Latest news with #MollyRawn
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor Rawn holds community meeting ahead of encampment sweep
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Mayor Molly Rawn hosted a community conversation on Sunday, June 8, to address homelessness and housing insecurity in Fayetteville. The event took place from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a day before a scheduled sweep of a University of Arkansas property used by dozens of unhoused people in Fayetteville. During the meeting, attendees shared ideas and expressed concerns about the city's housing challenges. Two individuals were asked to leave after tensions rose. 'My takeaway is there are a lot of people in our community who are hurting, they feel forgotten,' Rawn told KNWA/FOX24. '… That's not how I want anyone in our city to feel.' More than 30 people attended, including both unhoused and housed residents, along with members of local advocacy groups. 'There is no magic bullet to this,' Rawn said. 'If there were, then people who have been on our council and who have been elected officials much longer than I have, who are also are advocates for this cause, would have solved it.' Fayetteville's new student housing adds 800+ beds for UA Though the city does not oversee the University of Arkansas property where the encampment sweep is planned, Rawn acknowledged the need for collaboration and support. 'I absolutely believe there are actions we can take, that we have taken and that we continue to take…' Rawn said. 'I'm excited to move forward I think there some really good suggestions that came out of this group this evening.' The city has also offered to send Fayetteville Police Department social workers to assist during the sweep, according to a news release. A letter sent to people living on University of Arkansas property near 19th Street states the university will clear and clean the area on Monday, June 9. Residents were told to remove all personal belongings and necessities or risk having them discarded. Thomas Crane, 54, said he has been living 'off and on' in the 19th Street encampment area for around eight years. 'A lot of people aren't ready for it, a lot of people have nowhere to go,' Crane told KNWA/FOX24. Police calls to 19th Street encampment increase more than sevenfold in 2025 Police data from University of Arkansas and Fayetteville authorities show a sharp rise in incidents around the 19th Street unhoused encampment. Since Feb. 2024, Fayetteville Police have responded nearly 60 times to the area, with most calls in the past six months. University police reported an even steeper increase, calls for service jumped from 86 to 642 in a recent three-month period, alongside spikes in criminal charges. A recent attempted murder case also originated from the camp. A few residents of the camp area told a KNWA/FOX24 reporter they felt unsafe, especially at night. of Fayetteville's housing crisis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fayetteville announces 3 winners for Mayor's Environmental Stewardship Awards
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., (KNWA/KAFTA) — The city of Fayetteville announces three winners for its 2025 Mayor's Environmental Stewardship Awards on April 15. This is the fifth year the city has held the awards, which aims to recognize Fayetteville's community members, non-profits, businesses and educators in environmental stewardship through sustainable practices, programs or projects. 'The recipients of these awards are doing work that is meaningful not only in terms of climate resilience but also work that has an impact on resident quality of life,' Mayor Molly Rawn said. 'City staff and Fayetteville residents are sincerely grateful for their hard work, and I'm honored to recognize their passion and dedication to protecting the environment.' The winners are: Eric Fuselier — A project scientist with Olsson Engineering, who has contributed to environmental education and outreach. New Beginnings Green Team — A housing community that provides living arrangements and support for the homeless. The team is focused on reducing waste, promoting local food production and provides engagement for residents in environmental efforts. Beaver Watershed Alliance — A non-profit that attempts to maintain and improve high-quality drinking water in Beaver Lake and Beaver Lake Watershed. Molly Rawn will recognize the winners at the Marion Orton Recycling Center on April 19, the city's cleanup day and Earth Day celebration. For more information, visit the Mayors Environmental Stewardship Award website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fayetteville City Council to consider renaming two streets at next meeting, here's which ones
Related video: Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn talks future developments at Washington County Veterans Town Hall from March 2025 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A proposal that would rename two Fayetteville streets is set to be considered by the city council at its next meeting. A memo filed in the 756-page agenda for the April 15 meeting says that residents of the Heritage Village subdivision have requested the city to change two street names in the neighborhood. The two streets up for possible renaming are North Plantation Avenue and West Chattel Street in the west Fayetteville subdivision. A combined 32 homes are located on the two roads, 18 on Chattel and 14 on Plantation. Fayetteville ready to serve up first pickleball tournament The proposal said North Plantation Avenue would change to North Garden Avenue and West Chattel Street to West Reflection Street. The memo says the change would require three new road signs and the issuing of 32 address change letters. 'If approved, the GIS Office would notify the appropriate entities, notify the affected residences, make the appropriate changes to the city land record system, make changes to the utility billing database, and make changes to the NextGen911 system,' the memo said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fayetteville Mayor Rawn talks housing bill
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas state lawmakers say their new Senate bill is supposed to help alleviate a housing crisis, but Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn doesn't think so. Senate Bill 456, or the Home Opportunities Made Easier Act, is a state-wide mandate that would make zoning laws and regulations a moot point. The bill is an attempt to create more affordable housing throughout the state and allow for property owners to manage their land without local government interference no matter how it was previously zoned. Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn talks future developments at Washington County Veterans Town Hall Rawn says limiting local authority can have both positive and negative effects. 'It can be concerning when we start talking about the state limiting local authority to zone,' Rawn said. 'While there are some really well meaning outcomes that people may want to see, that can also lead to some really negative unintended consequences of really hindering local communities to being able to best serve the needs unique to them.' The bill has seen pushback from local communities despite being returned by the committee with the recommendation that it should pass. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn talks future developments at Washington County Veterans Town Hall
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — At this month's Washington County Veterans Town Hall on March 21, Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn spoke to veterans about future developments in the city. Rawn discussed topics including developing more housing and infrastructure to keep up with population growth, efforts to develop better public transportation in the city, and potentially having a Veteran's Day Parade in Fayetteville. She also expressed interest in working closer with Fayetteville Public Schools and the University of Arkansas as the city continues to develop. City of Fayetteville partners with Ozark Compost and Swap to provide curbside waste collection program 'Razorback Transit, we have a great relationship. University communications, we have a great relationship. I think the relationship that we really need to work on is at that administrative chancellor's office level,' said Rawn, 'We don't have to stop having those discussions about the problems right now. We need to continue those. We also have to start talking about the problems that aren't here yet, and how we prevent them. So, what is the 10-year plan? What is the 20-year plan?' Local veteran organizations said they're excited about the chance to speak to the mayor about the questions they get from the veterans they work with daily. 'Anytime you can get in front of someone from the city council, the mayor's office, the governor, a senator, those are important conversations. Especially for us in the veteran community,' said John Parker, Director of Communications for Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, 'We want to share with them what we hear from veterans all over the country, and we want to voice the concerns that we hear from the veterans and first responders that we deal with every single day.'These organizations also said the town hall has made them more hopeful for the future of the veteran community in Northwest Arkansas. 'A lot of people call here weekly, daily. You know, just asking, kind of like fishing for information of what makes this area so good,' said Ben Dykes, the Director of Washington County Veterans Services, 'And it's easy to see whenever you have our county judge here and the city mayor all on the same page. I mean, that's a real big vote of confidence.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
