Agency looks at EV
charging corridors
The Arkansas Department of Transportation said it will target gaps in the network of electric-vehicle charging corridors in the next round of funding.
The corridors are on interstate highways in the state as well as U.S. 412.
Interstate 49 between Fayetteville and Fort Smith is one such gap on the existing corridors. Five fast-charging stations haven't agreed to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program's reporting requirements yet, either; should they not do so, the transportation department will have more gaps to fill.
The federal program has given states funding to build charging stations every 50 miles along designated corridors. Arkansas has tens of millions of dollars to build out charging stations into 2026. The department recently awarded grants to 19 charging stations.
"While our NEVI timeline remains flexible, ARDOT is committed to reaching fully built out status as soon as is feasible," depart spokesperson Ellen Coulter said in an email. "We anticipate that the second round ... will be initiated in the near future."
Most of the state's non-interstate four-lane divided highways are not National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure corridors.
-- Aaron Gettinger
5 award winners
named by bureau
The Better Business Bureau of Arkansas on Monday named four winners of this year's Torch Awards for business ethics, standards, leadership and social responsibility and a special Spark Award for a newly opened business or young entrepreneurs.
Roller Funeral Homes of Little Rock, Tipton & Hurst florist of Little Rock, the Stitt Group home solar energy company of Rogers and Secondhand Smoke barbecue caterer of Fayetteville won the Torch Awards. Jacksonville's Leashes and Lashes dog-training service, which opened last year, won the Spark Award.
The Better Business Bureau (which has a torch as its logo) is a private, nongovernmental nonprofit that rates businesses on customer service, consumer protection, transparency and licensing. These are the Arkansas bureau's 10th Torch Awards; winners are entered into the running for this fall's International Torch Awards for Ethics.
-- Aaron Gettinger
Arkansas Index ends
session down 4.23
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Monday at 894.68, down 4.23 points.
"Stocks fell throughout Monday's session despite a few attempts at a rally as concerns over Iran's missile attack on Israel combined with worries over the potential ripple effect on oil prices and ultimately prices at the pump," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.