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.
Last Friday, former president Bill Clinton was at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where doctors are working to find genetic causes of childhood cancer. It’s work that would not be possible without the first map of the human genome, which was completed while Clinton was President. Eleanor Boudreau from our partner station WKNO in Memphis filed this report.
Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas talks to Matt Melson, a wildlife biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, to find out how wild animals survive in extremely hot and dry conditions.
“New Slang” by The Shins
The Migration Policy Institute based in Washington D.C., with financial support from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Little Rock, commissioned Dr. Rafael Jimeno to conduct a scientific survey of Marshallese migrants who’ve settled in Springdale, the first study of it’s kind.
"When I Survey" by Various Artists
First United Methodist Church in Springdale will host a community block party next month.
"Community" by Cluster
Author Megan Bergman talks to Ozarks at Large’s Katy Henriksen about her book “Birds of a Lesser Paradise,” a collection of short stories that was just cited by the Huffington Post as a must-read.