NEWS IN BRIEF

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Wal-Mart stays quiet on Duck Dynasty flap

The public debate over Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson’s remarks about homosexuals and blacks in a recent article in GQ magazine will not include feedback from Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a leading retailer of merchandise from the blockbuster A&E reality TV show.

“We have nothing else to add to this story,” Wal-Mart spokesman Sarah McKinney said Monday.

Duck Dynasty graphic design T-shirts are the No. 1-selling T-shirt in the men’s, women’s and boys’ sections of Wal-Mart, officials said before this year’s Wal-Mart shareholders meeting.

Duck Dynasty items, including pillows, throws, hunting accessories, books and DVDs, were expected to be sold in 13 departments by the end of this year. Other items, including toys, party goods, jewelry and watches were also planned.

Robertson was suspended from the show over the remarks but later reinstated. The show ranks among the most-watched cable television programs and averages about 8 million viewers per episode.

UA professor creates

manure-pricing app

A new application developed by a University of Arkansas professor that calculates the value of manure is now available for Android-based and Apple devices.

The app, Manure Valuator, allows users to add monetary value to manure based on the nutrient content for crops. It also compares the price of manure with commercial inorganic fertilizers. The app allows users to calculate the bulk cost per ton or per pound and compare the nutrient value of 18 different sources of wet and dry manure.

The app was created to improve the application of nutrients for crops, such as inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, based on soil test recommendations.

State index falls 0.55 as 2014 approaches

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 0.55 to 337.35 Monday.

“Stocks were mixed as leery investors reacted to weaker-than-expected economic data and stayed on the sidelines awaiting the new year,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock. Eight issues advanced and nine declined.

On the upside, First Federal Bancshares was the sole standout, gaining just over 1 percent. Arkansas Best fell almost 2.5 percent while Simmons First National set a 52-week high during the day.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.

Business, Pages 21 on 12/31/2013