Happy Friday!

🍎 🍯 And Happy Rosh Hashanah to those celebrating.

🕯️ Today marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks — a day that changed the country and the world, and one we remember for the nearly 3,000 people who were killed and the countless lives forever changed.

🌧️ Today's weather: Showers and thunderstorms likely, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 88 and a low of 70.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Jeannie McIntire!

Today's newsletter is 787 words — a 3-minute read.

Northwest Arkansas permitted new housing at one of the fastest rates in the country in the past year, a small indicator the region is on track to reach 1 million residents by 2050.

Why it matters: More supply has helped slow home-price growth and shift leverage toward buyers.

State of play: The pace signals a large potential pipeline of new housing relative to the region's population, though permits do not mean construction has begun or been completed.

By the numbers: In the 12 months through July, NWA authorized 9,447 housing units — the nation's fourth-highest rate among metros with more than 100,000 residents, according to the latest Census Bureau data.

• The one-year total increased 10.5% from the previous year.
• About 43% of those were multifamily.
• Based on a 2025 population estimate of 622,177, the metro authorized 15.2 units per 1,000 residents.

Zoom out: By comparison, The Villages in Florida topped the list at a rate of more than 23 units per 1,000 residents.

Context: Northwest Arkansas has "added a lot of supply of housing" over the past several years, Mervin Jebaraj, director of the University of Arkansas' Center for Business and Economic Research, told a crowd in late August. The group gathered for the release of the twice-yearly Arvest Skyline Report.

• The housing supply cooled prices, but higher mortgage rates also slowed residential construction and investment nationally, he noted.
• Home-price growth in NWA slowed from roughly 20% to 10%, then 5%, and was essentially flat at the end of the first half of 2026, he said.

"For the first time in many years, I would characterize this as more of [a] buyer's market than a seller's market," Jebaraj said at the time.

What we're watching: How many permitted units are completed and whether additional supply continues to cool home prices.

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Northwest Arkansas gas prices rose for the second straight month in September, reaching an average $3.86 per gallon, according to GasBuddy data.

Why it matters: Local drivers are paying $1.45 more per gallon than in December when it cost $2.41.

By the numbers: Northwest Arkansas prices remain 29 cents below the national average.

• The national average is 33 cents below its May peak of $4.48.

More from Axios:

• Iran war drives $100 billion in extra energy costs for U.S. consumers
• Trump's energy boss wavers on gasoline price path
• Oil's "new normal" is looking more expensive

📉 Rogers-based America's Car-Mart reported a nearly $69 million loss in its first quarter that ended July 31. (Northwest Arkansas Business Journal)

🩺 The University of Arkansas received a grant of about $777,000 from Arkansas' Rural Health Transformation Program to expand the Arkansas Health Survey, which has health-related data down to census tracts. (University of Arkansas)

⛑️ Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin launched the "One Pill Can Kill" initiative at NorthWest Arkansas Community College this week, making it the 13th campus to take part. The initiative seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and provides harm prevention kits to campuses. (KNWA)

Get out this weekend.

😎 Weekend Starts — Kick off the weekend with this free festival with live music from 5:30-7:30pm today at The Ramble in downtown Fayetteville.

🖼️ "Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work" — This new exhibition opens Saturday at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It features paintings, embroideries and photographs examining the life of Anna Mary Robertson, who spent most of her life as a housekeeper, farmer and mother before holding her first solo art exhibition at 80, according to the museum.

• Tickets are $15 or free for museum members, people 25 and younger, veterans and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. The exhibit runs until March 29, 2027.

🧵 Ozark Quilt Fair — The event includes quilts on display, a historian talk, live music and quilt-themed art activities.

• 10am-2pm Saturday at Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Free.

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Thanks to Delano Massey for editing this newsletter while Chloe Gonzales enjoys some well-earned time away from us.

Alex visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum a couple of years ago and recommends it if you're ever in New York.

Worth is reflecting on the day 25 years ago and also remembering his visit to the 9/11 Memorial.