Brent Renaud, an American journalist and documentary filmmaker, was killed by Russian troops in Ukraine, many news outlets reported Sunday.

Zoom in: Renaud was originally from Little Rock and co-founded the Little Rock Film Festival that ran for nine years, ending in 2015. He also served as a visiting distinguished professor in 2019 at the University of Arkansas' School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

What happened: Renaud was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit with gunfire at a checkpoint in Irpin near Kyiv, the Associated Press reported.

• He was with fellow American journalist Juan Arredondo, who was also shot but survived.

What they're saying: In a tweet on Sunday, the U of A's Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences said, "Our hearts & thoughts go out to his family, friends & journalists everywhere who bear witness and report on our world's history as it unfolds."

The big picture: Renaud is the first American journalist known to be killed in the war in Ukraine, Axios' Ivana Saric and Sara Fischer report.

• Journalists are considered civilians under international humanitarian law. More than two dozen governments, including the U.S., have spoken out in support of press freedom surrounding the war.

Worth here. I'm on special assignment at the South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin.

What's happening: The prestigious music, film, culture and tech conference for creatives is back after taking two pandemic years off. Three experts from NWA presented here Friday.

• The trio shared thoughts about why now — with trends in remote working — is the perfect time to boost heartland economies while also increasing quality of life for U.S. workers.

Details: Angie Cooper, chief program officer of Heartland Forward, Chelsea Peters, chief strategy officer at the Walton Family Foundation, and Life Works Here recipient Tammy Sun, CEO of fertility benefits company Carrot, led the discussion.

• I was privileged to moderate the panel.

The big picture: Workers now can choose to live almost anywhere they want to raise their family, enjoy the outdoors or escape hours of commuting each week.

• A recent report from Heartland Forward found that workers slowly migrated from the coasts to the 20 central heartland states between 2010 and 2019.
• Incentive programs that are attracting people to heartland communities have, like the one in NWA, become popular in recent years.

Some key takeaways from the session:

• Along with recruiting entire industries in order to create more jobs, successful economic developers will also focus on recruiting individuals.
• Winners will recruit talent that complements existing industries in their regions and can help foster a culture of entrepreneurship.
• The panelists agreed that diverse skills — as well as diverse people — are important to driving local economies because they bring new perspectives to a community.

Yes, and: "One thing that's great about [NWA incentive program Life Works Here] also is that it recognizes and values the different types of entrepreneurs that there can be," Sun said.

• She moved from San Francisco, where most entrepreneurs are involved in technology.
• Life Works Here has attracted a chef and a blogger as well as Walmart workers, software developers and Nate Need, who started a concierge bike rental company.

The bottom line: The panelists underscored how important it is to involve recruits in civic opportunities and board positions so they become invested in the community.

• Recruiting is one thing, but keeping talent in a market is critical.

Walmart is offering six free months of Spotify Premium to new and existing Walmart+ members, the company announced.

Context: Walmart+ was launched in 2020 to compete with Amazon Prime. Members pay $98 a year or $12.95 a month and get perks such as free shipping, free delivery and deals on prescription medications and gas.

Yes, and: The company will also begin offering free Walmart+ memberships to all employees.

• "This new associate benefit is not only our way to say thank you for all they do, but it's also so associates can use our membership, tell us how it's going and ultimately speak to customers about it from personal experience," according to a news release.

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🏀 The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team lost 82-64 to Texas A&M on Saturday in the SEC tournament semi-final. (40/29)

👮 Benton County is considering expanding its jail. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

💉 The state is beginning to see a rebound in kids receiving their regular vaccines, after a dip during the pandemic. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

🍩 Fayetteville is getting a new Dunkin' on Wedington Drive. (Fayetteville Flyer)

Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week returned for the first time since 2019, hosted by Springdale nonprofit Interform for three nights at The Momentary in Bentonville.

The big picture: NWA is starting to see more people pursuing fashion as a career rather than a hobby, Interform CEO Robin Atkinson told Axios before Friday night's show.

• During the pandemic, Interform launched Emerge , a residency program that gathers fashion designers into a learning cohort, Atkinson said.
• Most of the designers at Fashion Week are based in Arkansas.