Good morning to you Bentonville! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Today's riddle: What did one strawberry say to the other strawberry? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Benton County restaurant inspections: Multiple live, dead insects in the kitchen area; dead cockroach found on wrapper of food container in cooler (nwaonline.com) — Recent Benton County health inspections found a mix of minor and more serious violations at several Bentonville restaurants, including issues with food temperatures, sanitation, pests, and expired permits. Other Bentonville spots, like Dollar General on J Street, passed with no violations. These reports help you gauge how carefully your favorite local kitchens are handling food safety right now.
2. Outdoor Events: Learn tree stand safety, go camping at Jones Center (arkansasonline.com) — You can join the Ozark Hill Hikers for a guided walk in Bentonville this Wednesday, starting registration at Casey's on SE J Street. The roundup also highlights upcoming outdoor classes, camps, hunts, cleanups, and even fishing-gear checkouts at Bentonville Public Library, giving residents plenty of ways to get outside across Northwest Arkansas in the coming weeks.
3. Don Tyson School of Innovation sophomores contribute to student-written AI legislation (nwaonline.com) — Bentonville schools now use a five-point scale to spell out when AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are allowed for students and staff, part of a broader wave of new AI rules in nearby districts. Two Springdale sophomores also helped craft a model "Students First Act" on AI use at an MIT youth festival, which is being shared with school leaders nationwide.
4. Walmart adds digital wallet options (paymentsdive.com) — Bentonville-based Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and major digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay across all U.S. stores by year's end, with gas stations to follow in 2027. The company, which co-created a fintech behind its OnePay card, says the move gives shoppers more convenient, contactless ways to pay while it works to reduce payment processing costs.
5. Walmart Reaches 100-Store Milestone With EV Fast-Charging Sites (progressivegrocer.com) — From its base in Bentonville, Walmart has now installed fast EV charging sites at 100 stores across 20 states, with discounted rates for Walmart+ members. Shoppers can start and pay for charging in the Walmart app, as the retailer builds a nationwide network meant to make topping up a car as routine as a grocery run.
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Ok Bentonville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: If you weren't so sweet, we wouldn't be in this jam! (Thank you Patti F. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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