Brian Miller set the tone for his investiture as federal judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas when he appeared in the Richard Arnold Courthouse Friday morning.

Arkansas Delta Yams, which experienced a bumper crop in its first year of operation in 2007, has been awarded $1 million in state-federal funding, Phillips County Judge Don Gentry announced Wednesday.

LITTLE ROCK – Further consolidation in Arkansas’ banking community likely is already under way, the CEO of Southern Bancorp said Tuesday.

“I think you’ll see probably massive consolidation here in Arkansas and I think that that’s probably under way right now and will continue,” Phillip Baldwin said after a speech at the Arkansas Small Business Awards luncheon.

“The name will change, but everything else will be the same,” said Bill Wright, chairman and CEO of Elk Horn. “Our customers can keep using their Elk Horn Bank checks and ATM cards and debit cards.”

Entergy Corporation today announced a new name for the customer assistance funds operated by the company’s utility subsidiaries: The Power to Care. The new name replaces Project Deserve, a program that for 26 years has collected more than $5 million from Arkansas employees, customers and shareholders to help elderly and handicapped customers pay their electric bills during times of financial crisis.

…”Helena has it all,” said Ruskey as he prepares to open the second outlet of Quapaw Canoe Co. on Cherry Street. The grand opening celebration is scheduled for June 27 and Ruskey seems excited to make Helena the canoe capital of the lower Mississippi River.

Paul Harvel, the new president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Clark County, presented Monday evening an “overview” of his plans to bring more jobs and improve the quality of life here.

Harvel spoke to a near-capacity crowd in the Walker Conference Center at Ouachita Baptist University. He and his wife, Barbara, then met with community members during a social event at DeGray Lake.

The Boys & Girls Club of Phillips County has just returned from San Francisco and an information-packed three-day meeting exploring some of the most pressing issues concerning the well being of America’s young people. A group of three lead by Executive Director Jason Rolett joined some 3,200 other Boys & Girls Club professionals and board members attending the 102nd Annual National Conference for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).

WASHINGTON – Delta economic development advocates asked lawmakers Thursday to prioritize a four-lane highway connecting interstates 40 and 55.

The link between Brinkley and Batesville, Miss., would create a four-lane highway from Little Rock to Atlanta and would serve as a southern bypass around Memphis.