News in brief

Fort Smith hospital to add nursing jobs

Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith wants to hire at least 50 nurses for its expanding critical cardiovascular and neurological services.

The hospital hopes to add 32 beds for medical and surgical patients and 10 critical care beds, according to a release this week.

Sparks is seeking licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and unit assistants along with those qualified for leadership posts. Education requirements for positions vary among associate, bachelor's and master's degrees.

The 492-bed Sparks Regional Medical Center is part of the Sparks Health System, which also includes the 103-bed Summit Medical Center in Van Buren.

Sparks Regional Medical Center is one of 10 hospitals in the state owned by publicly traded Community Health Systems Inc. In January, Community Health Systems bought the Sparks Health System as part of a $7.6 billion deal. Nashville-based Community Health Systems is now one of the largest hospital companies in the U.S.

-- John Magsam

Branson to fly again to Chicago, Houston

Daily flights from the Branson Airport to Houston and Chicago will resume in October.

Branson, which lost its Southwest Airlines service in June, will offer nonstop travel to Chicago-Midway and Houston-Hobby through Branson AirExpress from Oct. 25 through Dec. 7 and March 10 through May 27. Flight service will be handled by Elite Airways and then, beginning in March, Buzz Airways.

Buzz Airways began offering seasonal service from Branson to Chicago and Houston in June. When Buzz Airways -- whose planes seat up to 30 -- began offering flights in Branson, the company said it would evaluate whether it would continue flights into 2015. Buzz Airways' Chief Commercial Officer Matt Chaifetz said Branson had "exceeded our expectations."

Elite Airways will use 50-seat jets. It also plans service to Melbourne, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

-- Chris Bahn

Arkansas Index up; Deltic hits year high

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, gained 0.51 to 353.39 Friday.

Deltic Timber Corp. shares rose 1.5 percent to end at $69.20. The company hit a new 52-week high of $69.74 during intraday trading.

Tyson Foods Inc. shares fell 1.2 percent to close at $37.02 in light trading.

USA Truck Inc. shares increased 1.1 percent to $18.10.

Shares of Murphy USA Inc. rose 1.1 percent to $53.96.

Murphy Oil Corp. shares dropped 47 cents to$60.85.

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

Business on 08/23/2014

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