I AM 479

OVERNIGHT HEAT UPDATE 5 min read Sebastian + Crawford County, AR Extreme heat continues across the Fort Smith area this week. National Weather Service Tulsa graphic. Hey Fort Smith — there's a meaningful late-night change to the heat alert we posted earlier, especially for people around Mansfield, Huntington, Hartford and the southern end of Sebastian County. At 10:38 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Tulsa expanded Thursday's Heat Advisory to include Southern Sebastian County. NWS also revised the timing for the Fort Smith and Van Buren side of the advisory from the previously announced 10 a.m.–8 p.m. window to noon–7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. That means one part of our earlier weather update is now outdated. Earlier Wednesday, Southern Sebastian County was not included in Thursday's advisory. It is now. The newest NWS alert specifically lists Mansfield, Hartford, Huntington, Liberty and Patterson in the added Southern S...

CYBERATTACK: NEW DEVELOPMENT 7 min read Fort Smith · Sebastian County, AR A screenshot of the Interlock ransomware group's claimed Fort Smith posting. The group's claims about the contents of the files have not yet been verified by the City. Image via Talk Business & Politics. Hey Fort Smith — this is the most important new development in the City cyberattack story since officials confirmed Tuesday night that data was taken. Fort Smith is now publicly acknowledging the dark-web posting tied to the attack and says investigators are actively collecting the posted files so they can determine whether they actually came from City and Police Department networks — and whether they contain protected personal information. That distinction matters. Tuesday night, the City confirmed that an unauthorized attacker gained access to municipal systems through the Fort Smith Police Department and exfiltrated certain data. Fort Smith also said investigators...

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT 6 min read Downtown Fort Smith · Sebastian County An early rendering of a possible expanded Cisterna Park in downtown Fort Smith. A new design effort is now underway. Image via Talk Business & Politics. Hey Fort Smith — here's a downtown project that had gone pretty quiet but is officially moving again. Fort Smith's Central Business Improvement District is putting the Cisterna Park expansion back near the top of its downtown priority list, and a local architecture firm is now working on a new design. The goal is to get a plan through approvals by the end of 2026 and, if everything lines up, potentially build it in 2027. Cisterna Park is the small downtown plaza at 1001 Garrison Avenue, around North 10th Street , where the statue of Fort Smith native Gen. William O. Darby sits today. The City currently lists the site as a downtown park with benches and on-site parking. The bigger idea is to turn that small pocket into...

FREE HEALTH SCREENING 5 min read Fort Smith · Sebastian County, AR Official event artwork for BBQ, Brews & Blue, the annual free prostate screening event at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House in Fort Smith. Image via United Way of Fort Smith Area event listing. Hey Fort Smith — here's one of those local things that's actually useful enough to put on somebody's radar before tomorrow gets here. The Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House is hosting its annual “BBQ, Brews & Blue” prostate cancer screening event Thursday, Sept. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Fort Smith. The prostate screening itself is free and uses a PSA blood test. The event also includes a BBQ dinner, craft beer, yard games and family activities. It's happening at the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street in Fort Smith. The screening is being offered in partnership with the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation and Dr. Basham with ...

MAJOR CYBERSECURITY UPDATE 6 min read Fort Smith · Sebastian County, AR The City of Fort Smith confirmed Tuesday night that an unauthorized threat actor accessed City systems and exfiltrated data. Graphic via Talk Business & Politics. Hey Fort Smith — this is the update residents have been waiting a month for. Late Tuesday night, the City of Fort Smith confirmed for the first time that an unauthorized threat actor actually got into City systems and removed data. City Administrator Jeff Dingman said the attacker accessed the City's systems through the Fort Smith Police Department , that certain data was exfiltrated and that the City now has assurance the threat has been contained. That's a much bigger disclosure than anything Fort Smith had publicly acknowledged before Tuesday night. Until now, officials had confirmed a serious network-security event, disrupted computer systems and an active forensic investigation. But they repeatedly sto...

☀️ Heat Advisory 5 min read Fort Smith + Van Buren · AR National Weather Service Tulsa's current Saturday heat-advisory graphic for eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Image: National Weather Service. Hey Fort Smith — here's the update worth knowing before everybody starts heading out to Saturday events. The National Weather Service in Tulsa issued a Heat Advisory late Friday night for north and central Sebastian County and southern Crawford County, including Fort Smith and Van Buren. The advisory runs from noon until 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 , with heat-index values potentially reaching 109 degrees somewhere within the advisory area. This isn't just another generic forecast saying Arkansas is going to be hot. The advisory was officially issued at 11:18 p.m. Friday, and the Weather Service says heat-related illnesses are possible, especially for people who aren't acclimated to the conditions or who are doing strenuous work outside...

🎡 Crawford County Fair Guide 5 min read Mulberry · Crawford County, AR The Crawford County Fair midway at Kirksey Park in Mulberry during the 2025 fair. Photo published by the City of Mulberry; photography by Imagery by PD. Hey Fort Smith — and Crawford County especially — here's something worth knowing before somebody loads up the kids, drives all the way to Mulberry and starts asking where the rides are. The 2026 Crawford County Fair officially starts today, Saturday, Sept. 12, at Kirksey Park in Mulberry. But Saturday is the kickoff day. It is not the full carnival-and-midway setup most people picture when they hear “county fair.” According to the fair's official 2026 schedule, today's main public events are the Crawford County Fair Parade at 11 a.m. in downtown Mulberry and the Equine Expo beginning at noon at the fairgrounds. Equine Expo registration runs from 8 to 10 a.m. Parade lineup begins at 10 a.m. The parade rolls thr...