Times Record (Ft. Smith Southwest)
Officials seek to stop mail-in ballot rules
Less than 90 days out from the midterms, election officials are pleading with the Supreme Court to block the Trump administration from making changes that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to decide who gets mail-in ballots. And after the Postal...
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UAFS move-in to slow traffic on Waldron Road, Grand Avenue
Fort Smith residents should expect heavier-than-normal traffic around the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith next week as hundreds of students move into campus housing ahead of the start of the fall semester. The busiest periods are expected from 9...
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Oklahoma’s oil legacy runs deep
On an April day in 1892, near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in what was then Indian Territory, a drilling crew struck oil at a depth of less than 200 feet. The Nellie Johnstone No. 1 was the start of a transformation. h The first commercially productive well...
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Mayor’s race draws seven candidates, record field
Fort Smith voters will choose from seven candidates for mayor this November, marking the city’s first contested mayoral election since 2010 and one of the largest fields in recent history. The race also carries another milestone: Four women have filed...
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Shoffner says seniors deserve stronger Medicare, Social Security
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner campaigned across Crawford County, using a visit to the Van Buren Senior Activity Center to outline her plans for strengthening Social Security, expanding Medicare and addressing Arkansas’ rural health...
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Voters face options in 5 states’ primaries
Voters in five states head to the polls Aug. 4 in primaries that will determine the November options in some hotly contested swing states. Primaries in Michigan, Virginia, Kansas, Washington and Missouri will help shape the power balance in Congress,...
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‘The very core of building our food system’
Aspiring farmers interested in growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs can now apply for the 2027 Farm School program offered by the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food. h The nine-month program, which runs from February through November 2027, is...
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Officer retention dominates Fort Smith police station discussion
Fort Smith directors questioned whether the city should finance a proposed $10 million police headquarters through bonds on Tuesday, with a broader discussion about officer retention and long-term planning ending without action on the...
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Attack sparks fears wars could merge
WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States insisted that leaders in Kyiv are not playing “a game of chess” with their recent drone strike on an Iranian ship and have no interest in leveraging their conflict with Russia into a wider, global...
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Mayoral race opens with historic first filing
The filing period for Fort Smith’s municipal elections officially opened Wednesday, with Christina Catsavis becoming the first candidate to file for mayor and the first woman to officially seek the office in the city’s history. Catsavis, who is...
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Administrator search down to two
Fort Smith’s search for a new city administrator has narrowed to two candidates after two previously announced finalists withdrew from consideration, leaving acting city administrator Jeff Dingman and Whitfield County, Ga., administrator Robert Sivick...
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Oman presents Iran with Hormuz plan
DUBAI – Oman has presented Iran with a plan backed by Gulf states to manage the Strait of Hormuz, including collecting voluntary fees for using it, a Gulf source and a Western diplomat told Reuters on July 28. The plan could serve as a basis to end...
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Iran appears to test latest U.S. pause
DUBAI – Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reported drone attacks on July 27, two days after the United States abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of air strikes against Iran, as Tehran appeared to put President Donald Trump’s latest strategic U-turn to...
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Teen’s death more than just a mystery
When Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells disappeared after a Fourth of July boat trip, questions immediately began to swirl about what happened to him and why. Three weeks after his body was found, many of those questions remain unanswered. Parallel...
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Man who filmed police sees growing backlash
PHOENIX – Five years ago, Gabriel Bassford saw an online video that changed his life. It was 2021, and the aftershocks of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers continued to linger. He was on YouTube and stumbled upon an...
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U.S. strikes shipping point on Red Sea
DUBAI – U.S. missiles struck targets across Iran, reaching as far as its Caspian coast, on July 24 after President Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the war to a second major shipping...
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Hundreds of drones seized near World Cup venues
ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES FILE
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Bobby Crabtree street dedication celebrates hometown champion
Fort Smith added another hometown hero to its streetscape Tuesday, naming a section of Towson Avenue Bobby Crabtree Boulevard in honor of former world champion boxer Bobby “The Fighting Hillbilly” Crabtree. On one of the hottest days of the year, with...
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Taylor Farms’ reach spans across the U.S.
Taylor Farms produces much of the lettuce sold in America’s supermarkets and fast food restaurants. Right now, many consumers would like to know which ones. The company is in the news because of a historic outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the “explosive...
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Pentagon IDs service members killed in war
A 17th U.S. service member has been killed in the war with Iran, U.S. Central Command confirmed on X, in northern Iraq July 18 during the controlled detonation of an “unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.” That service member...
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‘People Helping People’
Arkansas Tech University education students facing unexpected costs on the path to becoming teachers will have a new source of financial assistance thanks to a gift from a longtime community service organization. h The Arkansas Tech University...
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Report: State leads U.S. in religious liberty protections
Arkansas ranked first in the nation for religious liberty in a new index released Tuesday by the First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders crediting recent state laws aimed at protecting...
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U.S., Iran trade attacks on infrastructure
DUBAI – The United States struck bridges and an airport in Iran on July 17 and Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as the warring foes risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure. In...
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Blanche grilled at AG confirmation
Todd Blanche faced a tough grilling from Democrats at his Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general, but it’s not clear they have the votes to block his nomination. The former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump was hit with accusations...
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U.S. Marshals Museum campaign hits $8M with Griffin donation
Partnerships have long been at the heart of the U.S. Marshals Service, whether tracking fugitives across state lines or working alongside local, state and federal agencies on complex investigations. Museum leaders say that the same spirit of...
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Restaurant, beverage chains expanding across River Valley
Several national food and beverage chains are preparing to expand their footprint in the Fort Smith area in the coming months, with new locations planned in Barling and Fort Smith. The River Valley’s first Taco Bell location in Barling is expected to...
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Fort Smith honors Jaylin Williams
Jaylin Williams has accomplished what countless young basketball players dream of. The Fort Smith Northside graduate helped lead the Grizzlies to a state championship, became one of the University of Arkansas’ top players, reached the NBA with the...
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Uncovering a layer of Arkansas history
As “The Western District” approaches the end of its current production run, playwright and actor Dr. Brandon Chase Goldsmith is bringing the historical drama back to the place where it found its voice. h The production will be performed at 2 p.m. July...
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Lightning Over the Fort returning
The Fort Smith Patriot Association announced Tuesday that the Lightning Over the Fort Air Show will return to Fort Smith on May 7-8, 2027, marking the city’s first announced air show since 2011. The free event will be at Fort Smith Regional Airport...
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Trump switches planes after summit in Turkey
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump swapped planes, taking the old Air Force One for part of his return from the NATO summit in Turkey, as a security precaution amid renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran, according to a source familiar...
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Army recognizes Arkansas Tech graduate with lasting honors
A former Arkansas Tech University graduate and commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command is being remembered with two posthumous honors recognizing his lasting influence on the nation’s military intelligence operations. The late...
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New grant advances automotive workforce training at ATU-Ozark
Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus has received a $29,000 grant to upgrade its automotive training program with dealership-grade equipment, continuing the university’s recent efforts to expand and modernize workforce education. The Arkansas Motor...
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Trial reenactment to mark Cherokee Bill anniversary
Fort Smith National Historic Site will mark the 130th anniversary of the execution of Cherokee Bill with a two-day series of events July 24-25, including a courtroom reenactment, presentations by historians and authors, and a guided tour of the jail...
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Safety issues beset Silicon Valley defense startup
Ayear ago, Ryan Tseng, the head of U.S. defense tech startup Shield AI, announced his company had turned a new page. h After a gory incident that partially severed a U.S. Navy official’s fingers during a test of its V-BAT drone, Shield AI had addressed...
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America puts aside divisions for July
Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...
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Drought changes timber market
The prolonged drought affecting Arkansas and much of the South has created an unusual set of challenges for the state’s timber industry, allowing increased logging in normally inaccessible areas while leaving forests increasingly vulnerable to disease,...
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Arkansas Republicans seek citizenship changes
Arkansas lawmakers are renewing calls for Congress to change federal law governing birthright citizenship following Tuesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to deny automatic citizenship to...
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High court upholds birthright citizenship
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on June 30 rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to redefine who is an American, striking down the limits on birthright citizenship that were a centerpiece of his hard-line approach to immigration. The ruling landed...
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The Addams Family offers spooky fun with heart
Audiences may arrive at Fort Smith Little Theatre expecting creepy comedy, finger snaps and gothic charm when “The Addams Family Musical” opens next month. Director Eric Wells hopes they’ll leave talking about something deeper. Beneath the macabre...
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AI can lead to false arrests and wrongful convictions
In Baltimore County, Maryland, on Oct. 20, a 17-year-old student named Taki Allen was sitting outside his high school after football practice when an artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance camera falsely identified the Doritos bag in his pocket...
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Museum cancels Freedom 250 stop
One day after announcing it would host the Freedom 250 Mobile Museum Tour, the Fort Smith Museum of History withdrew from the event, saying the program no longer aligns with the museum’s educational mission. The museum announced Wednesday that it had...
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Trump sees wins on immigration, guns
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump victories in two immigration cases June 25. In the divide between gun rights and gun violence, the justices struck down another state law, this one in Hawaii, aimed at curbing guns in public...
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Sheriff stands behind deputies
Sebastian County Sheriff Mike Conger defended the actions of detention deputies on June 17 and said the Arkansas State Police will conduct an independent investigation into a use-offorce incident involving inmate John Anthony Cole that is the subject...
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Mamdani picks sweep NY primaries
Democrat likely to win Utah congressional seat in November
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Poland strengthens Fort Smith connection
Fort Smith officials are continuing to strengthen ties with Poland as the European ally moves to expand its fleet of F-35 fighter aircraft, a mission that includes pilot and maintainer training at Ebbing Air National Guard Base. Mayor George McGill...
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U.S.-Iran war talks wrap ‘successfully’
MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS Volume 144 | No. 147 Questions? Call 479-785-7700 ©2026
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Vance: Progress made in Iran talks
BUERGENSTOCK, Switzerland – President Donald Trump on June 21 threatened to restart war with Iran even as Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials for the first talks under a peace deal, overshadowed by Tehran’s announcement it had closed the...
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Legacy measured in lives saved
The A-10 Thunderbolt II was never the fastest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory. h It wasn’t the sleekest fighter or the newest technology. Built around a massive 30mm cannon and designed for close air support, the airplane earned a reputation...
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Obama Center opens while Trump looms
Remember hope and change? The sun-splashed, star-studded dedication of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18 was designed to echo the sense of excitement and possibility that surrounded former President Barack Obama’s election in 2008 −...
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DOJ cuts grants, halting public safety efforts across U.S.
The United States is experiencing one of the steepest declines in violent crime in modern history, including a murder rate at its lowest point in more than a century. Homicides across 35 major American cities fell 21% in 2025, amounting to 922 fewer...
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U.S.-Iran draft deal calls for troop exit
President Donald Trump said June 17 that if he doesn’t like the deal that the United States and Iran negotiate to halt the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he’ll resume his bombing campaign in the Middle Eastern country. The declaration came...
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Trump’s $2B offshore wind buyoff threatens jobs, investment and energy supply
The United States is in a bizarre situation in 2026: It’s facing a looming energy shortage, yet the Trump administration is making deals to pay offshore wind developers nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money to walk away from energy projects. These...
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Iran questions U.S. commitment to peace
DUBAI – Iran’s top negotiator questioned the United States’ commitment to peace efforts after Israel carried out new attacks on Lebanon, dimming prospects of Tehran and Washington signing a framework agreement on June 14 on ending their war. President...
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Renewed push to enshrine SBC ban on women pastors advances
With new wind in its sails, a campaign to enshrine a ban on women pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention passed the first of two necessary hurdles. The nation’s largest Protestant denomination affirmed a proposal at the 2026 SBC annual meeting in...
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Views split on White House UFC event
It was 2001, and mixed martial arts fighting was on the ropes. Banned in 36 states, booted from cable operators, derided as “human cockfighting” – it was such an outcast sport that it traded hands for $2 million. A song. The new owners of Ultimate...
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Leaders cite retention as biggest challenge ahead
Fort Smith’s police and fire chiefs delivered a similar message to the Board of Directors on Tuesday: recruiting employees is only part of the battle, and retaining experienced personnel will be critical to maintaining public safety services. During a...
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Will Rogers Memorial receives national listing
A monument commemorating entertainer and humanitarian Will Rogers on the Arkansas Tech University campus has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. The monument, located...
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Israel, Iran halt retaliatory attacks
Iran on June 8 announced a suspension of military operations against Israel after the two countries traded strikes for the first time since April, threatening a fragile ceasefire and diplomatic efforts to end the monthslong war. The unified command of...
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Communities across River Valley prepare for July 4
Fort Smith will celebrate both Independence Day and the nation’s 250th birthday with an evening of music, family activities and fireworks July 4 at Harry E. Kelley River Park. Mayor George McGill has invited residents and visitors to attend the city’s...
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‘The Western District’ stages at historic Fort Smith locations
Audiences will have two opportunities this month to experience a theatrical retelling of one of Fort Smith’s most turbulent chapters of history as “The Western District” continues its June performances at two distinctive local venues. The historical...
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Planning America’s 250th highlights divide
Two separate groups are planning celebrations for America’s 250th birthday this year. So far, neither has been universally well-received. The groups – America250 and Freedom 250 – have each organized their own array of events and initiatives...
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‘Blessed to have the opportunity’
Alayna Turner’s room is already halfpacked, with dresses, shoes and packing lists scattered everywhere. For Turner, a senior at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, the organized chaos is part of preparing for one of the biggest weeks of her life....
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Expect more military convoys on AR roads through June
Arkansas motorists can expect to see increased military traffic on highways and interstates across the state as members of the Arkansas National Guard travel to annual training exercises. The increased traffic is expected to continue through mid-June...
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Iran suspends talks over attacks on Lebanon
Iran halted indirect talks with the United States over Israel’s intensifying attacks on Lebanon, according to Iranian media reports, signaling a possible breakdown in diplomatic efforts to end the 3-month-old war. The Iranian semi-official Tasnim news...
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Ads for GLP-1 drugs flooding the internet
If you watched the Super Bowl in 2026, you likely saw Serena Williams share her weight-loss journey on GLP-1 medications in a commercial. h Like millions of others around the country, if you’ve ever considered taking one of these drugs, you probably...
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Security guards face risks without recognition
SAN DIEGO – On average, they make $18 an hour. Many are required to provide their own body armor. And if a gunman bursts through the door of a church, store or government office, they’re relied on to confront intruders hell-bent on wreaking deadly...
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Judge blocks Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
WASHINGTON – A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from setting up a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people the Justice Department deems were investigated improperly. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia ordered the...
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Trump often repeats debunked claim
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him at least 107 times in the last six months, keeping the grievance front and center even as he faces new political risks from the war with Iran...
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Alma’s Ferguson headed to Jimmy Awards after top honor
Alma’s Calin Ferguson earned the top award at the 2026 Walton Arts Center’s Diamond Awards on May 23, as a number of performers from the River Valley took home awards. Ferguson portrayed Vi Moore in the Alma production of “Footloose the Musical” and...
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FSLT kicks off summer with ‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers’
Fort Smith Little Theatre will open its summer season later this month with Neil Simon’s classic comedy “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” marking the directorial debut of longtime volunteer Kim Pierson. The comedy will run May 28 through June 6 at Fort...
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WWII veteran recalls journey across Europe
Bill R. Horne can still see the forest. It came after American forces pushed through Paderborn, late in World War II, when the fighting had turned into a relentless march across Germany. His unit moved through open fields, then into the trees, dark,...
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