News on the Wire

The City Wire special report: Jesus on the 6th floor

Editor’s note: This is another story in a series of stories on mental illness issues. Throughout 2010 The City Wire will attempt to post at least one story a month…

Weekly energy report: Texas firm completes natgas supply to Tyson plants

Little known Gateway Energy Corp. announced recently it has reached an agreement to purchase four natural gas pipelines that deliver natural gas into poultry processing and rendering plants owned by…

Eldridge nominated for U.S. Attorney

President Barack Obama has nominated William Connor Eldridge, Jr., for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, according to a statement from the office of U.S….

Edwards ineligible for re-election as Greenwood mayor

Sebastian County Circuit Judge J. Michael Fitzhugh ruled Wednesday (Sept. 29) that Greenwood Mayor Kenneth Edwards is not eligible for re-election as mayor. The ruling was in a civil case…

Gosack not going to Rock Hill; stays busy with Mitsubishi bonds

Fort Smith Deputy City Administrator Ray Gosack was not selected as city manager as Rock Hill, S.C., after being among three finalists selected from 81 applicants. Gosack told The City…

GOP files lawsuit on use of state-owned cars

The issue of how the use of state-owned cars by Arkansas’ Constitutional officers is defined in terms of compensation became more heated Wednesday (Sept. 29) with the filing of a…

Lion Rifles begin season with high scores

story submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Lion Rifles, the air rifle club team at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, set a new team record…

August jobless report not good for Fort Smith area

And someone forgot to tell employers that the recession is over. With the exception of Memphis-West Memphis, all Arkansas metro areas posted no reduction or gains in August unemployment. Also,…

Airport commission to pursue bond refinancing

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] At Tuesday’s (Sept. 28) The Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission approved a resolution to pursue refinancing the remainder of the 1999 $5.29 million revenue bonds…

Songwriting legend Radney Foster at Second Street Live!

Editor’s note: Radney Foster will perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday (Oct. 1) at Second Street Live! in downtown Fort Smith. Tickets are $35. Link here for more information about the…

OG&E after $17.7 million Arkansas rate increase

OG&E seeks a $17.7 million rate increase for its Arkansas customers to help pay for more than $475 million invested in wind energy and other recent and planned expenses for…

National trucking industry barometer dips in August

Someone forgot to tell shippers that the recession is over. The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) truck tonnage Index fell 2.7% in August, the largest month-to-month decrease since…

August home sales in area down 20.3%

August marked another decline in home sales in the Fort Smith region and statewide, with about the only bright spot being a year-over-year increase in the combined value of homes…

Woody Stewart wants to be Alma’s next mayor; new voice

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] Woodrow “Woody Stewart, 71, wants to be Alma’s mayor. He has a truckload of ideas, the time to do the job, and a plan he…

Arkansas gets $7.79 million for broadband; total more than $111 million

Arkansas will receive $7.79 million to improve broadband connectivity and use in the state, adding to the more than $104 million in broadband expansion funding announced for the state since…

3rd District candidates agree on much, differ on health care

David Whitaker and Rogers Mayor Steve Womack agreed on several issues raised during a forum held Monday in Fort Smith. And then the new health care law was mentioned. The…

New Alma steak restaurant cooks up jobs

story by Marla Cantrell [email protected] For three years the residents of Alma have been watching while a building, made of old wood and new metal, inched its way toward completion….

Wal-Mart pursues South Africa retailer in $4.25 billion deal

Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has made a $4.25 billion offer to buy Johannesburg, South Africa-based Massmart Holdings, a retailer with 290 stores in 13 African countries. The non-binding deal is…

July ends three straight months of sales tax gains

Consumers were unable to keep up the pace through the hot summer, with July sales tax collections in Fort Smith ending three consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Each of the…

Postal Service to close south Fort Smith station

The U.S. Postal Service has decided to close its South Fort Smith Station on South 32nd St., according to this report from KFSM 5 News. "Given the extraordinary decline in…