The Christmas season has arrived and, with it, reflections on the grace and love and joy shared unto us in the city of David.
Those of you who know me know how much I love Christmas as a holiday, but I love the true meaning of this time even more. The birth of my savior, Jesus Christ, and the start of the greatest story ever told never ceases to bring joy to my heart, even as it moves me to tears.
This issue of Arkansas Money & Politics brings you some of our own holiday traditions, including the 2024 installment of “Power Women,” a look at long-term care options in Arkansas and a section devoted to manufacturing in the state. We’ll get a peek into the state of boat manufacturing in Arkansas and see how robots are changing the way manufacturers operate.
Energy is also a focus this month, and right now in Arkansas, that means lithium. We spoke to some of those involved in the lithium boom expected to take south Arkansas like oil did in the early 20th century.
Plus, our “Arkansas Visionary” this month is Bob Fehlman, outgoing CEO of Simmons Bank, and we’ll finish up our “Top Ten” profile series of prominent Arkansans.
Finally, as you may have guessed by the cover, we sat down with Coach Dave Van Horn in Fayetteville and asked what it takes to run a successful college baseball program in a league as competitive as the SEC.
Coach Van Horn is one of the good ones in college athletics. He shared with us what it takes to recruit and manage a team in this wild West age of college sports, about the growth of the program and how it grew from popular filler to outright passion among members of Razorback Nation. He shared so much, we couldn’t get it all in one story, so look for part 2 of our visit with DVH in January.
There’s lots to like inside this December issue. As always, thank you for reading. May the joy and peace of this season fill your hearts to overflowing, enough to last the whole year through.
