The U of A gets $1.4 million of federal transportation money to start a Maritime Research and Educational Center. UAFS gets ready to unveil a new master plan. A Fort Smith school gets named a National Blue Ribbon School. And a volunteer fair set for this week aims to connect area non-profit organizations with people willing to help out.
Ozarks At Large
Ahead on Ozarks: the approaching enrollment period for new Arkansas health care plans means many people in the state have questions about how they'll be affected. Roby Brock, from our content partner Talk Business Arkansas, seeks answers to some of the questions from three people close to the health-care issue. Plus theater returns in full force. No fewer than thirteen productions will be on area stages in the next month. We'll have a rundown and meet the young, earnest cast of the University of Arkansas’ Clean House…the first play of the U of A season. And how mammals in the University of Arkansas’ museum collection are being preserved.
Well, maybe not lions and tigers, but the UA collection does have more than 250 river otters. They recently received a grant to rehouse their mammal collection. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas has more. The Arkansas Insurance Department releases rates for insurance policies that will be sold through the state's new insurance exchange. Arkansas' poverty rate edges upward slightly in the latest American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Arkansas Children's Hospital researchers continue efforts to curb the rate of childhood obesity. A Fayetteville street is closed to make way for sidewalk construction. And fewer travelers flew through XNA in August, though the airport has still seen more travelers so far this year than at this time last year.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks at Large, how the history of Arkansas was written. We speak with two of the four authors of "Arkansas: a Narrative History." Plus, our weekly installment of Arkansongs, and Becca Martin Brown tells us what's up.
The second edition of "Arkansas: a Narrative History" has been released by the University of Arkansas Press. We speak with two of the book's four authors about how they condensed the state's history, from the formation of the Ozark Mountains to Governor Mike Beebe.We speak with our Ozarks at Large insect expert, Dr. Donald Steinkraus, to the tricks to getting rid of and keeping away the pesky kitchen pest.
In his weekly review of business and political news, Roby Brock of Talk Business Arkansas says that a recent release by the Federal Reserve shows that though the economic recovery isn't leaping forward in Arkansas, some sectors are showing brisk improvement.The Big River Steel superproject moves forward in northeast Arkansas, while Central Arkansas Water files intent to sue Exxon Mobile if the company decides to prematurely restart its Pegasus pipeline through Central Arkansas. And, the Beaver Watershed Alliance plans a series of community meetings in southern Washington County to give local stakeholders information regarding best operating practices to help improve water quality in the West Fork watershed of the White River. The schedule and more information for those meetings can be found in this flyer.
Ahead on Weekend Ozarks at Large, a student-led sex education week at the U of A, two brothers building canoes in Avoca, and we step inside of Son's Chapel outside of Goshen.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, as the state prepares for a busy election year, one county makes changes to its polling sites. Plus, a physical fitness event this weekend celebrates two very different causes, and we visit with a founder of the Soweto Gospel Choir, which is performing tonight at Walton Arts Center.
Forty-five states, including Arkansas have adopted Common Core career and college readiness K-12 education standards. But under the technology-enriched curriculum, cursive handwriting is optional. A St. Joseph third grade class in Fayetteville helps us to parse the implications.
Becca Martin Brown of Northwest Arkansas Media tells us about a showing of They Were Promised the Sea which is the latest presentation in the Caravanserai series.
"Becca and the Blue Capo" by Trace Bundy
In case you need a spot to duck into in between April showers, local and regional art galleries and exhibition spaces will have plenty for you to soak up throughout the month, including exhibits at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, the John Brown University art gallery, and elsewhere.
Here are our ten clips from our montage dedicated to April Showers. Well, dedicated to rain at least…
B.J. Thomas sings "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Hugh Grant and Andie Macdowell admit their mutual love at the end of Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Prince sings "Purple Rain."
Bill Cosby with an early TV rendition of his famous Noah routine.
Mahalia Jackson with the gospel great "Didn’t It Rain".
Gene Kelly about to launch into the best three minutes ever recorded in a movie musical.
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst exchange a rainy kiss as Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson.
Tom Hanks (as Forrest Gump) describes the many kinds of rain.
Sam Neil tries to save kids from a hungry T. Rex in Jurassic Park.
Audrey Hepburn finds the cat…and George Peppard…at the end of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Mancini notes should have given this away.
Apologies to: The Weather Girls, Andy’s escape in Shawshank Redemption, the bubbling skeletons in Poltergeist, the Eurythmics, John Wayne in the Quiet Man and all those movies with Notebook in the title. Maybe next time.
The proposed expansion of Arkansas' Medicaid system cleared a preliminary hurdle in the House yesterday, though final approval is still pending. And families who live near the Pegasus Pipeline rupture in Mayflower will be allowed to return to their homes this weekend.
"Situation (Deadline Mix)" by Yazoo
