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🌱 Patch AM: Fort Smith police recover 39 stolen UPS packages, two suspects arrested.

Also check out Fort Smith Tent Revival on the Fort Smith Patch calendar

Wednesday September 23rd Patch AM (Debbie A.)

Good morning Fort Smith! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Fort Smith police recover 39 stolen UPS packages, two suspects arrested.
  • What you'll see at this weekend's big archeology gathering downtown
  • How UAFS's new program could reshape Fort Smith healthcare careers.

Also on today's calendar: Optimist Club of Ft Smith and 9 more events.

And lastly, we have a post from a neighbor, Debbie A.!

Today's riddle: Is there anybody completely useless? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Fort Smith Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Fort Smith Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Fort Smith.

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: Partly sunny and warm, with a high of 90 and low of 65 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Thursday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 87, low: 64.
  • Friday: Partly sunny and warm, with a high of 90 and low of 67 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Two suspects arrested following burglary at Fort Smith UPS facility (nwahomepage.com) — Fort Smith police arrested two men Monday after recovering 39 allegedly stolen packages taken from a UPS facility on South 28th Street. Officers responded to an early-morning alarm, stopped a nearby pickup, and charged the suspects with commercial burglary, theft, and related offenses, while a third suspect and an earlier August burglary remain under investigation.
   

2. Fort Smith to host state Archeological Society gathering; Tulsa Race Riot Graves Project topic of keynote speakers (rivervalleydemocratgazette.com) — Fort Smith will host the Arkansas Archeological Society's annual meeting this weekend at the Fort Smith Convention Center, including a keynote on the Tulsa Race Massacre graves project. Sessions run from Friday registration through Sunday tours of the Fort Smith National Historic Site and U.S. Marshals Museum, with talks ranging from Plum Bayou excavations to a local 5th‑grade robotics team's archaeology robot.
   

3. University of Arkansas – Fort Smith launching Respiratory Therapy degree program (nwahomepage.com) — A new Respiratory Therapy associate degree at the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith is moving through accreditation and plans to welcome its first 12-student cohort in fall 2027. Led by former Mercy Hospital Fort Smith respiratory director Cheryl Earls, the program will train students in partnership with regional hospitals, addressing an ongoing shortage of respiratory therapists in the River Valley.
   

4. Fort Smith man gets 3-year prison sentence after allegedly fracturing infant's collarbone (nwahomepage.com) — A Fort Smith father has been sentenced to three years in prison, plus a seven‑year suspended term, after reaching a plea agreement in a case involving his infant's fractured collarbone and bruising. Court records describe how the child was treated at a Fort Smith hospital, then transferred for further care, and detail police interviews and earlier bond arrangements.
   

5. From Fort Smith to 'The Pitt,' Barry Clifton finds where he belongs (swtimes.com) — Fort Smith native Barry Clifton, who got his start performing at Westark Community College and Fort Smith Little Theatre, is returning to national screens with a role on HBO Max's medical drama "The Pitt." He reflects on how his Arkansas roots, decades away from acting, and careful career rebuilding shaped his growing list of film and TV credits.
   

📸 Around Fort Smith

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📸 Red Paper Wasp on my bottle tree 😊 —Debbie A.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Found by 94th and Urban View ( Skyline) Friday afternoon.
    Anyone know the owners? Posted on FB also. Thanks (Nextdoor Skyline Estates)
  • I need to rent or borrow a plumbing snake.
    Does anybody have one we could use or a very reasonable plumber that can come to my daughter's house near Beard school ? (Nextdoor Fianna Hills)
  • Savers Value Village posted a job opening for Merchandise Processing Associate in Fort Smith. Apply here.
  • Panera posted a job opening for Restaurant Team Member in Fort Smith. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Fort Smith here.

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: No because they can always be used as a bad example! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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