Fort Smith Metro Daily News Briefs: White Coat recognition, Christmas Honors schedule

Following are news brief items from the Fort Smith metro.

White Coat Ceremony
The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) on Sept. 13 held its 2025 White Coat Ceremony, recognizing 197 students as they took a big first step toward becoming healthcare professionals.

This year, 153 student doctors of osteopathic medicine and 44 student doctors of physical therapy received their white coats in front of family, friends, faculty, and community members.

The White Coat Ceremony marks the beginning of a student’s medical education, symbolizing a pledge to uphold empathy, integrity, respect, and professionalism, according to ACHE.

“Your white coat is more than a milestone, it is a symbol of your hard work, your sacrifice, and the promise of what lies ahead,” said Kyle Parker, president and CEO of ACHE. “As you move forward, remember that you are stepping into professions that will profoundly impact lives.”

The ACHE is a private, not-for-profit institution located on more than 500 acres in Fort Smith. The college has evolved with the addition of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM), School of Physical Therapy (ACHE PT), School of Occupational Therapy (ACHE OT), Master of Science in Biomedicine (MSB), and the Master of Public Health (MPH).

The college most recently created the ACHE Research Institute Health & Wellness Center, a 317,000-square-foot facility that offers health & wellness initiatives through exercise classes, ceramics, teaching kitchen, and art galleries.

Fall Clean Up
The Fort Smith Fall Clean Up is set for 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 25, at four locations in the city, according to a press release from the city of Fort Smith.

The clean up program is open to residents only, so please bring a driver’s license or a recent utility bill as proof of residency. Trailers and commercial vehicles are not allowed.

Following are the Ward pickup locations.
Ward 1: Grand Avenue Baptist Church, 3900 Grand Ave.
Ward 2: 5100 Plum St., near Kay Rodgers Park
Ward 3: Evans Boys & Girls Club, 6015 Boys Club Lane
Ward 4: Goldtrap-Gardner Boys & Girls Club, 8800 S. Dallas St.

Accepted items include regular household trash, furniture, refrigerators, stoves, washers/dryers, freezers, and microwaves. Not accepted items include yard waste, tires, car batteries, used motor oil, anti-freeze, herbicides, pesticides, paint, liquids of any kind, and construction debris.

On Oct. 18 at the Ward 4 site, JEI Shredding will be available to securely dispose of sensitive documents, according to the city. On Oct. 25, Sebastian County Solid Waste District will provide an e-waste drop-off at the Ward 4 site.

Baptist Health Doctor
Dr. Merit Turner, an internal medicine physician, has joined Baptist Health Adult Medicine Specialists-Fort Smith, the hospital has announced.

A Fort Smith native, Dr. Turner earned her medical degree and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She returns to a community in which her family also works in medicine. Her parents are Dr. Holly Jennings and Dr. Charles Jennings, and her sister is Dr. Natalie Jordan.

As an internal medicine physician, Dr. Turner provides care for adults, with a focus on diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases.

“I love diagnostics and working to get to the root of the problem,” she said. “My goal as a provider is to ensure my patients feel heard and understood and to make treatment decisions together. I look forward to building lasting relationships with my patients both in the clinic and hospital.”

Baptist Health Adult Medicine Specialist-Fort Smith is located at 1120 Lexington Ave., and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Christmas Honors
Officials with the Fort Smith Christmas Honors program have set dates for the 2025 recognition event, and is again encouraging people to volunteer to help with wreath preparation, transport, placement, pick up, and storage.

The program began in 2009 with the purpose of placing wreaths on the more than 12,000 graves at the National Cemetery in Fort Smith. The program now places wreaths on more than 16,000 graves at the cemetery.

“The mission was to transform the National Cemetery in Fort Smith each December into a vision of beauty, and the families of those buried at cemetery take comfort in seeing the respect that is shown to their grandfathers, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and other fallen heroes who so loved our Country,” noted a statement from Christmas Honors.

Following are event dates and other information.
• Dec. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wreath workshop and assembly, Fort Smith Convention Center.

• Dec. 6
Placement of wreaths, Fort Smith National Cemetery
Family time from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; public ceremony, 11 a.m., public wreath laying begins at 11:30 a.m.

• Jan. 7
Wreath pick up from the National Cemetery and transport to the Fort Smith Convention Center (times not yet provided)

• Jan. 8
Pack up wreaths, Fort Smith Convention Center (times not yet provided)

ArcBest Action
The board of directors at Fort Smith-based ArcBest recently approved an increase in the company’s share repurchase program to $125 million. Under the program, ArcBest may repurchase shares of its common stock from time to time through open market transactions, privately negotiated purchases, or other methods.

“Our share repurchase authorization reflects the board’s confidence in ArcBest’s strategy and long-term outlook,” Judy McReynolds, ArcBest chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We remain committed to a balanced and disciplined capital allocation approach. This includes investing in our business to drive profitable growth, maintaining a strong balance sheet, and returning capital to our shareholders.”

ArcBest shares (NASDAQ: ARCB) closed Friday (Sept. 19) at $69.82, down $1.54. During the past 52 weeks, the share price has ranged between $123.26 and $55.19.