Fort Smith

Preschool for the Creative Arts to open in August

The Community School of the Arts will open the first arts preschool in Arkansas in August. The Preschool for the Creative Arts will open to children ages 3 to 5,…

Cox Communications donates $100,000 to Peak Innovation Center

Cox Communications Fort Smith donated $100,000 to Fort Smith Public School’s Peak Innovation Center for a new career center and to support three network engineering technology classrooms. “The COX Career…

Women business owners: Be persistent, find mentors, be vulnerable

Advice from women business owners offered Thursday (April 28) during a panel discussion in Fort Smith included being “vulnerable” and being “your own advocate” to push beyond the rejections that…

ArcBest posts record quarterly net income, boosts quarterly dividend

Record quarterly net income, driven in part by a more than 20% increase in a key billing measure, has Fort Smith-based ArcBest rewarding shareholders with a $75 million share buyback…

USA Truck beats estimates with record quarterly income, revenue

USA Truck blew past consensus estimates on first quarter net income and revenue as the shipping and logistics company set another quarterly record on both metrics. Net income of $13.111…

Gov. Hutchinson attends ceremonial opening of UAFS Center for Economic Development

Gov. Asa Hutchinson was in downtown Fort Smith Wednesday morning (April 27) for the grand opening of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Center for Economic Development. The center…

Fort Smith police chief pitches aggressive plan to raise salaries by almost 24%

Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker proposes using proceeds from a sales tax plan to boost all salaries by 23.87% and begin adding five officers a year beginning in 2028….

GOP Senate candidate clarifies statement about Hispanic, Latino communities

A Republican candidate for the new Arkansas Senate District 27 was criticized for comments she made about the Hispanic community during a candidate forum April 18. The newly drawn senate…

First quarter financials expected to be good for ArcBest, USA Truck

Analysts with Stephens Inc. believe other equity market watchers are underestimating the first-quarter financial numbers Fort Smith-based ArcBest and Van Buren-based USA Truck will report later this week. They also…

Fort Smith sales tax revenue up almost 20% in March report

Fort Smith sales tax revenue had another strong month in March with revenues almost 20% higher than this time last year. The city’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax…

Fort Smith School Board to get a revised look at teacher pay raise plan

Fort Smith Public Schools administration has a new plan to increase teacher salaries it hopes will satisfy board members and employees when presented May 9. The plan will add one…

Complaints heard about land sales process at Chaffee Crossing

After hearing from a group concerned whether their offers to buy property through the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) are ever brought before the board, the authority board opted to…

Geopolitics, regulations cause energy execs to be ‘cautious’ about energy sector rebound

An oil and gas exec with a decade or two of experience is likely more cautious than excited about the recent rise in energy prices – especially those who manage…

Veteran teachers, school board members object to Fort Smith Public Schools’ pay plan

It’s back to the drawing board for teacher salary increases at Fort Smith Public Schools. The administration presented a proposal to the school board April 18 that would have raised…

Fort Smith Board approves zoning plan for Next Step Day Room

After months of requests, rejected requests, community meetings, study sessions and negotiations, the Fort Smith Board of Directors voted to approve a planned zoning district (PZD) at 815 S. Sixth…

Former Pizza Hut deal the largest Sebastian County transaction in March

A former Pizza Hut location at 7600 Rogers Ave. in Fort Smith sold March 1 for $2.028 million to the family of longtime Fort Smith homebuilder Ronald Rouse. 7600 Rogers…

Education, job growth and tax reform discussed by House District 50 candidates

Zachary Gramlich and Jim Medley, two Republican candidates for the Arkansas House District 50, explained Monday (April 18) during a forum their visions of how they would help the Fort…

Senate candidates discuss taxes, immigration, ‘RINO’s’

Candidates for the newly drawn Arkansas Senate District 27 seat, which represents Fort Smith and parts of Chaffee Crossing, squared off Monday (April 18) at a League of River Valley…

Mallioux returns to mortgage origination roots

Ross Mallioux’s roots in a lengthy banking career nearing four decades in Northwest Arkansas go back to the residential mortgage business. “I think I probably enjoy this part of banking…

Arkansas River tonnage up 10% in the first quarter, barge demand high

Tonnage on the Arkansas River in the first quarter of 2.706 million tons was up 10% compared with the same period in 2021. Traffic may have been more robust if…