Mercy held a blessing ceremony and ribbon cutting at its newest EMS station in Rogers. The executive director of the EMS program says the new facility will allow Mercy to better fulfill its mission in Rogers and eastern Benton County.

About a year after breaking ground, Siloam Springs' Memorial Park will open to the public May 25. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will be followed by three free concerts throughout the day. The new park includes an ampitheater, concession stand, water feature and a new home for the farmers market.

Today's news roundup includes a confirmed case of whooping cough at a Fayetteville middle school, an update on the air quality near the Bella Vista stump dump and unofficial results from school board elections in Washington County.

Born in Alabama in October 1929, Autherine Lucy Foster earned her bachelor's degree in English from Miles College in Fairfield in 1952 and, in 1956, became the first African American student to attend the University of Alabama. Lucy Foster was expelled weeks later after riots broke out when residents learned of her admission but eventually returned to graduate with a master's degree in 1992. She received an honorary doctorate from the school in May 2019. This is her story.

There are plenty of opportunities to see alt-rock, punk, folk and more during the coming weekend. Thursday, May 23 Drawing Blanks, Terra Nova Kings, Patient Eyes at George's Majestic Lounge (Fayetteville) - $8, 9 p.m. Ashtyn Barbaree at Nines Alley (Fayetteville) - 6 p.m. Tater, Mater & Squarsh at Wright's BBQ (Johnson) - 6:30 p.m. Rachel Ammons at Harry's Downtown (Fort Smith) - 8 p.m. JD Clayton at AJ's Oyster House (Fort Smith) - 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 24 One For the Money , Boston

Macy Burr's combined loves of music and design are represented in Soundscape Studio . She produces works of art that use the keys and lengths of musical notes to create visual representations of songs.

An old gas station at the corner of Jenny Lind Road and Dallas Street in Fort Smith is being renovated into a cat shelter. The nonprofit Jen’s Kitty Rehab will be a cage-less facility that will focus on socializing cats with each other and people.

Walmart has released a newly designed annual global responsibility progress report which details an array of environmental goals including reducing 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions from its global supply chains by 2030, an initiative branded Project Gigaton.

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton is up for reelection in 2020 and over the weekend, he made a couple of appearances on national television programs. John Brummett, political writer for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and Roby Brock with Talk Business and Politics analyze the Arkansas senator's remarks in their weekly conversation.

In an effort to educate the public about residential sprinkler systems, the Siloam Springs Fire Department is hosting a live burn demonstration . The event begins at 11 a.m. May 23 at Fire Station #1, which is located at 1450 Cheri Whitlock Dr.