As the year begins it's descent, statistics strongly suggest 2022 will go down as the second-busiest year at Northwest Arkansas National Airport since it opened in 1998.

• Tallying up: The airport boarded 71,920 people in November, pushing the year's total to 768,065. If December performs on track, the airport will finish just shy of 840,000 passengers.
• The toll: Increasing passenger numbers bodes well for XNA as the airport receives a $4.50 passenger-facility charge from every ticket transaction, which goes towards improving the airport.

Read more on FareFlight NWA HERE.

Local nanotechnology startup, Nanomatronix, has received a $1.1m Small Business Innovation and Research Award from the Department of Defense.

• Tiny stuff: Utilizing facilities at the University of Arkansas, Nanomatronix uses nanotechnology, microelectronics, and biotechnology to develop solutions in healthcare, energy, and defense.
• On the brain: The award will fund their Advanced Microphysiological Brain Injury Technology (or AMBIT) Platform. This organ-on-chip model will enable researchers to examine trauma effects on the blood-brain barrier.

Read more on the study HERE.

Winter is perfect for gathering with friends and family at the world-class Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

• Warm indoors: Don't miss the final days of the museum's current winter exhibitions like We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy, closing Jan 2, or Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour, closing Jan 30.
• Cool winter nights: Take a stroll beneath the stars and experience the immersive, sensory engaging magic of the Listening Forest.

Take a look at the Winter Guide to Crystal Bridges HERE.

The folks behind Wellington's are hard at work to get their Rogers location opened at ONE Uptown.

• Classic lounge: Founded in Springdale, Wellington's is an upscale casual restaurant offering a premium selection of cocktails, elegantly curated cuisine, and a prestigious cigar lounge, The Reserve.
• Uptown: Adding a north option to this locally owned and operated restaurant, Wellington's is making final touches to its Rogers location near Pinnacle Hills and hopes to open very soon.

Follow Wellington's on Instagram to stay up to date on opening events HERE.

North Little Rock-based solar energy company Seal Solar has nearly completed the installation of one of the nation's largest solar arrays of its kind in Northwest Arkansas.

• Rooster's crow: The 288.64-kilowatt DC array will supply power for Dixie Acres Farm, a poultry operation in Cincinnati, just south of Siloam Springs, and is expected to be operational in January.
• Hatching savings: The project will pay back its worth in about two years, saving the farm approximately $24,000 annually.

Read the full article on Talk Business & Politics HERE.