Fort Smith

Fort Smith Board holds off on legislative request targeting hospital care cuts

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday (March 31) decided to further study a letter proposed by Director Christina Catsavis that would ask the Arkansas Legislature to require hospitals…

Fort Smith sales tax revenue up almost 5% through February

Fort Smith’s share of the 1% Sebastian County sales tax in the first two reporting months of 2026 is up almost 5%, with total gross sales revenue returned to the…

Arvest Foundation donates to ACHE Adopt A Scholar program

The Arvest Foundation is the latest partner in the Adopt A Scholar program at the Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE). ACHE manages the Arkansas College of Osteopathic…

Baptist Health to shutter labor and delivery, obstetric services in Fort Smith

Little Rock-based Baptist Health is closing the labor and delivery operation and ending obstetric services at its Fort Smith hospital. The closure will result in the loss of around 40…

Fort Smith metro home sales decline in 2025, average home price sets record

The number of Fort Smith metro homes sold in 2025 fell more than 8% compared with 2024, with the combined value of the sold homes dipping almost 3%. On the…

Fort Smith receives waiver on $3 million matching requirement

Chris Hoover has more than paid for his keep. The grants and government relations manager for the city of Fort Smith found a possible exemption to a matching requirement for…

Fort Smith Board asked to approve $32 million in federal funding requests

Two federal funding requests totaling $32 million are set to be reviewed Tuesday (March 31) by the Fort Smith Board of Directors, with $12 million of that for ongoing work…

Barling event marks part of more than $3 million in playground renovations

Fort Smith Public School District officials recently gathered at the Barling Elementary School to formally open a renovated playground at the school that is part of a more than $3…

Fort Smith mayor, city director seek more info from Baptist Health about future plans

Fort Smith elected officials are hoping Little Rock-based Baptist Health officials will soon provide details on partially announced plans to alter operations at its Fort Smith hospital campus and end…

Fort Smith, Van Buren hospitality tax revenues decline in 2025

Hospitality tax revenues in the Fort Smith metro were down in 2025 compared with 2024, but tourism officials are optimistic a downward trend will not continue through this year. Fort…

Early 2026 Arkansas River tonnage down slightly

Arkansas River traffic is down slightly in the first two months of 2026, with a more than 30% gain in internal shipments easing the impact of declines in inbound and…

Baptist Health-Fort Smith may cease full hospital operations

Little Rock-based Baptist Health is planning to end hospital operations at Baptist Health-Fort Smith with the campus providing emergency room and possibly limited surgery services. Some or all existing physician…

Fort Smith regional wage growth trails that of Arkansas

Sebastian County had the highest third quarter 2025 average weekly wage among Arkansas and Oklahoma counties in the Fort Smith region, with Sequoyah and Franklin counties posting the largest percentage…

Fort Smith auditor’s early work includes crafting a policies and procedures plan

Amanda Strange recently marked six months as the city of Fort Smith’s internal auditor, learning the challenges of the position, making a plan, and getting down to work as one…

Harps will use AI to generate personalized meal plans for customers

Springdale-based Harps Food Stores will usher in “SmartMeals,” an AI-powered shopping assistant, for customers using its more than 150 stores. The announcement was made Monday (March 23) at an Associated…

Tankersley, Fort Smith tourism officials creating worker relief fund

Discussions on the economy have dominated gatherings, social media and public discussions for months, maybe years. There is frequent discussion on social media forums about the cost of gas, groceries…

County sales tax revenue up almost 4% in the Fort Smith region

Sales tax revenue for counties in the Fort Smith area was up in 2025 compared with 2024, and among cities with more than $1 million in annual sales tax revenue,…

Fort Smith Regional Airport traffic up more than 2% through February

A rising number of Fort Smith Regional Airport enplanements has resulted in American Airlines using larger planes at the airport and planning to add an extra flight during the summer,…

‘Amazing’ progress made on proposed Butterfield Trail monument in downtown Fort Smith

In less than a month, or about the time it once took to deliver mail from Fort Smith to California and back, an idea to build a large Butterfield Trail…

Euper Lane, Midland Bridge lines part of effort to address water system ‘weak points’

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series addressing identified Fort Smith water system replacement and repair needs with cost estimates that approach $600 million. Link here for…