🌱 Missing Benton County Teen + Beaver Lake Beaches Closed

Hello all. It's me, Sean Peek, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here are all the things you need to know about what's happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: An afternoon thundershower. High: 75 Low: 58.
• Thursday: Mainly cloudy. High: 82 Low: 60.

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Here are the top three stories today in Bentonville:

1. Police are looking for a missing teen from Benton County. Serenity Lynne Black, 17, has gone missing from where she was last seen in Rogers. Black's friends told police that she planned on running away to go live with her grandmother. Police are suspecting that she will be in McDonald County or Barry County, Missouri. If you see this young woman or have any information about where she may be, please contact the authorities. (NewsTalk KZRG)
2. In nearby Beaver Lake, swim beaches are closed until further notice due to E. coli levels. The Lost Bridge North and Damsite Peninsula beaches have been closed after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers checked the water before the upcoming weekend to see if it was safe for swimming. Park Ranger Landon Thurman says the high e-coli level oftentimes is due to the fecal matter that washes into the lake from the animals in the area. The Army Corps hopes to get the beaches open again before the holiday weekend but they must get two negative tests back before that can happen. The swimming beach at Horseshoe Bend is also closed due to high water levels. (KFSM 5Newsonline)
3. Walmart has opened a new market fulfillment center in Bentonville that pushes high-tech automation. The new fulfillment market is filled with thousands of frequently purchased items that will allow online orders to be fulfilled there by a robot, rather than by associates at the store. Items collected by the robot will then be taken to a station where they can be assembled quickly. Walmart believes that this process for fulfillment will be more efficient and offer more products to be continually available, as the fulfillment center combines their store and supply chain assets into one center. (KNWA)

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Today and tomorrow in Bentonville:

Wednesday, May 24

• Summer Food Truck at Beau Terre Office Park (11:30 AM)
• Ribbon Cutting at Barrett Family Enterprises | Healing Springs (12:00 PM)
• Mozart In The Museum at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (7:00 PM)

Thursday, May 25

• Bentonville Bike Fest at 1805 SW 2nd St, Bentonville (3 PM)

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From my notebook:

• Bentonville's Glow Run is next Friday, Jun. 2! Bring a colorful fun outfit and enjoy an evening of running decked out in all kinds of glowing swag. You can register online for the event until May 31. (Friends of Bentonville Parks and Recreation via Facebook)
• June First Friday Art Fest will be back in Downtown Bentonville on Jun. 2! You won't want to miss the line-up of DJ's performing on the main stage with music running from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Downtown Bentonville Incorporated via Facebook)
• The city of Bentonville is hosting the Pedal It Forward NWA's bike drive on Jun. 2. Help the city reach its goal of donating 150 bikes by bringing your used bike to Memorial Park or Creekside Park. (The City of Bentonville, Arkansas Government via Facebook)

That's it for today! I'll see you soon.

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.