
Ozarks At Large



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.



In our weekly review of the headlines, we take a look at groups and organizations that are on the hook for more money, and one organization getting a sizable amount of money.
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.



Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Monday, March 31, 2014
On this edition of Ozarks, a preview of an upcoming grief seminar for bereaved parents. Also, Fort Smith releases an annual report on its homeless community.
Recently, the duo Air Loom stopped by the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio for a conversation and a live performance.
After listening to speculation about Tom Cotton's political future for months, he finally, formally announced his intention to run for a Senate seat. This week's montage focuses on other cottons:
Zooey Deschanel's Cotton commercial
Michael Jordan's Hanes Lay Flat T-shirt commercial
Golden Corral cotton candy commercial
"Cotton Candy Land" by Elvis Presley
:Peter Cottontail" by Gene Autry
A clip from Francis Ford Coppola's movie The Cotton Club
"Cotton Mouth Man" by James Cotton (featuring Joe Bonamassa)
"Cotton Fields" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Pickin' Time" by Johnny Cash
"Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex
Flooding affects many parts of Northwest Arkansas, manufacturing defects apparently affected the Pegasus Pipeline when it was tested in 2006, and the state lottery commission is finding itsself on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
"Sistine Chapel Ceiling" by Adorable
Michael Tilley with The city Wire explains how Arkansas has lost fifty-thousand manufacturing jobs in ten years and why full-time jobs are growing in number as quickly as part-time jobs.
Clint Fullin is an example of the second (or third) generation of documentary filmmakers with connections to the University of Arkansas Department of Journalism.
"When I Dream of Michelangelo" by Counting Crows