...For example, in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, where 40 percent of the population is below the poverty level, the area is reportedly on the upswing in a big way, with credit going to nonprofit partners such as Southern Bancorp Capital, the Walton Family Foundation,...

...Southern Bancorp, a rural development bank with a Helena subsidiary, took action in 2003 by leading the effort to create a comprehensive strategic plan. Since then, Helena has made slow but steady progress.

...After decades of a dwindling population and an ailing economy, Helena-West Helena, a Mississippi River town of around 15,000, has experienced a renewal. Perhaps no one is more responsible for this renaissance than Joe Black, the president of Southern Bancorp...

Sporting an emerald polo shirt and a sable mustache, the bank executive reclines in his desk chair until it creaks. His right leg, bent at a 90-degree angle, rests on his left. His head is cocked back, supported by interlocked palms. Joe Black is relaxing, and...

A group of Clark County residents are working to establish a farmers and artisans market in Arkadelphia that would attract customers looking for locally grown produce and handmade items.... “Each class chooses a project, and the idea for a farmers market in...

"We have so much to offer here in Helena-West Helena,” commented Julia Nordsieck, Community Development Officer for Southern Bancorp last year as she described the River Park improvements that were discussed at a Rotary appearance.  Twenty-one interpretative panels, a...

When members of the Arkadelphia High School Class of 2011 received their diplomas in May, a record number of seniors said they were bound for college as the first students to receive the benefit of the Arkadelphia Promise scholarship, which pledges to pay for tuition...

A million-dollar grant awarded to the state of Arkansas may leave some the state’s residents increasing their lifetime earnings by more than $1.2 million each. The award, announced Tuesday by Gov. Mike Beebe, is financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is...

This morning's Southern Bancorp grand opening is not just another bank opening, it is the first "green" bank to open in the state. The Hernando Branch of Southern Bancorp has applied for and expects to receive a full LEED certification later this year.

Southern Bancorp will officially open the doors to its 46th bank branch tomorrow in Hernando. The grand opening ceremony will be held on site at the new branch on 970 Byhalia Road. The Hernando Branch will become the first green bank branch in the state of Mississippi...