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On several of my frequently long bike rides during the pandemic, I noticed Ramen Nara in Rogers.

• A bowl of noodle soup sounds good on a long ride, especially if it's chilly, but the place was always closed or I needed to push on home.

Micropolitans with outdoor recreation and some form of manufacturing fared better economically than others through the pandemic.

Driving the news: Bentonville's Heartland Forward on Thursday released its biennial study — "Most Dynamic Micropolitans" — ranking 536 U.S. cities with a population of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000.

Kids are back in school. The air is crisper. And leaves are turning. The change can only mean one thing — cyclo-cross meets Halloween.

What's happening: Fayetteville's Centennial Park will again host a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Cup competition, attracting a slate of international athletes on Sunday, Oct. 16.

About 21% more four-year college graduates leave Arkansas than remain as of 2021, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

• Of those who leave the state, most go to Texas, followed by Tennessee and Missouri, a Washington Post data analysis reveals.

Tyson Foods announced changes to its leadership team Tuesday, placing a fourth-generation Tyson as its chief financial officer.

What's happening: Stewart Glendinning, former CFO, will become the group president of the company's prepared foods segment. John R. Tyson, who joined the company in 2019 as chief sustainability officer, will serve as CFO while continuing to lead sustainability.

Walmart is partnering with fertility startup, Kindbody, to offer family-building as an employee benefit under its insurance plan, the company announced Tuesday.

Driving the news: The retail giant's employees will have access to over 30 fertility clinics and in vitro fertilization labs nationwide, starting Nov. 1. Eligible workers also get access to Walmart's surrogacy and adoption benefits.

If elected the next governor of Arkansas, Libertarian candidate Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. told Axios he would encourage lawmakers to overturn some state laws that restrict personal choice.

• The ban on abortion and blocking gender-affirming care for transgender youth were two measures he noted.

I hopped on a shuttle bus Friday and Saturday that plopped me into the inaugural FORMAT Festival, an ambitious three-day music, art and technology event in our backyard.

The scene: Eclectic and funky for sure.