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⛈️ Weather Alert 4 min read Fort Smith · River Valley, AR Hey Fort Smith — the heat advisory is finally done for tonight, but tomorrow we’ve got a different weather problem to keep an eye on. The National Weather Service in Tulsa updated its outlook Tuesday evening and says isolated thunderstorms could turn strong to severe across western Arkansas Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday evening . Fort Smith, Van Buren and the surrounding River Valley are right in the area being watched, with forecasters showing a Marginal to Slight Risk for severe storms across portions of western Arkansas. The biggest concern is wind. The National Weather Service says the stronger storms could produce locally damaging wind gusts up to around 70 mph . Some hail is possible too. Before anybody reads “severe weather” and starts thinking tornado outbreak — that’s not what the forecast is saying right now. There is no severe thunderstorm warning for Fort Smith Tuesda...
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🏫 School Update 4 min read Fort Smith, AR Hey Fort Smith — this one finally looks like it’s coming to an end. The Fort Smith School Board approved a $525,000 settlement Monday night with former Northside head football coach Felix Curry, closing out the lawsuit that followed his removal from the coaching job and reassignment inside the district. And that $525,000 number still isn’t necessarily the full cost of this whole situation. According to Talk Business & Politics, the settlement is being paid by the district’s insurer and does not include legal fees . The outlet has requested those legal costs from Fort Smith Public Schools, so there could still be another number coming. Curry had been part of Northside football for years before taking over as head coach in 2022. In late 2024, he was told his head coaching contract would not be renewed. Not long after that, he was reassigned to the district’s Student Detention Center. That’s where the fig...
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🏛️ City Update 2 min read Fort Smith, AR Hey Fort Smith — quick heads-up before anybody makes a pointless trip downtown tonight. The Fort Smith Board of Directors study session scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, has been canceled. The city’s official meetings-and-agendas page was updated Tuesday and now clearly shows “Board of Directors Study Session CANCELED” for tonight’s meeting. The city also lists a separate media notification announcing the cancellation. So if you were planning to head downtown, watch the meeting online or catch one of the directors before or after the session, don’t plan your evening around it. There won’t be a normal Board study session tonight. There is one slightly confusing part worth mentioning. Fort Smith’s older Granicus meeting portal was still showing the August 25 study session as an upcoming 6 p.m. meeting when we checked Tuesday afternoon. But the city’s main current meetings page has officially changed th...
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🎡 Community Event 4 min read Greenwood, AR Hey River Valley — if you’re trying to figure out something cheap to do tonight, this one’s pretty easy. The Sebastian County Fair officially opens today, Tuesday, August 25 , at the fairgrounds in Greenwood, and opening-night admission is only $1 . Gates open at 5 p.m. at the Sebastian County Fairgrounds, 530 E. Knoxville Street in Greenwood. The fair runs through Saturday, August 29, with the carnival, youth rodeo, livestock shows and auction, exhibits, vendors, food trucks, live music and free inflatables for the kids. And just so nobody gets confused when they get there: the dollar is the gate admission . It doesn’t mean you’re getting carnival rides, games and funnel cakes for a buck. Once you walk through those gates, your wallet is between you and your kids. Still, compared with what it costs to take a family almost anywhere anymore, $1 just to get everybody inside and walk around makes Tuesday a p...
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📷 Public Safety 4 min read Fort Smith, AR Hey Fort Smith — those license-plate cameras around town are getting another look. The Fort Smith Police Department says it is reevaluating its use of Flock Safety technology as privacy concerns surrounding automatic license-plate readers continue to grow around Arkansas and across the country. Police Chief Danny Baker says the department has put plans for additional Flock and other automatic license-plate reader cameras on hold. Ten additional cameras had previously appeared in the department's capital improvement planning, but they were never purchased and FSPD says there are currently no plans to move forward with them. The department is also making a significant change to how long license-plate information is kept. FSPD says its ALPR retention policy is being reduced from 30 days to seven days . Fort Smith currently has 44 cameras integrated into the Flock system . Twenty-one are automatic license-p...
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🚨 Public Safety 4 min read Fort Smith, AR Hey Fort Smith — if you saw the heavy law-enforcement presence around the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith on Friday, here’s what happened and where things stand now. UAFS evacuated its main campus Friday morning after receiving a bomb threat, bringing multiple law-enforcement agencies, bomb-squad personnel and bomb-detection K-9 teams to the university. The good news came at 1:37 p.m. UAFS announced that law enforcement had completed a thorough search of the entire campus, nothing had been found, and the all-clear had been given. University officials said there was no threat to campus and no injuries were reported during the incident. The situation began at 9:23 a.m., when UAFS issued an emergency alert ordering an immediate campus evacuation because of a bomb threat. At that point, the threat had not been deemed credible, but the university treated it seriously while authorities investigated. People in offic...
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Hey Fort Smith — Four finalists for city administrator: what’s at stake and what comes next

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🔍 Feature Story 5 min read Fort Smith, AR The doors of City Hall on Garrison Avenue are busy again, and for good reason. Fort Smith, Arkansas is moving four finalists forward for city administrator, and the choice will ripple across every street from Chaffee Crossing to West Rogers. What’s happening now The Fort Smith Board of Directors has set interviews with four candidates for city administrator. That is the top day‑to‑day job at City Hall. The Board governs. The administrator runs operations. This is a pivotal hire for the Fort. The board also green‑lit the next steps to keep the process moving. Expect structured interviews. Expect vetting. Expect a decision that sets the tone for the next several years. Why this matters to the 479 The city administrator shapes what you feel on your commute and in your water bill. They coordinate police and fire staffing. They set priorities for streets, drainage, and parks. They steer planning and development ...
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