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🏦 Local Business Update 5 min read Fort Smith · Sebastian County, AR Simmons Bank. KATV file image published with its report on the bank's newly announced branch closures. Hey Fort Smith — here's a local business update worth knowing if you bank with Simmons. Simmons Bank plans to close a Fort Smith branch on Dec. 4, 2026, as part of a larger shutdown of 26 branches across the bank's six-state footprint. Six of those closures are in Arkansas, and Fort Smith has been specifically identified as one of the affected markets. But there's one pretty important detail Simmons customers around here don't have yet. The public announcement does not identify which Fort Smith branch is closing. So if you see somebody posting a specific address online right now, don't automatically treat it as confirmed. Simmons' current official branch locator shows three full-service branches in Fort Smith. Fort Smith Albert Pike is at 4200 Rog...

💧 Water Alert 5 min read South Fort Smith · Sebastian County, AR Water-conservation image published with KNWA/FOX24's coverage of Fort Smith's Phase II restrictions. Hey Fort Smith — this one actually affects what people can do at home this weekend. All City of Fort Smith water customers south of Zero Street are now under mandatory Phase II water-conservation measures through the end of Sunday, Sept. 6. The city says a 24-inch reinforced-concrete water main along Arkansas 45 was struck Wednesday, causing significant water loss. The main itself has been repaired, but reservoirs serving the southern part of Fort Smith are still low. The temporary restrictions are meant to give those reservoirs time to recover while keeping enough water available for normal household use and essential services. And there’s an important distinction here. Fort Smith and several surrounding water systems have already been under a voluntary conservation request be...

📷 Public Safety & Privacy 4 min read Van Buren · Crawford County, AR A Flock automatic license-plate reader camera. Image published with KNWA/FOX24's coverage of Van Buren's updated camera restrictions. Hey Van Buren — we’ve got a meaningful follow-up on those Flock license-plate cameras. Earlier we learned Van Buren Police was reducing how long routine Flock camera data stays in the system from 30 days to seven. Now Chief Jonathan Wear has laid out the rest of the restrictions, and they go quite a bit further than simply deleting records sooner. Van Buren Police is also tightening who can access the system and what officers are allowed to use it for. Under the updated policy, direct access to Van Buren's Flock system is restricted to Van Buren Police Department employees. Outside law-enforcement searches will be limited to agencies located within the State of Arkansas. That’s an important detail because Flock system...

🔎 Missing Person / Cold Case 5 min read Van Buren · Crawford County, AR Age-progressed image of Matthew Wade Crocker from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Hey Van Buren — one of Crawford County’s oldest unresolved missing-person cases is getting fresh attention again. Matthew Wade Crocker disappeared from a Van Buren home on June 9, 1983, when he was only a few months old. More than four decades later, Matthew’s name is still listed with the Van Buren Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Matthew would be 43 years old today. Local coverage Monday brought the case back in front of River Valley residents, which is worth doing because this is the type of case where one old memory could still matter. According to the current missing-person information, investigators believe Matthew was taken by an adult woman who had been staying with his family and helping take care of the ...

☀️ Weather Update 4 min read Fort Smith · Van Buren, AR Hot-weather forecast graphic from the National Weather Service. Hey Fort Smith — if you were hoping Monday night would be the end of this latest round of dangerous heat, we’ve got some bad news. The National Weather Service in Tulsa has issued another Heat Advisory for Tuesday, Sept. 1, covering north and central Sebastian County and southern Crawford County, including Fort Smith and Van Buren. The new advisory runs from noon until 8 p.m. Tuesday. That’s an actual new development from the advisory we told you about earlier. Monday’s advisory was scheduled to expire at 8 p.m., but forecasters have now added another eight-hour advisory period for Tuesday afternoon and evening. And looking at the numbers, it isn’t hard to see why. Fort Smith is expected to be sunny and around 102°F Tuesday afternoon . Van Buren is looking at similar temperatures, with the National Weather Servi...

🏈 Friday Night Final 5 min read Fort Smith · Crawford County, AR Hey River Valley — Friday night football is pretty much in the books, and we’ve got three local scores that are definitely going to get talked about this weekend. Let’s start with the one everybody in Crawford County was waiting on. Van Buren beat Alma 41-20 in the 80th Battle of the Bone Friday night at Airedale Stadium. That means the Pointers are taking the Bone back to Van Buren again and have now beaten Alma four straight years. Alma came into Friday night hoping this would finally be the year the trophy changed hands. The Airedales had home field, a packed stadium, a new head coach in Alma graduate Jeremie Burns and plenty of energy around the 80th meeting of a rivalry that’s been part of Crawford County forever. Van Buren didn’t care. The Pointers came in with three straight wins over Alma and left with number four, taking the game by three touchdowns. That...