Ozarks At Large
Simultaneous tax cuts and hikes, charter schools and the latest on Medicaid expansion from the state legislature; jockeys prepare for this weekend's Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn; more sidewalks in Fayetteville and the population continues to grow in Northwest Arkansas; all in today's Segment A.
The Arkansas General Assembly moves forward with a controversial voter ID bill, education and education supporters rally against a proposal that would shift money from the state's general fund into highway construction, and Arkansas' U.S. Senate contingent speaks out about efforts to pass a federal budget.


State lawmakers continue to weigh the issue of Medicaid expansion two weeks after receiving word from Washington that federal Medicaid expansion funds could be used for a privatized expansion of the system. A pair of lawmakers also weigh in on how recent anti-abortion legislation has affected Arkansas' reputation in the rest of the country. And a controlled burn is set for tomorrow in one local city.
Late last week, the Northwest Arkansas Council released the results of a study on the area's Business Retention and Expansion Efforts. The study was compiled from interviews by area chambers of commerce with 459 area companies. We speak with Mike Harvey, chief operating officer of the council about the survey and what the results mean for the area moving forward.
Another area city plans to speak out against a bill in the Arkansas Legislature that could mean a rollback of city development regulations. Governor Mike Beebe touts the state's efforts to make sure fewer children in Arkansas go hungry, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art again gets national recognition, not for its paintings but for the construction of the museum itsself.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, distance education will have a strong presence in a program on the University of Arkansas campus next fall, plus Rogers Little Theatre brings a comedy classic to the stage. We go behind the scenes with The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Our insect expert Dr. Donald Steinkraus suggests a few gifts to encourage children's interest in insects and nature.
"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy
Becca Martin Brown has the last few Santa sightings before Christmas.
at end of show: "Gabrielle" from the Love Actually Soundtrack
Urgent Care Centers are affordable walk-in clinics which serve both cash-only as well as insured patients seeking acute care. But with millions more Americans enrolling onto the health insurance marketplace--and fewer primary care physicians available to see them--urgent care clinics may fill a critical gap. We visit with urgent care provider, Dr. Robert Karas.
Healing Touch, an international healing program, is a biofield therapy, meaning it deals with the magnetic field around the body, to promote various areas of healing. The Healing Touch ministry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville is more than a decade old, and now has its own location, ten practitioners and provides more than 600 treatments annually.
A recent report from the Northwest Arkansas Council says the military-related impact on Washington and Benton counties is in excess of $150,000,000.
Link: To see the full report: click here