ArcBest pays 12-cent dividend; Fort Smith hospitals add robotic surgery

Fort Smith-based ArcBest will pay a quarterly cash dividend of 12 cents per share to stockholders of record as of Nov. 13. The payment is scheduled for Nov. 27. The company reports its third-quarter financial results before the market opens on Nov. 4. Analysts project earnings of $2.51 per share and revenue of $1.2 billion for that quarter.

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith has added the da Vinci 5 Surgical System to its robotic surgery program. The facility says the new platform supports minimally invasive procedures with enhanced precision and visualization. Patients may experience smaller incisions, less pain, and shorter hospital stays compared to traditional open surgery. Dr. Jonathan Ferrari, a general and bariatric surgeon, performed the first procedures on the new system. The hospital plans to use the device for gynecology, urology, thoracic surgery, and general surgery. It also anticipates using the system for ETEP hernia repairs.

The city of Fort Smith Public Works Department begins its annual leaf vacuuming program on Nov. 2. The service runs through February 2027. Residents can call (479-784-2360) to join the pickup list. The city requires leaves to be raked or blown to specific locations. Properties with roadside ditches must place leaves on the backside of the ditch. Properties without ditches must place leaves within 10 feet of the backside of the curb. Leaves mixed with trash, limbs, or other debris will not be collected.

ArcBest, founded in 1923, employs about 14,000 people across 250 locations. In July, the company announced cost-cutting measures that included a 2% workforce reduction. About 60 of those job cuts affected the Fort Smith area. ArcBest shares closed at $125.44 on Friday, Oct. 30, a drop of 97 cents. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock price has ranged from $59.43 to $176.69.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack presented an $8.9 million check to the city of Mountainburg to improve water infrastructure. The funding comes from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development award. Womack said the work provides access to clean water for more than 300 residents in north-central Crawford County. Boozman stated that the funds ensure this vital resource is available to the community.

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith received approval from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer an associate of applied science in respiratory therapy. The board granted the approval on Oct. 23, following a September approval from the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. The first class is expected to start in fall 2027, pending final accreditation. Cheryl Earls, executive director of respiratory therapy at UAFS, said educating respiratory therapists who stay in the region is critical for the future. The first cohort will be limited to 12 students. Construction is underway on the program's laboratory space with funding from the Windgate Foundation.

Discover Fort Smith, the city's tourism agency, received the 2026 Readers' Choice Award from the publishers of ConventionSouth. The organization is one of 533 convention and visitor bureaus, meeting facilities, hotels, and unique venues across the South to receive the award this year. Meeting professionals and fans voted for the winners. This is the seventh time Discover Fort Smith has received the honor since the award's creation in 2001.