by - February 23, 2026 5:20 pm
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced Monday (Feb. 23) the appointment of Martha Smith as medical center director of the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville,…
by - February 23, 2026 3:47 pm
The city of Fort Smith has received a long-awaited consent decree modification from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) which, if approved, provides the city more time and flexibility to…
by - February 23, 2026 9:15 am
Jim Spears, the retired Fort Smith municipal judge who helped lead the effort to place the large Bass Reeves statue in downtown Fort Smith has another idea for an historic…
by - February 22, 2026 12:12 pm
Water will be a part of the Fort Smith Board of Directors discussion during its Feb. 24 study session, with board members expected to review water conservation rules and an…
by - February 21, 2026 8:06 pm
Following are news brief items from the Fort Smith metro. Consent Decree Work The city of Fort Smith recently completed more than $8.1 million in sewer system improvements mandated by…
by - February 20, 2026 11:15 am
Van Buren voters are headed to the polls to decide on whether to fund major capital projects with proposed 0.5% sales tax. Election day is March 3, but early voting…
by - February 19, 2026 12:47 pm
Building activity in the Fort Smith region took a dip as calendars rolled into 2026. Permit values in Fort Smith and Van Buren totaled $16.437 million in January, 48.9% below…
by - February 18, 2026 5:02 pm
It’s the story that won’t die. The Fort Smith Board of Directors appears to be on a path to rescind a vote that gave Royal Ridge Construction a $1.059 million…
by - February 18, 2026 10:52 am
An ordinance designed to outline the city’s dealings with “third-party intermediaries” was approved Tuesday (Feb. 17) by the Fort Smith Board of Directors. The board also approved funding to restart…
by - February 17, 2026 4:42 pm
Early voting has begun for the March 3 primary election cycle, with several contested races and sales tax votes on the ballots in Crawford and Sebastian counties. The ballots for…
by - February 17, 2026 2:12 pm
Editor’s note: This is the first story in a series addressing identified Fort Smith water system replacement and repair needs with cost estimates that approach $600 million. Attention in recent…
by - February 16, 2026 12:02 pm
Sales tax money dedicated to Fort Smith’s parks and recreation capital projects can be used to install water slides at Parrot Island Waterpark, and the parks and recreation tax revenue…
by - February 14, 2026 2:22 pm
Following are news brief items from the Fort Smith metro. Airport Parking System The Fort Smith Regional Airport and parking system operator Republic Parking are implementing a new parking system….
by - February 13, 2026 1:21 pm
The Fort Smith metro tourism sector not only had the biggest year-over-year job gain in December, but has had the largest percentage job gain since the pandemic year of 2020,…
by - February 12, 2026 12:35 pm
It’s been a wild ride for USA Truck. In less than four years the company was bought and sold three times. That’s people and systems in and out. Three times….
by - February 12, 2026 11:34 am
Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport were up almost 2% in January despite several days of severe winter weather disrupting air travel nationwide. The January gain follows a 1.56%…
by - February 11, 2026 1:12 pm
With $8.1 million in federal dollars recently approved, Marty Shell is hopeful the port of Fort Smith will have expanded rail capacity in place by early 2027 as part of…
by - February 11, 2026 12:15 pm
The number of fully-electric vehicles registered in Crawford and Sebastian counties declined in 2025, going against a trend that saw electric vehicle numbers rise almost 25% statewide for the year….
by - February 10, 2026 9:54 pm
Fort Smith Director Christina Catsavis wants the city’s board of directors to approve another ordinance related to what has been a controversial and costly expansion of Parrot Island Waterpark. At…
by - February 10, 2026 9:01 pm
Barring any changes in sentiment, the Fort Smith Board of Directors is on a path to renew funding for a popular spay and neuter voucher program that animal advocates argue…
