Autonomous Freight in Arkansas: PepsiCo and Gatik say they’re deploying fully driverless Class 8 trucks on a fixed corridor across Texas, Arizona and Arkansas, moving autonomous trucking from tests to revenue routes. STEM Campus Push in Bentonville: The Walton family selected Bjarke Ingels Group to plan and design a Walton STEM Institute on the former Walmart Home Office site, with an initial 422,000-square-foot, three-building campus aimed to open for students in 2029. Workforce Pipeline: The Northwest Arkansas Council hired David Giesige to lead a new regional workforce program, backed by the Walton Family Foundation, to better align education and training with employer needs. Energy Infrastructure Financing: Cypress Creek Energy secured $3.5 billion in financing for the Steel River Energy Center, advancing major Arkansas solar-plus-storage capacity. Timber Industry Investment: C&C Forest Products plans to invest $21M to rebuild and modernize its Coushatta sawmill after a 2025 fire, targeting specialty lumber production and new jobs. Local Governance & Secrecy: A Fayetteville lawsuit challenges the city’s handling of a nondisclosure agreement tied to a military drone manufacturer, raising Arkansas FOI concerns. Food & Retail Expansion: Huey Magoo’s announced its first Arkansas location is under development in Conway, with six statewide openings planned. Environmental Compliance: ADEQ and Custom Wood Recycling reached a consent order over alleged Clean Water Act permit renewal issues at a Danville wood products facility. Agriculture Research: University of Arkansas researchers are testing treatments to protect cattle from theileriosis, supported by a USDA grant. Road Safety: An I-30 work-zone crash in Miller County killed a Hope woman, highlighting ongoing construction-related hazards.