Tagged: Arkansas Economy

A food service company that has been in western Arkansas for 70 years is embarking on a $4 million expansion at a Van Buren facility.

Tankersley Foodservice Inc. is adding cold storage and dock space to the site at the Van Buren Industrial Park.

The company says the project also includes expansion and improvement to customer service offices.

The Southwest Times Record reports the growth is expected to add up to 30 jobs.

Last week, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Christopher Thyer, announced that a Little Rock man, alleged to have been a pimp and trafficker, was convicted in federal court on one count of sex trafficking. 

It was a first for his district, saying "It had been there for quite some time, and the biggest reason some of these cases are coming forward is awareness." 

Thyer says awareness is on the rise, but many people don’t know that sex trafficking could be occurring in their area.

The state's revenue picture is getting rosier. Finance officials say a boost in sales tax collections helped keep the revenues for Arkansas above expectations last month.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said Tuesday the state's net available revenue in May totaled $334.2 million. That's $2 million below the same month last year, but $8.4 million above forecast.

The state's year-to-date revenue total $4.4 billion, which is $172.4 million above forecast. Arkansas' fiscal year ends June 30.

Close to $3 million in grant money is being awarded to 16 agricultural researchers to develop more sustainable methods for growing strawberries.

The project is funded by the Walmart Foundation and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability is administering the awards. Winners were announced Wednesday.