More than a dozen business owners in Fayetteville are suing the Arkansas Department of Health for ordering bars to "prematurely" be closed at 11pm.

• The lawsuit states that the businesses are losing a significant amount of money, closing 2 to 3 hours ahead of schedule.
• Aaron Schauer, owner of The Piano Bar in Fayetteville, says the suit isn't just about a free pass to party, its necessary for them to pay their bills. -4029 News
• Bars included in the lawsuit: The Amendment, Boar's Nest BBQ, Bugsy's, Buster Bellys, C4, Cannibal & Craft, Crossroads Tavern, Kingfish, Los Bobos, Maxine's Taproom, On the Mark, The Piano Bar, Pinpoint, Ryleighs, Shotz, Sideways, Smoke & Barrel, Speakeasy, Stir, Van and Company, West End, Yee-Hawg.
• The Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Alcohol Beverage Control Board have not commented at this time.

Although non-residential construction and commercial real estate are on the downhill due to more businesses opting to work-from-home, the residential sector is gaining traction.

• This uptick can be contributed to historically low interest rates and housing inventories. People are spending less on vacations and entertainment, and more on household items like appliances, doors, and windows.
• However, as 2021 gets underway, certain parts of commercial construction will continue to thrive, says Baldwin & Shell Construction Company President and CEO Scott Copas. -Talk Business & Politics
• Copas also mentioned that projects in NWA have yet to slow down and are actually backlogged. Other parts of south and central Arkansas weren't so lucky.
• “I would say overall the market is fairly good, but we do have some challenges out there...generally, we’re optimistic," said Nabholtz CEO Greg Williams to Talk Business & Politics.

Educators and staff of the Fayetteville School District, along with any nonprofit organizations serving FPS students, are encouraged to apply for the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation Grant.

• Support for the grant comes from the FPEF endowment, and the amount varies every year. For Spring 2021, grants up to $5,000 are being awarded. In addition, the motherlode Pendergraft grant awards $25,000.
• The FPEF Board takes into consideration the committee's recommendation, which is based on a graded point system, and grants with the highest scores are awarded.
• The deadline to apply is Jan. 12, 2021. Apply for the grant HERE. For more information, visit the website. Go, go, go!

KUAF's Roby Brock spoke with Adam Head, CEO of CARTI, a Little Rock-based nonprofit cancer treatment center, to discuss the organization's recent expansion and possible new locations in NWA.

• "A sense of purpose and internal transformation" has driven the expansion of their treatment centers across the state, says Head.
• As of 2021, CARTI will have over 20 locations across the state, which may include a location in NWA.
• South Arkansas is essentially void of cancer treatment centers, he says, resulting in new CARTI locations in Eldorado, Pine Bluff, and Crossett.
• Listen to the full story HERE.

Late last month, over $48 million in business interruption grants were awarded to 2,136 tourism, travel, recreation, hospitality, and personal care businesses hit hard by the pandemic. In fall 2019, the Arkansas Legislative Council approved $50 million in CARES Act funding for the interruption grants.

• Grant amounts range from a few hundred dollars to $250,000 each.
• Clubhaus Fitness owner Stuart Walker says the shutdown was catastrophic for his business. The gym opened over a decade ago and closed its doors on Dec. 20. However, after receiving an interruption grant, Walker was able to open an additional location and salvage half of his previous memberships.
• Last year the CARES Act provided two rounds of the Paycheck Protection Program to small businesses in Arkansas. A third round of of PPP loans valued at $284 billion are now being made available through the new COVID-19 stimulus program.
• Listen to the full story on KUAF.