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Industrial site fund
applications open
Applications are now open for the second round of a state program that provides funding to enhance industrial site readiness, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission said Monday.
Last year, the Arkansas Site Development Program provided $10 million to 13 communities. A total of $50 million has been allocated over the next two years. The funding may be used for any number of site development projects, including infrastructure improvements and right of way acquisitions, according to a news release.
Funding cannot be used to purchase property or pay employee salaries, according to the program's website. Applicants must invest at least a 5% match of the overall project cost estimate.
Eligible applicant entities include cities, towns and economic development organizations, among others. To qualify, applicants must submit industrial sites with a minimum of 30 acres of contiguous land. The deadline to submit an application is Nov. 5, according to a news release.
Previous grant recipients include the AR-TX Regional Economic Development, Inc., which received $2 million in Dec. 2024 and the Newport Economic Development Commission, which received nearly $336,000.
-- Lucas Dufalla
Ford recalls pickups
due to display issue
NEW YORK -- Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickups across the United States because of an instrument panel display failure that's resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall covers certain Ford F-150s from the 2025 model year -- as well as other Ford "Super Duty" trucks, including 2025-2026 F-550 SD, F-450 SD, F-350 SD and F-250 SDs. A recall report dated Aug. 22 notes that the instrument panel cluster can fail at startup, resulting in drivers seeing a blank screen.
As a result, the safety agency said, drivers may not be able to read critical "safety-related telltales and gauges," increasing the risk of crash. The recall report notes that Ford isn't aware of any accidents or injuries related to this issue -- but had received 95 warranty claims as of June 26.
Ford is offering a free instrument panel cluster software update to truck owners, available at authorized dealers or through an "over-the-air" update.
-- The Associated Press
State index closes
at 905.07, up 16.49
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 905.07, up 16.49 points.
Shares of Dillard's, Inc. rose 4.4% to lead the index Wednesday.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.