Hello Fort Smith! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
And lastly, we have a post from a neighbor, Lori E.!
Today's riddle: What did the Buffalo say when his son left? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. Behind the Green Door: How an unseen mission transformed Ebbing (swtimes.com) — Fort Smith's long-standing bond with Ebbing Air National Guard Base has shifted from visible A-10 flyovers to largely unseen MQ-9 Reaper operations and now to high-profile F-35 training for foreign pilots. Local leaders say the community's steady support helped preserve and grow missions, jobs, and top-secret capabilities at Ebbing, even as much of the work moved behind closed doors.
2. Fort Smith Chemical Plant Spill Exposes Permit Violations and Regulatory Gaps (deltaplexnews.com) — A recent investigation reveals a Fort Smith chemical plant operated for months without a required stormwater permit or timely hazardous-chemical inventory before a May 2 spill that damaged a Fort Smith Fire Department truck. Regulators say tens of thousands of gallons of acidified aluminum sulfate escaped into a nearby creek, and state and federal agencies are still weighing enforcement while the cause of the tank rupture remains unknown.
3. Two former Fort Smith police officers fired for hazing, misconduct avoid decertification (5newsonline.com) — State law-enforcement regulators have agreed to withdraw decertification requests for two former Fort Smith police officers fired after a hazing and misconduct investigation, meaning they keep their Arkansas certifications but cannot return to FSPD. Local and state decisions in the case followed a Sebastian County judge's earlier ruling in a related officer's appeal, which upheld termination but rejected decertification.
4. Germany's first F-35A completes assembly ahead of September rollout (airdatanews.com) — German Air Force pilots and crews will begin F-35 training at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith as Germany's first F-35A nears rollout in the U.S. While the program is centered on Germany's future fighter fleet, it will bring international training activity and visibility to the Fort Smith base over the next several years.
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Ok Fort Smith! 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: Bison! (Thank you Judy M. for sending it in!)
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