Good morning, Fort Smith.

Fort Smith residents will join Mayor George McGill at Harry E.

Kelley River Park on July 4 for the 4th of July Celebration honoring America's 250th birthday. The event offers live music, food vendors + family-friendly activities starting at 5 p.m., with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Logistic Services Inc. bought substantially all assets of Five Rivers Distribution, LLC, including terminals in Van Buren and Fort Smith that support barge + rail + truck connectivity.

The Seattle-based firm will integrate operations to expand its inland network and customer solutions.

Baptist Health in Fort Smith plans to cut an additional 70 jobs, adding to the 150 positions cut in April.

The hospital said lower service volumes and duplicated roles prompted the decision and that it will support affected employees with severance and job placement assistance.

Fort Smith Public Schools is launching a summer reading program for 85 third graders who did not meet the LEARNS Act reading standards (district records indicate about 26% of 1,000 students are at risk) so they can retest at the end of June.

Four River Valley students received 2026 National Merit Scholarships announced today.

Three local winners from Fort Smith and one from Alma High School were awarded between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of college study.

A Georgetown University report shows that 220,000 more children under age 6 were uninsured in 2024, a 23% increase from 2022, with Arkansas among the five worst states+ this trend may be due to slow Medicaid transitions.

The findings raise concerns about health coverage that local families may soon face.

Baptist Health (a key care provider) cut 70 more jobs today at Fort Smith amid lower service volume and overlapping roles.

The move follows earlier cuts that affected labor and delivery, nephrology, and other services, with affected staff offered severance and job placement support.