Arkansas

The Compass Report shows that Arkansas’ economy ‘remains in an expansion’ – Talk Business & Politics

Published

2 years ago

September 13, 2024

The Compass Report shows that Arkansas’ economy ‘remains in an expansion’ – Talk Business & Politics

Arkansas’ economy in the second quarter of 2024 continued to see substantial gains in non-farm employment and the construction sector, while manufacturing and hospitality faced employment declines.

According to The Compass Report for the second quarter of 2024 (April-June), Arkansas’ nonfarm employment showed robust growth, with the state gaining 10,000 jobs between April and June, bringing the total to 1,374,000 nonfarm jobs in June 2024, compared to 1,364,000 in June 2023.

Employment remained steady throughout the quarter, with 1,370,000 jobs in April and 1,369,000 in May. This consistent job market growth earned Arkansas an A+ rating for nonfarm employment expansion, with the state continuing to set employment records each quarter.

“Arkansas’ economy continues to add jobs, with growth in nonfarm payroll employment statewide and in all four regions. The economy remains in an expansion, not a recession but rising unemployment rates suggest labor force growth is outpacing jobs creation. Still, no region recorded an unemployment rate greater than 3.9 percent,” said economist Greg Kaza, executive director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation.

However, the unemployment rate in Arkansas rose once again during the second quarter of 2024, following the upward trend from the first quarter. In June 2024, the unemployment rate stood at 3.3%, compared to 2.6% in June 2023.

“The rise in unemployment persisted throughout the quarter, with the rate increasing to 3.4% in April and May 2024. Despite the state’s job growth, the higher unemployment rate indicated continued challenges in the labor market, earning a D grade for the change in the unemployment rate,” according to analysis from The Compass Report.

The Compass Report is a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) and Talk Business & Politics. First National Bank of Fort Smith is a sponsor of the statewide report. Kendall Ross, UAFS associate vice chancellor of Economic and Workforce Development, and Troy Rodriguez, a data analyst in the UAFS Center for Economic Development who helps compile, manage and review the data, are responsible for data collection and written analysis for the report.

Kaza also noted that the construction sector continues to be bright spot.

“Strong growth in the construction sector noted earlier this year continued in the quarter, with significant gains in the Fort Smith region, Northwest Arkansas and the central part of the state. Arkansas construction sector jobs have expanded 31 percent since the last recession ended in April 2020, the highest growth rate in the 12-state southeast region,” Kaza wrote in his analysis.

Following are other Arkansas economy analysis from The Compass Report.
• June 2024 gross sales and use tax collections reached $358.615 million, up from $347.776 million in June 2023. Similarly, May 2024 collections rose to $357.365 million compared to $314.722 million in May 2023. April also increased to $360.013 million, up from $353.149 million in April 2023.

• Building permit valuations for housing in Arkansas presented a mixed picture during the second quarter. In April 2024, permit valuations jumped to $264.37 million from $191.07 million in April 2023, signaling robust construction activity. May 2024 showed a slight decline, with valuations falling to $246.073 million, compared to $248.99 million in May 2023. The downward trend continued into June, with valuations reaching $267.57 million, down from $306.216 million in June 2023.

• Manufacturing employment continued its downward trend throughout Q2 2024. In June 2024, Arkansas had 162,000 manufacturing jobs, down from 165,300 in June 2023.

• Employment in construction increased to 67,100 jobs in June 2024, up from 63,500 in June 2023. The sector consistently grew across the quarter, with 67,900 jobs in April and 67,600 in May 2024.

• Hospitality employment declined to 128,000 jobs in June 2024, down from 131,500 in June 2023. The industry also saw job losses in April and May 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Link here for the full The Compass Report for the second quarter.

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Arkansas

Shepherd confirmed as federal judge in Arkansas’ Western District – Talk Business & Politics

Published

10 hours ago

April 14, 2026

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Shepherd confirmed as federal judge in Arkansas’ Western District – Talk Business & Politics

John Thomas Shepherd of El Dorado has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a U.S. District judge in the Western District of Arkansas, according to the offices of U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Shepherd is a native of El Dorado and graduate of Rice University and the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, where he was managing editor of the Arkansas Law Review.

He was a partner at Shepherd & Shepherd in El Dorado and also served as a prosecuting attorney, and later judge, for the Arkansas Circuit Court’s 13th Judicial District. He is a member of the Federalist Society, according to a press release from Cotton’s office.

His brother, Matthew Shepherd, is a partner in the El Dorado law firm and is a former speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives. Their father is Federal Judge Bobby Shepherd who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

“I am pleased to congratulate John Thomas Shepherd on his confirmation and am confident he will serve with the same integrity, professionalism and sound judgment he has demonstrated throughout his career,” noted a statement from Boozman’s. “We are grateful for his deep commitment to public service and the rule of law.”

Shepherd succeeds U.S. District Court Judge Susan Hickey who has been on the bench since October 2011. She was chief judge of the district between 2019 and 2025. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas includes 34 counties stretching from Texarkana and El Dorado to Fayetteville and Fort Smith.

Shepherd is the second Western District judge to be confirmed so far in 2026. David Clay Fowlkes, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, was confirmed in early February to be a federal judge in the Western District of Arkansas. He succeeded U.S. District Court Judge P.K. Holmes III, and will be in the Fort Smith office.

Other judges now in the Western District are Chief Judge Timothy Brooks (Fayetteville bench), Magistrate Judge Christy Comstock (Fayetteville), Magistrate Judge Mark Ford (Fort Smith), and Magistrate Judge Spencer Singleton (El Dorado).

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Arkansas

Furman transfer Cooper Bowser visiting Arkansas basketball | Whole Hog Sports

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22 hours ago

April 14, 2026

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Furman transfer Cooper Bowser visiting Arkansas basketball | Whole Hog Sports

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Arkansas

How far Alabama dropped in new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

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How far Alabama dropped in new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Pitching for Alabama baseball had been fine for much of this season. Then the Crimson Tide ran into an Arkansas Razorbacks team that got hot at the plate over the weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Arkansas scored 25 runs in a three-game sweep of the Tide, snapping a string of three straight SEC series victories for Alabama. In all three games, the Razorbacks’ bats came alive late. Arkansas used a six-run eighth inning on Friday for a 7-5 win, then plated 11 runs over the final three innings Saturday in a 15-6 rout.

Alabama had a 2-0 lead in after five innings in Sunday’s series finale, but the Razorbacks scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to complete the sweep. The Crimson Tide had won 11 of their last 12 games entering the weekend, including SEC series victories over top 25 teams Florida, Auburn and Oklahoma.

After a 1-3 week in Week 9 of the 2026 NCAA baseball season, here’s where Alabama ranks in Monday’s new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Alabama sees modest drop in Baseball Coaches Poll after Arkansas sweep

In Monday’s new Coaches Poll, Alabama (26-11 overall, 8-7 conference) fell four spots to No. 13. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot above the West Virginia Mountaineers and one spot below Oklahoma.

Alabama is one of five teams to drop at least four spots in this week’s top 25 rankings. Florida State had a four-spot fall to No. 10, and Mississippi State tied Nebraska for the biggest slide. The Bulldogs fell eight spots to No. 16; the Cornhuskers eight spots to No. 25.

SEC slides, ACC rises in top 5 of NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll

Both Georgia Tech and North Carolina rose in the top five of the Coaches Poll after impressive weekend series against Florida State and Clemson, respectively. Texas and Georgia dropped in the top five after series losses to Texas A&M and Florida, respectively.

Here’s a look at the full top 25 rankings in the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll for April 13.

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg	Hi/Lo
1	UCLA	33-2	750	30	1	–	1/2
2	Georgia Tech	30-5	719	0	3	1	2/5
3	North Carolina	30-6	680	0	5	2	3/14
4	Texas	27-7	621	0	2	2	2/4
5	Georgia	29-8	618	0	4	1	4/13
6	Oregon State	28-7	611	0	7	1	6/18
7	Texas A&M	27-7	516	0	15	8	7/NR
8	Coastal Carolina	26-9	511	0	11	3	7/25
9	USC	30-7	506	0	10	1	8/NR
10	Florida State	24-11	437	0	6	4	6/17
11	Auburn	24-11	402	0	12	1	4/12
12	Virginia	26-11	383	0	14	2	11/NR
13	Alabama	26-11	325	0	9	4	9/NR
14	Oklahoma	24-11	319	0	18	4	8/NR
15	West Virginia	24-8	306	0	19	4	12/NR
16	Mississippi State	26-10	305	0	8	8	3/16
17	Arkansas	24-13	272	0	22	5	5/22
18	Florida	27-10	233	0	24	6	8/25
19	Oregon	26-10	216	0	20	1	10/NR
20	Southern Miss	25-11	176	0	13	7	7/20
21	Kansas	26-10	153	0	NR	12	21/NR
22	Arizona State	26-11	138	0	21	1	21/NR
23	Ole Miss	26-11	125	0	NR	3	18/NR
24	Boston College	26-12	111	0	25	1	24/25
25	Nebraska	27-9	93	0	17	8	17/NR

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 UCF; No. 23 North Carolina State

Others Receiving Votes

North Carolina State 74; UCF 49; Jacksonville State 33; Miami (FL) 15; Tennessee 14; California Baptist 13; Missouri State 6; Wake Forest 5; Kentucky 4; UC Santa Barbara 3; Vanderbilt 2; UTSA 2; LSU 2; Liberty 1; Dallas Baptist 1

Alabama baseball 2026 schedule: When do Crimson Tide play next?

Alabama will face the UAB Blazers (23-13) at Regions Field in Birmingham on Tuesday in midweek play. First pitch for Alabama-UAB is 6 p.m. CT.

The Crimson Tide visit Austin for their next series in SEC play beginning Friday. They take on the Texas Longhorns (27-7, 9-5) at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday.

Here’s a look at Alabama’s 2026 baseball schedule. All start times Central.

Feb. 13-15: vs. Washington State (L, 8-4; W, 8-1; W, 11-1)
Feb. 17: at Samford (W, 3-2)
Feb. 18: vs. Alabama State (W, 2-1)
Feb. 20-22: vs. Rhode Island (W, 19-4; W, 8-5; W, 11-1)
Feb. 24: at Southern Miss (L, 14-4)
Feb. 27: vs. Iowa at Frisco College Baseball Classic (W, 12-2)
Feb. 28: vs. Oregon State at Frisco College Baseball Classic (W, 8-7)
March 1: vs. Houston at Frisco College Baseball Classic (L, 8-2)
March 3: vs. Jacksonville State (W, 6-5)
March 4: at Alabama State (W, 13-4)
March 6-8: vs. North Florida (W, 7-2; W, 9-3; W, 12-2)
March 10: vs. Troy (W, 7-3)
March 13-15: at Kentucky (L, 7-4; L, 8-7; L, 6-4)
March 17: at South Alabama (L, 6-3)
March 20-22: vs. Florida (W, 6-0; W, 8-4; W, 14-7)
March 24: vs. Austin Peay (W, 6-2)
March 27-29: vs. Auburn (W, 11-1; W, 3-2; W, 3-1)
March 31: at Jacksonville State (W, 4-3)
April 2-5: at Oklahoma (W, 10-7; L, 4-2; W, 3-2)
April 7: vs. Samford (W, 16-2)
April 10-12: vs. Arkansas (L, 7-5, L, 15-6, L, 3-2)
April 14: at UAB, 6 p.m.
April 17-19: at Texas (6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday)
April 21: vs. UAB, 6 p.m.
April 23-25: at Tennessee (6 p.m. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday)
April 30-May 2: vs. Vanderbilt (6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday)
May 5: at Troy, 6 p.m.
May 8-10: at South Carolina (4:30 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Sunday)
May 14-16: vs. Ole Miss (6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday)
May 19-24: SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama