Good morning, Fort Smith.

Fort Smith’s Tackle Box will close soon as owner Jerry Knittig retires after nearly 40 years, ending almost 50 years of service to local hunters and anglers.

The remaining inventory will be sold online before the building is handed over to a new local business.

Senior geoscience major Ella Driscoll, a Greenwood High alum, said that UAFS has given her the opportunity of a lifetime with field trips to national parks (including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone) that deepen her understanding of the earth.

She will graduate next spring and aims to pursue environmental law.

Tony Holloway (Clarksville High School grad) is earning an Associate Degree in Nursing at UAFS, where professors know every student well to build strong patient care skills.

He has also grown as a leader by guiding freshmen as Cub Camp chair.

Senior media communications student Alyvia Jean Scroggins said UAFS offers hands-on learning and a close community that helped her gain leadership skills and confidence after leaving Berryville (she has also led her sorority and worked as an ambassador).

Emani Green, president of the Black Student Alliance at University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, leads the campus Kickback by welcoming students, directing food servers, and joining new traditions on the dance floor.

She credits mentors for boosting her confidence and shaping a supportive community.

UAFS alum Chris Lopez ’09 credited his education, including opera training (he performed in France), as the basis for his shift to AI business development.

After teaching music and managing an insurance agency, he now leads initiatives at AMD.

Lesly Nájera, a sonography major and first-generation Mexican American, said UAFS provides a welcoming small campus where students feel they belong from day one, supporting her hands-on healthcare training, research presentation at a symposium, and pursuit of a Spanish interpreting certificate.

Fort Smith Public Schools approved a 10-year deal with Coca-Cola on Sept.

29 that awards $400,000 for naming athletic fields at Northside and Southside high schools. The district will use the $40,000 annual payment to replace turf while the stadium names remain unchanged.

Fort Smith Northside opened 7A-Central play without two key offensive players and will remain hobbled in Friday's game against Cabot at Mayo-Thompson Stadium.