Arkansan confirmed to lead Delta Regional Authority

LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Senate has confirmed an Arkansan to serve as federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority.

The Senate confirmed the nomination of Chris Caldwell, who is now the director of special projects for U.S. Sen. John Boozman.

The authority is led by a board that includes the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The authority’s alternate federal co- chairman, former Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, had been leading the agency while Caldwell’s confirmation was pending.

Caldwell lives in Little Rock and has worked on several political campaigns, including Boozman’s re-election bid last year and former Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign in 2008.

Unemployment rate rises slightly in November

LITTLE ROCK — The jobless rate in Arkansas rose slightly in November, according to a report from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.

The department said Friday the unemployment rate rose from 3.6 percent in October to 3.7 percent in November.

The jobless rate remains lower than the national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.

The state reports a drop of

3,800 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry and a decline of 1,000 jobs in construction, while retail trade added

2,000 jobs as stores hired tem- porary workers for the holiday shopping season.

Year-to-year numbers show Arkansas’ unemployment rate is down from 4.0 percent in November 2016.