by - June 4, 2026 12:00 pm
Tearing down (and building back) that wall
I recently heard the news about 36 sections of the Berlin Wall coming to Blytheville as part of the National Cold War Center’s permanent exhibit space. It’s a fantastic addition…
Tourism / Heritage
by - June 2, 2026 7:03 pm
XNA remains on growth trajectory, names new CFO
Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) in Benton County is exceeding its enplanement expectations this year and has appointed a new chief financial officer. Enplanements comprise passengers flying out. Tim O’Donnell, chief financial officer, is…
by - June 1, 2026 5:57 pm
Delta Arts Festival slated for this weekend in Newport
The 17th Annual Delta Arts Festival will return to downtown Newport on Friday (June 5) and Saturday (June 6), bringing together one of the largest celebrations of art, music and…
by - June 1, 2026 4:21 pm
Crystal Bridges opens 114,000-square-foot expansion this weekend
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville will open to the public its 114,000-square-foot expansion on Saturday (June 6) and Sunday (June 7). The project, designed by Safdie Architects,…
by - May 31, 2026 1:14 pm
History of ‘Rainbow Girls’ in Fort Smith includes accomplishments, pain
In the mid-1940s, 10 years before the Civil Rights movement began, oppression and racism were rife across the south. For a group of 12 young black women in Fort Smith,…
by - May 31, 2026 10:16 am
Westerman touts transportation funding, defense economy, outdoors act
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, said he will host a field hearing in Hot Springs during the second week in June to collect testimony for the Great American Outdoors…
by - May 28, 2026 10:26 pm
Audit committee reviews draft report of Parrot Island Waterpark financial procedures
There were recommendations on different reporting methods and potential changes in how financial and other metrics are reported, but an almost two-hour review of a draft report on Parrot Island…
by - May 22, 2026 12:46 pm
Tourism jobs growth leads Fort Smith metro job sectors in March
Amid overall job losses in the Fort Smith metro during March, the Education & Health Services and Leisure & Hospitality (tourism) sectors posted job gains compared with March 2025, according…
by - May 21, 2026 1:40 pm
Butterfield Stagecoach monument could be installed by late summer
Phil White said Thursday (May 21) during a Central Business Improvement District (CBID) meeting that what was just an idea a few months ago for a new historic monument in…
by - May 20, 2026 10:11 pm
My Place Hotels opens in Jonesboro
My Place Hotels, a hospitality company based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, has opened its second franchise in Arkansas and it’s located in Jonesboro. The 63-unit hotel was officially opened on…
by - May 20, 2026 4:03 pm
Fort Smith airport director grateful to be ‘surrounded by aviation’ daily
For Andrew Meyer, the Fort Smith Regional Airport director hired in September 2025 to lead the third-largest commercial airport in Arkansas, he always knew he would build a career in…
by - May 18, 2026 12:35 pm
Sebastian County trail, park work continues; officials seek ‘great natural environment’
As the Sebastian County Director of Parks and Golf, Jay Randolph is confident that if you build and sustain a robust trail system that connects cities and other locations in…
by - May 17, 2026 11:44 am
Executive Summary: Positive attitude, doing the right thing important to Jeter
Editor’s note: The Fort Smith Metro Daily News Executive Summary series is focused on looking under the title, so to speak, of a business, government, and non-profit executive in the…
by - May 15, 2026 4:07 pm
Fort Smith airport traffic up in April, $13.5 million in work may begin in June
Commercial traffic out of the Fort Smith Regional Airport was up 1.36% in April, and is up less than 1% in the first four months of 2026 compared with the…
by - May 14, 2026 8:47 pm
The Berlin Wall arrives in Blytheville for National Cold War Center
The largest section of the Berlin Wall housed outside of Germany now resides in Northeast Arkansas. The National Cold War Center (NCWC) in Blytheville has acquired 36 original segments of…
by - May 14, 2026 2:00 pm
Crystal Bridges founder Alice Walton to discuss museum expansion
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art said Thursday (May 14) that it will kick off its expansion opening celebrations on May 29 with a conversation featuring founder Alice Walton, board…
by - May 11, 2026 7:15 pm
Groundbreaking for project to honor Arkansas musicians
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday (May 11) in North Little Rock for a pavilion in Argenta Plaza that will eventually house statues and busts of influential musicians who emerged…
by - May 11, 2026 6:54 pm
Writer in residence selected at Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum
The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center (HPMEC) will host poet Greg Brownderville, a professor of English at Southern Methodist University, as the writer-in-residence this summer. Each summer, HPMEC selects a…
by - May 10, 2026 12:01 pm
UA opens Fine Arts Center after $38 million restoration
The University of Arkansas School of Art recently celebrated the opening of its historic Fine Arts Center after a $38 million restoration project. It coincided with the building’s 75th anniversary….
by - May 9, 2026 10:54 am
Fort Smith Metro News Briefs: A ‘Serious Fiber’ selection, doctors move from Baptist Health to Mercy
Following are recent news brief items from the Fort Smith metro. Commerce Collective Crystal Bedney, owner of Serious Fiber and a U.S. Navy veteran, has been selected as the winner…