Classic, antique cars were parked in front of the Fort Smith Museum of History Saturday, as main streets and roads were passable, though some sidewalks and side streets still could be slick and hazardous from this week’s winter storm.
Classic cars will be on display until 2 p.m. at the museum Saturday, 320 Rogers Ave.
Hot chocolate, coffee and the Fort Smith Antique Automobile Club car enthusiasts arrived for the opening of “60 Years on The Road” an exhibit inside the museum. Garrison Avenue was clear Saturday morning, organizers said.
Tag: Fort Smith
5 Unclaimed Veterans To Be Buried At Fort Smith Cemetery
KNWA:
The “Missing in America Project” recovery program announced five veterans and one spouse will be laid to rest in Fort Smith at the National Cemetery next week on March 4.
According to a press release, the Arkansas Missing in America Project with the assistance of SADA Arkansas and Edwards Funeral Home, will honor and inter the cremains of the veterans.
The veterans being interred served in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, serving in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam according to the release. The ceremony will include military honors, last roll call, and more before the veterans reach their final resting place.
The release notes the MIAP has interred more than 5,700 veterans across the U.S. Their focus is to locate, identify, and inter the unclaimed remains of American remains.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the cemetery, located at 522 Garland Ave. in Fort Smith, Ark.
March At Chaffee Crossing For Veteran Suicide Awareness
Operation Tears of the 22 will host its first “Weight of My Brother Ruck March” in the Chaffee Crossing historic district on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The event will raise funds for the Mission Critical retreat that will be held in August for veterans and their families, while raising awareness of veteran suicides. Veterans and other participants will march 22 kilometers carrying 22-pound rucksacks to represent the 22 veterans that take their own lives each day.
“We need help letting as many people as we can know about this problem that we face with our veterans. We want to get more community involvement to help us lower the 22 a day that we lose. Please help us save our veterans,” stated retired U.S. Army Sgt. Matt Gillespie, founder of Operation Tears of the 22.
Onsite registration will be held from 8-9 a.m Tuesday and the march will begin at 9 a.m. in the parking lot next to Fort Smith Brewing Co., 7500 Fort Chaffee Blvd. Registration is $10 for veterans and $20 for nonveterans.
The public is invited to line up along Fort Chaffee Boulevard from Taylor Avenue to Mahogany Avenue in Barling to show their support for the marchers.
Arkansas Leaders Excited For Pilot Training Center In Fort Smith
KNWA:
Fort Smith Board of Directors passed a resolution Tuesday expressing their support for the foreign service pilot training center planned for the Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
Rep. Steve Womack said the program will be huge for the River Valley and the Natural State. He said an environmental study is taking place currently.
“Right now we are just the preferred site so we got to get through the environmental once it becomes final and we are the designated site then all of those other processes can take shape,” Womack said.
Fort Smith Director Neal Martin said the program will bring lots of money into the region.
“This project we are talking about here is gong to have an economic impact up to a billion dollars a year,” Martin said.
It is also expected to bring in hundreds of jobs to Fort Smith. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said she is looking forward to the possibility of the center.
Ruck March At Chaffee Crossing Will Help Bring Awareness To Veteran Suicide
KNWA:
Operation Tears of the 22 announced it is hosting its first “Weight of My Brother 22k Ruck March” in the Chaffee Crossing Historic District on February 22.
According to a news release from Operation Tears of the 22, the ruck march is planned to help raise awareness and prevention of the 22 veterans who take their lives each day.
The release says the event is a ruck march around Chaffee Crossing. Veterans and other participants will be marching 22 km. carrying 22 lb. rucksacks.
Onsite registration is from 8-9 a.m. The ruck march will start at 9 a.m. in the parking lot next to Fort Smith Brewing Company, 7500 Fort Chaffee Boulevard.
Hundreds Clean Headstones At Fort Smith Cemetery
KNWA:
Hundreds volunteered to clean headstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetery Tuesday, Feb. 15 after a Feb. 9 grass fire left them charred from the flames.
Volunteers used their own brushes with plastic bristles and the cemetery provided buckets and approved cleaner.
The Greenwood Fire Department shared photos of the scene on its Facebook page and noted among those assisting included the Fort Smith Fire Department and Fort Smith Emergency Medical Services, as well as hundreds of military personnel.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
UAFS Honors Space Force At Campus Ceremony
KNWA:
The Student Veterans Organization posted the Space Force flag at a ceremony on campus on February 9 in honor of the newest branch of the U.S. Military.
President and Treasurer James Moore says the ceremony is a big deal and is excited for the future of Space Force.
“I’m very excited to see what direction that they’ll be going in the future, as far as what addition to the protection of our satellites and communications,” said UAFS President and Treasurer of Student Veterans Organization James Moore.
Grass Fire Damages Headstones At Fort Smith National Cemetery
KFSM:
Officials are investigating a grass fire that caused damage to rows of headstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.
The Fort Smith Fire Department says at this time, the cause is “undetermined.” Officials with the department say that there will not be a further investigation unless any additional information comes forward.
They say at this time, there are no signs that the fire was set intentionally.
Flag Display Issue Has Cost The City Of Fort Smith More Than $18,000
The city of Fort Smith has spent roughly $18,000 defending the choice to remove a flag display from the city’s Riverfront Park. The city removed seven flags that made up the Flags over Fort Smith display in April 2020 because of age and condition, according to court documents.
Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen filed suit June 3 in Sebastian County Circuit Court seeking a declaratory judgment that the city violated the Arkansas State Capitol and Historical Monument Protection Act when it removed the historical flag display, which was erected in October 2001.
Since June 2021, Fort Smith has paid $18,283 to Daily & Woods, the Fort Smith law firm that represents the city in legal matters, for legal fees regarding the defense of that lawsuit, according to invoices from the law firm to the city. It has paid $2.40 in miscellaneous fees associated with the lawsuit.
The Arkansas State Capitol and Historical Monument Protection Act prohibits the removal, relocation, alteration or renaming of a memorial that is located on public property. In May, McCutchen requested the city oblige the Arkansas State Capitol and Historical Monument Protection Act and replace the flags that flew at Riverfront Park from October 2001 to April 2020. Sebastian County Circuit Judge Gunner Delay ruled that the city of Fort Smith must get a waiver from the Arkansas Historic Commission about the removal of the Flags over Fort Smith display at the Riverfront Park twice. The latest ruling was issued Jan. 28. Delay ruled Oct. 4 that the city was in violation of Act 1003 of 2021.
City officials could have put that money to much better use, had they not instead chosen to embark upon a campaign to erase our history for the sake of Political Correctness.
Unclaimed Remains Of Veterans In Fort Smith To Finally Be Laid To Rest
KFSM:
Five unclaimed veterans will be laid to rest next month in the River Valley thanks to an organization that’s mission is to make sure every veteran has a proper funeral.
The nonprofit, The Missing in America Recovery Project identifies unclaimed cremated remains of veterans and gives them funerals. The organization started in Idaho in 2006.
Snow, Sleet And Ice Possible Across The Arkansas River Valley Into Friday
The Arkansas River Valley is under a winter storm warning through Friday, with possible snow, sleet and ice accumulation.
Areas of East-Central and Southeast Oklahoma as week as Northwest and West-Central Arkansas are expected to receive a mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow from midnight Wednesday through midnight Thursday night.
The National Weather Service predicts sleet accumulation of up to an inch, snow accumulations from one to eight inches and ice accumulations up to one-half inch possible across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
Summer Opening Planned For New Fort Smith Dog Park
Details of a collaborative effort by the city of Fort Smith, Sebastian County and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Area (FCRA) plans for a new dog park slated to open this summer in Chaffee Crossing were released Monday (Jan. 30).
Representatives of the three said they plan to design and construct the dog park on 24 acres on Fort Chaffee Boulevard and Taylor Avenue, adjacent to the Sebastian County soccer fields.
Boozman Wants National Designation For 3,000-Mile Stagecoach Route That Went Through Arkansas
U.S. Sen. John Boozman has introduced legislation to designate the 3,000-mile Butterfield Overland Trail as a national historic trail.
Boozman filed S. 3519 this month. It is cosponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Martin Heinrich D-N.M.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
Boozman said the national historic trail designation is important for the states — including Arkansas — through which the trail runs.
“A national historic trail designation recognizes the Butterfield Overland Trail’s important role in the growth and development of our country,” he said. “I will be working with my colleagues to ensure this path carved out and traversed by America’s pioneers is appropriately preserved for future generations to visit and learn about.”
The trail exited Fort Smith at E Street, going west across the Poteau River. A wagon bridge was later built on the site, but it no longer exists. Not much out there at all, any more.
Court Upholds Ruling Against City Of Fort Smith On Flag Removal
Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen filed suit June 3 in Sebastian County Circuit Court seeking a declaratory judgment that the city violated the Arkansas State Capitol and Historical Monument Protection Act when it removed the historical flag display, which was erected in October 2001. The display represented the flags flown over Fort Smith since 1699, including The French Fleur-De-Lis flag; the Spanish Cross of Lorraine flag; the French tricolor flag; the U.S. flag with 15 stars; the U.S. flag with 20 stars; the U.S. flag with 24 stars; and the Confederate States of America flag depicting a circle of seven stars with red and white stripes.
Brass markers identifying each flag were on the base of the flag poles. In April 2020, the city removed the flags due to age and condition, a letter from Colby Roe of Daily and Woods law firm stated, who represented the city in the matter.
“At some point after the flags’ removal, the brass markers were removed.
The city did not remove the flags “due to age and condition.” The city removed the flags because Political Correctness. And yet the fight against those ideologues who would erase our history continues.
Tyson Foods Donates 38,000 Pounds Of Protein To River Valley Food Bank
KNWA:
Tyson Foods announced in a press release it is donating more than 38,000 pounds of protein items to the River Valley Regional Food bank on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
Tyson said it is donating the items to the RVRFB as part of the company’s long-term partnership with the food bank. The protein will be available to the food bank’s pantry agency on Wednesday, which will then distribute it to communities.
Sen. Boozman Tours New VA Outpatient Clinic In Fort Smith
The clinic, located at 5500 Phoenix Ave., will open in March, expanding healthcare access for the region’s veterans.
The clinic is one of seven VA community-based outpatient clinics under the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks spanning Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The clinic is currently housed in the Baptist Health Medical Plaza-Fort Smith.
With the move to the new facility, 15,000 square feet and additional medical services will be added.
Fort Smith Sales Tax Up More Than 15% In 2021 Reporting Year
Fort Smith had a good year in 2021 in sales tax revenues with totals coming in more than 15% higher than those in 2020. According to the December sales tax report, Fort Smith’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax was $21.055 million in 2021, 15.4% higher than 2020 and up 18.14% from budget estimates for the year.
The city’s share of the countywide tax is important because the revenue provides money for the city’s general fund budget, with much of that budget paying for police, fire and other essential city services. The 2021 total was $3.23 million more than city officials budgeted to spend within the general fund budget and $2.81 million more than the tax brought the city in 2020. The tax has posted year-over-year gains for the past five years, but 2021’s jump was the largest seen during that time period by far.
Bass Reeves Impersonator Baridi Nkokheli Has Died
KATV:
Baridi Nkokheli, the former Fort Smith Sanitation Director whose impersonation of legendary lawman Bass Reeves helped raise awareness of the historic figure and money for a Reeves statue now in downtown Fort Smith, has died.
Arkansas Western Ballet Hosts Tutu Run At Riverfront Park In Fort Smith
The Arkansas Western Ballet hosted its 7th annual Tutu Run on the morning of Jan. 15 at the Riverfront Park in Fort Smith.
The ballet company has held runs at the park for several years. While it wasn’t the coldest run, with the wind gusts coming off the Arkansas River along with the snow, it made feel much colder than the 28 degrees listed.
Fort Smith Asks For Reconsideration In Park Display Removal Suit
Circuit Judge Gunner DeLay concluded the hearing by saying he would research the law regarding the issues raised by attorney Colby Roe, who represented the city, and inviting Roe to provide further legal precedent on the matter. DeLay noted he probably wouldn’t get to this again until next week.
Attorney Joey McCutchen filed a lawsuit June 3 accusing the city of violating the Arkansas State Capitol and Historical Monument Protection Act by removing the Flags Over Fort Smith display and not replacing it or obtaining a waiver within 60 days. The law took effect April 29.
DeLay filed an order Oct. 4 stating the city violated the Monument Protection Act through its “continued refusal” to request a waiver from the Arkansas History Commission to determine the disposition of the display, which the court found to be a “historical monument” as defined by state law.