Southern Financial Partners, a nonprofit affiliate of Southern Bancorp, recently contributed $10,000 to Henderson State University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to provide FastTrac Training to entrepreneurs in 2007. This is the second contribution received as part of a three-year commitment.

Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, Sen. Gilbert Baker and several others on Monday touted Baker’s bill that would create a pilot program to match contributions by low and middle-income families to Arkansas’ college savings plans for their children and grandchildren.

A $25,000 grant presented to the City of Gurdon on Friday, March 2, will allow city officials to begin cleaning up abandoned and run-down properties around town.

A bill to severely limit interest rates charged for “payday loans” overwhelmingly passed the Arkansas House of Representatives on Thursday, marking the biggest threat to the practice in the eight years that it has been legal in the state.

While politicians talked Friday about needing an integrated approach to address health care, education and economic development in the Arkansas Delta, Southern Bancorp announced $670,000 in grant funding to help projects that would address some of those needs in one Delta community – Phillips County.

Nine out of 10 properties selected for demolition or improvement have been razed and the next phase of a city-wide cleanup plan is being implemented, Arkadelphia City Manager Jimmy Bolt said.

Do you believe that we need to find a way to better fund economic development activities in Clark County?

Are you interested in attracting jobs, new restaurants and places to shop?

Are you interested in growing the community?

Bus shelters and signs began going up last week in Helena-West Helena in preparation for the start-up of CitiLink – a new fixed-route bus service for residents of the east Arkansas town.

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. – Even among the dilapidated houses and ghostly storefronts in Helena-West Helena, it’s easy to believe the young Michael Boone when he says his beaten-down hometown will shake off its blues.

Interstate 30, the railroad and the airport were named Clark County’s top strengths during a survey of county residents, said members of the economic development subcommittee of the county’s Strategic Planning Committee.