For nearly a year, the City of Springdale has been testing the use of artificial intelligence technologies with the traffic signals at the intersection of Wagon Wheel and Thompson, and the city may be ready to expand the technology throughout the city.

• Efficiency: AI technology can more accurately recognize if a vehicle, bike, or pedestrian is approaching an intersection and set signals accordingly, leading to fewer false detections, a more efficient traffic flow, and safer crossings.
• Expanding: The city council will vote later this month on purchasing new AI technology for the traffic lights, hoping to replace ten lights a year until every intersection in the city has been updated. The new technology could save the city $20,000 yearly compared to current systems.

Read more on the story HERE.

Over 750 athletes and teams representing 23 countries and all 50 United States will gather in Fayetteville today for the 46th Annual Joe Martin Stage Race, lasting May 18-21.

• High intensity: The Joe Martin Stage Race is a 4-day, 4-stage professional men's and women's cycling race along with a 2-day, 2-stage amateur stage race culminating with the Experience Fayetteville Criterium on Sunday, May 21, as cyclists complete several high-speed laps around Downtown Fayetteville.
• Celebrate cycling: Cheer on the racers and participate in All Wheels Welcome on Sunday from 12-4p, including a pop-up skate park, pickleball, RC car racing, and adult tricycle races! While you're downtown, stop by the Fayetteville Public Library for the National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection, featuring photos by Adventure Cycling Association founding member Greg Siple on display through May 31.

Learn more about the event HERE.

It's been a busy few months for banks in Northwest Arkansas, with at least three new branches planting roots in Rogers, most recently, Arkansas Federal Credit Union's breaking ground on a $6.5m facility in Rogers, including four hotel cubicles and a retail training room.

• Upscale: Sterling Bank opened its second Arkansas location in Mar, with a three-story, premier facility featuring a display of local art and a large community room available for meetings and events. Sterling has another location in the works for Bentonville.
• Always ready: Community-oriented Armor Bank made headlines for the recent groundbreaking of its facility on S 52nd St and the appointment of Northwest Arkansas native Andrew Brink as president of the Rogers market.

Find more bank news on Arkansas Money & Politics HERE.

Much confusion surrounds the environmental and ethical implications of purchasing natural vs. synthetic diamonds. In a recent blog post, Underwoods Fine Jewelers answers, "Why buy natural diamonds?"

• Value: Bill Underwood founded his business with a commitment to providing high-quality, great-value gemstones. Put simply, only diamonds he'd feel proud giving his wife LeAnn. Underwoods only sells natural diamonds because historically, they have either held or appreciated in value, whereas synthetics continue to drop in price due to the infinite supply and lack of rarity.
• Impact: Manufacturing "lab-grown" diamonds requires an immense amount of fossil fuel to replicate a process that takes nature hundreds of millions of years, creating three times the carbon emissions required by modern natural mining. Today's natural mines are increasingly making extraordinary efforts in conservation and empowering local communities that surround them.

Every diamond at Underwoods is natural, sustainable, and ethically mined. Learn more HERE.

Downtown Rogers will host the 10th Annual DTR Community Crawfish Boil this Saturday, May 20, at TXAR House beginning at 4p, benefitting the Rotary Club of Downtown Rogers.

• Join the fun: Enjoy all-you-can-eat Crawfish N' Fixings for $50, live music, drinks, and tons of fun with the local Rogers community for a great cause during the largest and longest-running crawfish boil in Rogers.
• Giving back: Each year, a local nonprofit is designated to receive proceeds from the event, and this year, event organizer Hannah Cicioni and the team at TxAR have selected the Rotary Club of Downtown Rogers.

Get your tickets for the Crawfish Boil HERE.