas Energy...

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (PCCUA) announces that Carol Brocato, of Helena-West Helena, has received an award being provided by Southern Bancorp.  Brocato is the 2011 recipient of the Southern Bancorp - Sarah Beth Taylor Scholarship. This...

...For example, in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, where 40 percent of the population is below the poverty level, the area is reportedly on the upswing in a big way, with credit going to nonprofit partners such as Southern Bancorp Capital, the Walton Family Foundation,...

...Southern Bancorp, a rural development bank with a Helena subsidiary, took action in 2003 by leading the effort to create a comprehensive strategic plan. Since then, Helena has made slow but steady progress.

...After decades of a dwindling population and an ailing economy, Helena-West Helena, a Mississippi River town of around 15,000, has experienced a renewal. Perhaps no one is more responsible for this renaissance than Joe Black, the president of Southern Bancorp...

Sporting an emerald polo shirt and a sable mustache, the bank executive reclines in his desk chair until it creaks. His right leg, bent at a 90-degree angle, rests on his left. His head is cocked back, supported by interlocked palms. Joe Black is relaxing, and...