KRG's blog

Excitement is growing as July 4, Independence Day, approaches, but it’s important to balance fun and safety on this holiday. The National Council on Fireworks Safety, whose mission is to educate the public on the safe and responsible use of consumer fireworks so as to eliminate injuries, offers these tips for firework safety.

It’s Tournament Week for the Fort Smith Classic, and many festivities are taking place all around the Fort Smith area. One noteworthy event is the second annual Pink on the Links. It is slated for Friday, June 18 and will aim to raise awareness about breast cancer in support of the Ozark Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, according to Alesia Davis, chairwoman of the Pink on the Links event.

Visits to the doctor just became a little easier for Sparks patients thanks to the hospital’s newly added valet parking service. Sparks Regional Medical Center recently began offering this service to patients, family members and visitors of patients in an effort to make visitation a little less stressful, according to Michelle Pike, director of volunteer services and the 55 Plus program at Sparks.

“We thought that this would be the best way to give back to our patients. It has a direct, positive impact on them,” said Pike.

Though at this point we’ve missed the boat on “spring cleaning,” there’s still hope for your messy garage. Though it is hot outside, the summer months might leave you with evenings and weekends free at least. If you find that there’s no room in your garage, even for your cars, dedicate some time this summer to cleaning up the mess. According to Department of Energy, ¼ of Americans with two-car garages can’t park in theirs and another third can only fit one vehicle.  Though the idea of a sparkling clean, perfectly organized garage may seem ridiculous or impossible, it can be done!

In today’s times of high mortgage delinquencies, scam artists have started targeting desperate homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosure. Here are some tips to avoid foreclosure in the future from CNNMoney.com.
Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York (NHS) believes that alert consumers will be able to recognize the difference between fraudulent and legitimate foreclosure assistance by being aware of these tell-tale signs:

Avoid anyone who:

In honor of Memorial day, let’s discuss the tax credit extension for veterans.

The passage of the recent health care reform bill, as historic and unprecedented as it may be, has left many Americans confused and questioning what exactly this bill will do for them. According to CNN Money, the new health care legislation’s first changes will be seen in benefits from employer-based insurance.

A four-story, 83-room Best Western Inn & Suites will be open to guests Friday, Feb. 26 according to a report from The Times Record. The building has been under construction for nearly 11 months and is located at 6500 Rogers Ave. Developer Tim Whitten says, “we’ve been sitting there for seven weeks trying to get the parking lot paved.”

With winter weather upon is, it’s important to know how to drive in ice and snow. Of course, the best advice for driving in snow and ice is to not drive at all unless it’s absolutely necessary. Here are some other tips from weather.com for winter driving.

Don’t go out until the sand and salt trucks have had a chance to work on the roads, and always allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, you men out there might be stressing about what gift to give to the woman in your life. This doesn’t have to be a nerve-wrecking task, just focus on showing your woman that you care. Here are some ideas from 5News on gifts to consider for this Valentine’s Day.