Author: Tina Alvey Dale

Tina Alvey Dale

Mask mandate returns to Fort Smith Public Schools

Fort Smith Public Schools voted Monday (Jan. 10) at a called board meeting to reinstate a mask mandate for 30 days or unless the district falls to 49 or less…

Sebastian County Election Commission chairman resigns

Sebastian County Election Commission Chairman David Damron, who refused in late 2021 to discuss who drew a map outlining new zones for the Sebastian County Quorum Court, resigned his position…

Future School to require face masks; no mask policy in Fort Smith, Greenwood

With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading quickly through Sebastian County, the Future School of Fort Smith Board of Directors voted Thursday (Jan. 6) at a special called meeting to…

‘Construction challenges’ cited for another delay in Peak Center opening

Because of numerous construction challenges, Fort Smith Public School’s Peak Innovation Center will not open until late March. The FSPS school board was told in November the facility would be…

Omicron variant not yet pressuring Fort Smith hospitals

The more transmissable Omicron variant of COVID-19 has not led to a major uptick in COVID-positive patients in Fort Smith hospitals. There were a record 6,562 new Arkansas cases of…

Cyber attack ‘caused a mess’ with Crawford County computer systems

A cyber attack on Crawford County government computers left county offices in a jam over the holidays. County computers were attacked Dec. 26 by malicious software that can prevent access…

Fort Smith, Greenwood, Van Buren 2021 building permit values top $340 million

The Fort Smith metro area has seen continuous growth over the past several years, but no year has performed as well in building activity as 2021 with permit values topping…

Marshals Museum chair says CEO arrest not slowing work, has funds for exhibit work

The U.S. Marshals Service continues to support the completion of the U.S. Marshals Museum following the arrest of U.S. Marshals Museum President and CEO Patrick Weeks on Dec. 21 on…

Dean hired for UAFS College of Health, Education and Human Sciences

Dr. D. Antonio “Dean” Cantu will start Feb. 1 as the new dean of the College of Health, Education and Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith….

Fort Smith’s share of county sales tax up more than 15% through November

As the final months of 2021 are tabulated, Fort Smith’s sales tax revenues continue to be significantly higher than expected. Fort Smith’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax was…

Fort Smith Board takes step to delay Feb. 8 sales tax election

The Fort Smith Board of Directors agreed Monday (Dec. 20) to call a special board meeting at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday (Dec. 21) to discuss the repeal of the Feb. 8…

Movie studio company to build facility at Chaffee Crossing

The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors agreed to a sale that will bring a Los Angeles-based film and television studio to Chaffee Crossing to support the movie industry…

Feb. 8 Fort Smith sales tax vote to get more scrutiny

A special called study session for the Fort Smith Board of Directors at 6 p.m. Monday (Dec. 20) will allow directors to discuss the Feb. 8 special election for the…

Judge rules in favor of city of Fort Smith on alleged FOIA violation

Circuit Court Judge Greg Magness on Thursday (Dec. 16) ruled in favor of the city of Fort Smith in a lawsuit alleging Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) violations on the…

Judge Magness hears arguments about alleged city of Fort Smith FOIA violations

Though Arkansas Municipal Code allows procedures for removing items from an agenda, Little Rock Attorney and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) expert Robert Steinbuch argued that the way “part” of…

Group organizes to oppose Fort Smith sales tax extension vote

At a press conference by Citizens Against Unfair Taxes Tuesday (Dec. 14), Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen urged the Fort Smith Board of Directors to push back the Feb. 8…

Fort Smith Public School Board reviews facility naming policy

The Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education reviewed a draft for a policy for naming district facilities and mascots that would restrict the ability to name facilities for a…

Internships designed to ‘cultivate’ abilities at Future School of Fort Smith

Many internships for students at the Future School of Fort Smith were put on hold for a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internships for all students in 10th through 12th…

UAFS officials discuss efforts to boost student success and retention

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith’s new provost of student success and retention outlined the things most likely to affect student retention at the university during the Board of…

City of Fort Smith again faces FOIA lawsuit

Another lawsuit alleging violation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was filed against the city of Fort Smith Tuesday (Dec. 7) in Sebastian County Circuit Court. Fort Smith attorney…