Ozarks At Large

Roby Brock from Talk Business Arkansas recently hosted a roundtable with bloggers Jason Tolbert and Michael Cook and Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service, about political races in Arkansas.

Brooklyn-based artist Shira E brought her new CD, Shouts and Sparks, and her sampler to the Firmin Garner Performance Studio recently.

An area school district that intended to arm teachers and other staff can no longer do so, after the board that issued a private security firm license to the Clarksville School District has revoked that license. The Arkansas State Police rolls out a fleet of new, more discreet cruisers. One of Springdale's farmers' markets closes, but could potentially reopen in the future. A non-profit aimed at serving women from disadvantaged situations gets ready to open in Rogers. And a new state law taking effect tomorrow means drivers will have to move over for more than just emergency personnel.

A spokesman for Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin says that the office should be able to use outside counsel that questions the office's compliance with the state's Freedom of Information Act. Benton County officials continue to assess damage done by recent floods, with the cost of said damage estimated at $5 million and rising. The same rains that caused damage in Benton County has given a rare opportunity to floaters of the Buffalo River. And while yesterday's elections resulted in a runoff next month in Springdale, voters in Paris and Huntsville approved more taxes in their own cities.