Another ballot initiative group is moving forwarrd with petitions after the state's attorney general approved the wording of its measure, which would raise the minimum wage in Arkansas to $8.50. Booneville Community Hospital starts the new year with a new name and new management. Fayetteville is set to be recognized as a compassionate city. Thirteen Arkansas counties are declared disaster areas after the early December ice and snow storm. And with a budget set, the Sebastian County Quorum Court and Fort Smith Board of Directors agree on amenities to be placed in the future Ben Geren Aquatics Park.
Ozarks At Large


For decades people have been concerned about preserving historic structures. The move to preserve historic landscapes is a more recent development.
On this first Monday of the first month of the year, we have the first installment in a monthly series looking more closely at the number of that month. Edmond Harris, math professor at the University of Arkansas, spoke with Christina Thomas about the importance of the number 1.

Arkansas Revenue totals for December came in above forecast, though state finance officials say that the increase is largely due to early deposits of securities fees. Governor Mike Beebe offers his thoughts on the landscape of Arkansas politics at the onset of his final year as governor. And, the Sebastian County Quorum Court and Fort Smith city board of directors will meet tonight to discuss amenities for the Ben Geren Aquatics Park.




Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Monday, April 21, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, Mercy Hospital continues its commitment to sustainability with a new recycling program. Also a conversation with the author of “Sharecropper's Troubadour.”
The Ozarks Genealogical Society's annual conference is scheduled for Sept. 13-14 in Springfield, Missouri, and the featured speaker is D. Joshua Taylor (http://www.djoshuataylor.com).
The first event outside of Eureka Springs for the Creative Energy Project will bring yarn, and plenty of it, to Bentonville.
Link: For more about Yarnology or the Creative Energy Project, www.creativeenergyproject.com
Officials with hunger relief organizations in Arkansas express concern over recent efforts to remove SNAP funding from the federal Farm Bill. Central Arkansas leaders request information from ExxonMobil regarding a stretch of pipeline in the Lake Maumelle Watershed. The Arkansas House and Senate Education Committees discuss the new Common Core curriculum, set to take effect when schools start in about a month. And the Fayetteville Public Library board of directors moves forward with an offer to purchase the former City Hospital property.
"Cut Me Loose" by T Model Ford
In the first of our series on the deployment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in Arkansas, Cynthia Crone, the state’s insurance department deputy commissioner, explains the fundamentals, including getting an early look at Arkansas’s insurance exchange, now referred to as marketplace.
Early next month the organization called the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A. Inc. will hold its annual convention in Rogers. We talked to John Bircher, National Spokesman for the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Link: To learn more about the Military Order of the Purple Heart, visit www.purpleheart.org