Arkansas's new state treasurer is reshaping policies of the office based on input from employees of the division. The 2014 fiscal year begins today with a new budget for the state, which includes increased spending for Medicaid and higher education. Today is the deadline for public input on the state's new voter ID law. Political commentators ruminate on Tom Cotton's chances for running a successful Senate campaign against Mark Pryor. And, Benton County starts looking at building a new courts building to replace the current one, built in 1928.
Ozarks At Large
Former state treasurer Martha Shoffner talks to reporters on her way into the courtroom in Little Rock. Some state lawmakers wonder if Arkansas can cover the cost of the so-called private option when the state has to pick up part of the cost in a few years. And UAFS gets a sizable gift to help expand the college's nursing program.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: what does yesterday's Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act mean for Arkansas? And Jim Fairbanks talks about his new memoir about getting stronger after being diagnosed with diabetes. We'll also take a spin around Siloam Springs' new outdoor gym and say a farewell to our regular Thursday guest, Jodi Beznoska.
A Rally is held today in Little Rock to call on Senator Mark Pryor to support gun control legislation. The City of Fayetteville will likely take over management of paid parking at the U of A's West Annex parking lot. Three countries stop importing Arkansas chicken after an outbreak of avian flu in Scott county. And a Siloam Springs chicken magnate gets named the new head of the NWA Council.
Home BancShares, owner of Centennial Bank, announces its acquisition of Liberty BancShares of Jonesboro, nearly doubling the bank's reach in the state. Head Start of Washington County will close two classrooms as a result of federal sequestration of part of the organization's budget. A strain of bird flu found in Scott County has been isolated and contained. And some state campgrounds closed because of flooding have reopened.
On this edition of Ozarks, two legislators discuss the role of Planned Parenthood in Arkansas' health care future and upcoming examinations of the state's parole and probation process. We also hear why a possible national designation for the White River has some people concerned. We'll also spend an afternoon at Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point, where musicians, singers and an entire community combines to create summer entertainment.
The Amazeum won't open until 2015, but Sam Dean, the director of the new science and learning museum, says that museum officials already have some idea of what the exhibits, and the building itself, will look like.
A group protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Oklahoma, including members from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and California, chain themselves to equipment at a construction site on the pipeline to prevent construction from moving forward. Officials in Central Arkansas lament a lack of access to documents related to the Mayflower Oil spill, leading to what they view as a lack of oversight. Rogers aldermen look to spend just more than $1 million on a trails project. And state officials draft a waiver that would allow the state to use federal Medicaid dollars for the state's so-called "private option" Medicaid expansion plan.
Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point's season runs through July 19 and will feature Madama Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Elixir of Love.For more about other drama events happening in the area, visit the following links:
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, a conversation with author Joyce Carol Oates prior to her lecture in Fayetteville. Plus, a bit of tinkering before the Amazeum opens to children and the community next fall.
Fourth District Congressman Tom Cotton officially announced his bid for U.S. Senate yesterday, ending one of the worse-kept secrets in Arkansas politics. The special election date is set for Fayetteville voters to decide whether to extend bonds that were originally used to build the Fayetteville Town Center. And a lawsuit is the latest chapter in the saga surrounding C & H Hog Farms, the Farm Services Agency and the U.S. Small Business Association.
"Let Them Be" by The Polyphonic Spree
The Ozark Natural Science Center was in dire straits earlier this year, but a fundraising campaign is nearing completion and students are expected to be at ONSC this fall.
Soil Cycle, a project of Feed Fayetteville, collects restaurant food waste the green way, then composts it for use on the soil of community gardens.
William Lyle, the current executive chef at Ella's Restaurant has been hired as the new executive chef at Eleven.
"Disarm" by The Civil Wars
Becca Martin Brown says Still on the Hill has received a grant to produce songs about Beaver Lake.
