Talk Business & Politics Staff

The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub announced that Jeff Stinson will become the director of The Silver Mine, which will provide facilities and programs to support entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures in Arkansas.

A plan to extend the Earned Income Tax Credit in Arkansas failed in the last legislative session, but the idea has seen support in other states, according to a national group.

The Pew Charitable Trusts released a report last week titled “With More Money, States Weigh Expanded Tax Credits for Working Families.”

A short-term highway bill and a bill revamping the Department of Veterans Affairs is on its way to the Senate, as House members overwhelmingly approved both bills Wednesday.

The House voted 385-34, with one present, (H.R. 3236) on the highway bill and 256-170 (H.R. 1994) on the VA bill.

Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, French Hill, R-Little Rock, Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, voted yes on both bills.

According to a summary of the highway bill, the $8 billion measure would fund highway programs through Oct. 29, 2015.

A Wall Street-based nonprofit initiative funded and chaired by billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Clinton administration Treasurer Hank Paulson released a report Tuesday that says Arkansas’ soybean production could decline by 25% due to warmer temperatures caused by climate change.

At least nine colleges and universities in the state will receive help from the U.S. Department of Education Student Support Services Program, the state’s congressional delegation said Wednesday.

Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark. and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., along with Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, French Hill, R-Little Rock, Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, announced more than $2 million in funding for Arkansas higher education under the U.S. Department of Education Student Support Services Program.

The colleges and universities to receive funding were:

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas broke ground on a new $8.5 million housing facility on the campus of Arkansas Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.

The new facility, which houses families of sick patients at the pediatric hospital, will triple in size.

To date, roughly $7.5 million has been raised towards the $8.5 million goal. On Tuesday, Tyson Foods contributed $500,000 and announced it would stock the kitchen pantry of the House for a full year.

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Two of Arkansas’ largest publicly traded concerns bounced off yearly lows in Monday’s week-opening session as U.S. stocks endured another day of Wall Street downgrades and uneasy trading following news that Europe had offered Greece a $96 billion bailout deal.

Overall, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 217.27, or 1.2%, to 17977.68. The S&P 500 added 22.98, or 1.1%, to 2099.60, while the technology friendly Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 73.82, or 1.5%, to 5071.51.

The Little Rock Technology Park Authority Board on Wednesday unanimously approved a motion by Chairwoman Mary Goode to request a $6.8 million advance from the City of Little Rock to fund the purchase of prime downtown real estate from Stephens Inc. in the fast-growing Creative Corridor on Main Street.

The Department of Human Services begins a series of town halls across Arkansas Tuesday about an upcoming change in the coding system used by all medical providers.

Health insurers are asking state regulators for large rate increases for next year, citing losses caused by higher-than-expected patient utilization and a sicker than expected risk pool, the New York Times reported July 4. However, in Arkansas that may not be the case.