Fort Smith Metro Daily News Briefs: Food insecurity talk, police task force update

Following are news brief items from the Fort Smith metro.

Food Insecurity Talk
The Democratic Party of Sebastian County^[1] is presenting a food insecurity program 6 to 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, in the community room of the Fort Smith Public Library at 3201 Rogers Ave.

Representatives from several area organizations are scheduled to discuss food insecurity and the programs they manage. The event is free to the public.

According to reporting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock public radio, at a rate of nearly 19%, Arkansas had the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the nation in 2024, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The annual study found that Arkansas was one of seven states where the prevalence of food insecurity surpassed the national average of 13.5% in 2023, an increase from 12.8% in 2022.

The report defines food insecurity as being unable, at some time during the year, to provide adequate food for one or more household members because of a lack of resources. Very low food insecurity is the more severe range of food insecurity, where one or more members of a household experienced reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns because they could not afford enough food.

Arkansas was one of six states where the prevalence of very low food insecurity was higher than the national average of 5.1%, according to the report.

Haas Hall Ranking
Haas Hall Academy in Fort Smith^[2], for its second year of operations, was ranked #6 in the state for Overall ATLAS Growth, and #3 in the Northwest Region, behind Haas Hall Academy at the Jones Center in Springdale and Haas Hall Academy in Bentonville.

The ranking comes from the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas and its “Outstanding Educational Performance (OEP) Awards: Highlighting High−Growth Arkansas Schools for 2025.’ The rankings are based on ATLAS (Arkansas Testing, Learning & Assessment System) examinations in mathematics and English language arts (ELA).

For ATLAS Math Growth, Haas Hall in Fort Smith ranked #8 in the state and #4 in the Northwest Region. All Haas Hall in Fort Smith rankings were the highest in the Fort Smith metro, for each category, according to a Haas Hall press release.

Opened in the Fall of 2023, Haas Hall Academy – Fort Smith is housed on the fourth floor of the multi-purpose Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) Research Institute, Health and Wellness Center (former Beverly Enterprises/Golden Living headquarters building), located at 1000 Fianna Way in Fort Smith.

ARDOT Money
Several Fort Smith metro cities and institutions have received funding from the Arkansas Department of Transportation^[3] (ARDOT) through the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and Recreational Trails Program (RTP).

For 2025, a total of 60 TAP projects were awarded for approximately $18.9 million and a total of 7 RTP projects were awarded for approximately $1.8 million, according to ARDOT.

Following are the regional awards.
• University of the Ozarks, $500,000, for safer sidewalks
• City of Fort Smith, $196,000, Methodist Village walking trail improvements
• City of Mulberry, $77,000, U.S. 64 sidewalk improvements

Task Force Update
The Fort Smith Police Department^[4] in late July established a Violent Crimes Task Force in response to escalating incidents of gunfire, including drive-by shootings that had resulted in property damage and the loss of one life. The focus was on identifying, investigating, and apprehending individuals connected to firearm-related violence and other serious crimes.

Since its inception, the task force has made 12 arrests, resulting in 25 felony charges and the recovery of five firearms, according to the department. The arrests include individuals charged with crimes such as aggravated robbery, terroristic acts, battery with a firearm, and hindering apprehension.

The department said it will release more information in the form of a detailed after-action report at the operation’s conclusion.

“(W)e would like to thank the public for their continued patience and support,” according to a department statement. “We’d also like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their assistance and cooperation in these efforts.”

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