Governor Asa Hutchinson announced Friday that he will extend the state's emergency declaration for one more month, ending Arkansas' mask mandate on March 31st if vaccination goals are met. Gov. Hutchinson went on to say the state's COVID-19 directives will then be considered "guidance" and will not carry penalties for businesses or individuals.

• The mandate will be lifted if the state continues to test 7,500 people per day with a combined positivity rate of less than 10 percent. If those goals are not met, Gov. Hutchinson would then consider extending the mandate.
• "You can't keep directives in place forever," he said. "This gives us a safe path to move forward following the guidelines. And if a business believes that they can keep their customers safe and their employees safe and they want to tweak it... then there's more flexibility." -KATV
• Cases have been on the rise this past week, as testing centers saw an influx of people after last week's winter storm. Active cases (+44) and hospitalizations (+26) were up Thursday, however both indicators had been decreasing in recent weeks. -Fayetteville Flyer
• On Thursday, the Arkansas Legislature voted to refund state fines for businesses that violated public health guidelines. Businesses are now incentivized to follow the recommendations for liability protection.

Minari, a film directed by a Northwest Arkansas native Lee Isaac Chung, and set in Northwest Arkansas won a Golden Globe award last night for best Motion Picture - Foreign Language.

• Minari "follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home." - A24 Films
• This semi-autobiographical story based upon Chung's childhood in rural Arkansas has won multiple - 65 to be exact - other awards including: Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival; and, U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Minari is playing locally at Malco Razorback Cinema or can be streamed on nearly all digital platforms.

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), along with five other airports in the state, have been approved to receive over $4.5 million in federal stimulus money. In partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, the US Department of Transportation will distribute the funds, which were approved through the Coronavirus Relief and Response Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act.

• All federal legislators from Arkansas supported the act. “The air travel industry has experienced dramatic disruption and losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic... national and regional airports connect our communities to commerce and economic activity, so it is important to provide them assistance so they continue to remain viable," they said. -Talk Business & Politics
• The grant recipients include:
• Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), $4,382,255
• Rogers Executive Airport – Carter Field, $91,162
• De Witt Municipal Airport/Whitcomb Field in Arkansas County, $13,000
• Thompson-Robbins Airport in Phillips County, $9,000
• Delta Regional Airport in St. Francis County, $13,000
• Walnut Ridge Regional Airport in Lawrence County, $13,000

The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the "State of Development in Fayetteville" panel discussion today, March 1st, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

• The purpose of the meeting is to allow local developers, architects and planners, to give an update on the emerging issues of supply and demand in Fayetteville.
• Each panelist will provide industry background, followed by an 20-minute Q&A session at the end. The itinerary is as follows:
• Sterling Hamilton, Introduction, 5 – 10 minutes
• Matt Hoffman, General Planning, 10 minutes
• Mark Marquess, Single Family, 15 minutes
• Alli Quinlan, Infill-small developers/CNU, 10 minutes
• Jeremy Hudson, Multifamily, 15 minutes
• Sterling Hamilton, Affordable Housing, 10 minutes

The event is free to register. More information can be found HERE.

Making history - The No. 1 Arkansas Women's Track & Field team secured their seventh consecutive SEC Indoor championship win, while the Arkansas Men's Track & Field team claimed its 24th total win for the title.

• The Lady Hogs blew through the school's record in the 4x400 relay, making them the sixth fastest school in collegiate history. -Arkansas Razorbacks
• The men's team won the SEC Indoor Championships without an individual or relay title among the 17 events. It’s the first time in the history of the SEC Indoor, dating back to 1957, for a team to win a championship in such a manner. -Arkansas Razorbacks

This marks the "eighth time for Arkansas men and women to sweep SEC Indoor titles since joining the league and its fifth time to accomplish the feat since 2012-13 when the conference expanded to 14 schools." - Razorback Athletics