News

A Heart-Felt "Thank You"

01/02/09

Working together, we succeeded in keeping a casino off our beautiful riverfront. It's been nearly a year since that landmark decision. We cannot thank each and every one of our supporters enough.

Unfortunately, the lottery amendment did pass. But for all of you who voted "no" or otherwise helped us campaign against it, we again thank you.

FriendsOfFortSmith.org will remain online for some time yet. However, unless a new issue is raised which needs our attention, it will not be updated. We are keeping it online for reference and so that it can, hopefully, continue to make a difference.

Again, we thank all our supporters for their involvement. Great or small, you made all the difference.

Contact information has been updated. Please go to our Contact Us page.

Vote Against Amendment 3!

11/02/08

Amendment 3 changes the Arkansas Constitution. The Constitution currently has a section titled: Lottery prohibited. This Amendment changes that title to just read: Lottery. It then delineates the plan for a state-run lottery. As bad as this idea is (Oklahoma and other states are reeling from their decision to institute a lottery), it gets worse.

Casinos are illegal in Arkansas because our Constitution prohibits a lottery. Amendment 3 could open the door to casinos across the state. Friends of Fort Smith urges you to get the word out that Amendment 3 should be stopped. Vote Against Amendment 3.

Thank You

11/01/08

Friends of Fort Smith thanks all who have supported our efforts. So many, including Governor Huckabee, Governor Beebe, Representative Boozman, Mayor Ray Baker, and over 2500 other citizens in and around Fort Smith have been very specifically involved in seeing that a casino was not tragically placed in our city. The two reasons given by the BIA for their decision against the casino were the opposition by the Governor and the opposition of the citizens. That means that each of you played a part in their decision. Thank you.

We will continue to monitor the situation, but will no longer be active as a steering committee. If something arises, we will come together again. If you have need to contact the steering committee of Friends of Fort Smith, our phone will be operative for a while in the future (479) 561-8176 or you can e-mail us via our contact form. Please put FOFS in your subject line, if you e-mail. Also, please note that the email address Friends@FriendsOfFortSmith.org is no longer monitored.

The BIA Says "NO" to the Proposed Fort Smith Riverfront Casino

01-16-08

The Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC has turned down the Keetoowah's request to place the riverfront property purchased from Benny Westphal in trust. This is the news for which we've worked so long. If the land is not in trust, they cannot build a casino.

To read more about this tide-changing decision, please see the articles on our "In the News" page.

Friends of Fort Smith would like to thank all of you who have helped financially, signed petitions, wrote letters, and otherwise made your voice heard. We could not have come this far without you.

The tribe could still appeal the BIA's decision. Though we are very close to protecting the Fort Smith Riverfront from a casino, we must be prepared for the possibility of appeal. Friends of Fort Smith will press on until the issue is officially closed.

Arkansas Family Council Lawsuit Defeated

10-08-07

On September 27th the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on the lawsuit that could have potentially solved the casino problem. They ruled 6-1 in favor of the Oaklawn and Southland horse racing tracks.

To view the court opinions click here.

As a reminder, this changes nothing. If it would have gone the other way it would have changed everything, but as it stands we've really lost nothing except the opportunity to stop it in its tracks. The Family Council of Arkansas is not regretting putting forward this lawsuit.

According to Family Council leader, Jerry Cox, the citizens of Fort Smith contributed more to this effort than any other part of the state. Friends of Fort Smith would like to thank each of our supporters.

As always, we need your continued support. Click here to learn how to help Friends of Fort Smith fight against a casino in our city.

Common Sense Editorial Appears In Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

08-20-07

A recent editorial in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette comments on what a bad idea a casino is for Fort Smith and the entire state of Arkansas. Take a look at their recent editorial.

The Battle is not Over

07-13-07

Despite the recent news that the BIA regional office has recommended against placing the riverfront land in trust to the Keetoowahs, there are several situations that could override this decision.

It is vital that the petition thanking Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe for his stance against the casino has as many signatures as possible. Is your name on the petition? If not, please use the link above to download a copy, and get as many signatures on it as you can. For those of you who have signed the petition, please print a few copies and distribute them as widely as possible. Sign this petition even if you signed the petition we had last year, as this petition is different.

Check our You Can Help page to find out how you can contact Gov. Beebe directly and thank him for his stand against the casino. Doing so would also greatly help our cause.

As always, Friends of Fort Smith appreciates all our "Friends" who unite with us to stand against a casino in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Breaking News: Regional BIA says "NO" to Casino

07-13-07

The regional office of the BIA in Muskogee, OK has recommended against placing the riverfront land in trust to the Keetoowah tribe.

This recommendation was sent to the national office in Washington, DC. and will have a huge influence on the final outcome of gambling in Fort Smith, AR.

We will post additional information about this breaking news as it becomes available.

Petition Deadline Extended

05-26-07

Because the petition is just now reaching a statewide audience, Friends of Fort Smith is extending the May 31 deadline to have petitions in to us.

We ask that you please simply send them in As Soon As Possible!

Please work to get as many signatures on the petition as you can. Thank you for your continued support of Friends of Fort Smith.

Informational Meeting Recap

05-21-07

The May 8th Informational Meeting was a great success. We were grateful for the inspiration given to us by Mayor Ray Baker. His words were direct and to the point. It is a WAR. We need to be vigilant and vocal to our leaders. To this end we are asking that area groups such as businesses, organizations, civic clubs, churches or any other group that you might associate with, be given the opportunity to sign petitions that will be sent the Governor and to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some have already signed a previous petition. However, this is a new effort and we need everyone to sign the casino petition again plus many more. You can print a copy of the petition by clicking here.

Governor Beebe has already publicly opposed the Casino in Fort Smith and anywhere else in Arkansas. He stated that it would "result in a loss of tax dollars and would defy the will of the people". We need to send him a note of thanks. The City Directors have not brought this up for a formal discussion, but several have written letters in favor of the Casino for "so called" economic reasons. The Friends of Fort Smith website has contact information for the Governor and the Directors if you want to contact them. Please give a short thanks to the Governor. IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

If you will help by taking responsibility for getting petitions signed, let us know. If you would like for us to come by and pick up signed petitions at your business or organization location just contact us and let us know. Or you can mail the signed petitions to us. Please see the You Can Help page for our contact information.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

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