Providing small and emerging business owners with the skills, tools, and contacts needed to create and grow their enterprises and better engage in job creation activities are the goals of an upcoming business conference to be held via Zoom, with two small on-site audiences in Magnolia and Monticello, Arkansas. Funded by the Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC), Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), Arkansas Business Navigator program, FORGE Community Loan Fund, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and USDA Rural Development, the 2023 Southwest Arkansas Rural Business Development Conference, with a theme of “Breaking Barriers: Engaging Minds, Empowering Success” will bring together approximately 20 private, quasi-state, state, federal, non-profit, and national organizations with a singular focus of equipping existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources to start and grow their businesses.

(more…)

Dear Community,

We reach out to you today with a heartfelt request for your support in an inspiring project initiated by our special education program. Our dedicated students, who possess unique abilities and challenges, have embarked on a creative endeavor to make quilts. These beautiful and meaningful quilts serve as symbols of love, unity, and compassion, and we are reaching out to our community for donations of materials or any other resources that could aid us in fulfilling this noble endeavor.

A Project with a Purpose:

The quilts our special education students create are more than just beautiful works of art. Each quilt is carefully crafted to provide warmth and comfort to those in need, and they serve as tokens of appreciation and support for individuals who are facing difficult circumstances. By participating in this project, our students not only enhance their artistic skills but also develop a sense of empathy and social responsibility.

How You Can Help: (more…)

Main Street and Church Street beside the Square will be closed, from 1 PM until 9 PM, tonight, due to the event.

Gaines and McCloy Streets will remain open.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will begin sending prefilled applications to rice producers the week of May 8 for the new Rice Production Program (RPP), which will provide up to $250 million in assistance to rice farmers based on 2022 planted and prevented planted acres. (more…)