Good morning, Fort Smith.

UAFS is hosting Freaky FAFSA today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 129 of the Smith Pendergraft Campus Center, with Financial Aid staff helping students and families complete the 2027 to 2028 FAFSA.

Attendees who file by Dec. 1 will be eligible for one of five $1,000 scholarships.

UAFS won approval from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Therapy, and the university plans to enroll its first cohort in fall 2027 pending final accreditation; the program will combine classroom, lab, and clinical training with cohorts limited to 12 students (projected cost about $20,000).

River Valley residents can join the Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, Oct.

31 at Celebration Garden and Wellness Park (1531 Loretta Parker Lane); registration opens 9 a.m., the opening ceremony is 10 a.m., and the walk begins at 10:30 a.m.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture warns poultry producers after the first bird flu case this season was confirmed in eastern Baxter County on Oct.

27, and asks owners to monitor flocks, limit wild-bird exposure, quarantine new birds two weeks, and report unusual deaths to (501) 823-1746.

Van Buren is celebrating 80 years at Blakemore Field and will host Mountain Home in a 6A West showdown Friday night at the stadium (expected to be one of the biggest games in its history).

Arkansas added catcher Kai Watanabe this week, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound high school junior from Hawaii who committed to the Razorbacks for the 2028 signing class (he chose Arkansas over Oregon).

Valley View beat Farmington in the Class 5A semifinals in Farmington to reach the state volleyball finals, and Mount St. Mary defeated Greenwood to advance as well.

Fayetteville beat Conway 3-1, 25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 25-18, in a Class 6A semifinal Wednesday, Oct.

28 at Northside Arena in Fort Smith as Molly Miller recorded 49 assists and four Bulldogs finished with 10 or more kills.