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.
Ozarks At Large
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.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: what does yesterday's Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act mean for Arkansas? And Jim Fairbanks talks about his new memoir about getting stronger after being diagnosed with diabetes. We'll also take a spin around Siloam Springs' new outdoor gym and say a farewell to our regular Thursday guest, Jodi Beznoska.
A Rally is held today in Little Rock to call on Senator Mark Pryor to support gun control legislation. The City of Fayetteville will likely take over management of paid parking at the U of A's West Annex parking lot. Three countries stop importing Arkansas chicken after an outbreak of avian flu in Scott county. And a Siloam Springs chicken magnate gets named the new head of the NWA Council.
Home BancShares, owner of Centennial Bank, announces its acquisition of Liberty BancShares of Jonesboro, nearly doubling the bank's reach in the state. Head Start of Washington County will close two classrooms as a result of federal sequestration of part of the organization's budget. A strain of bird flu found in Scott County has been isolated and contained. And some state campgrounds closed because of flooding have reopened.
On this edition of Ozarks, two legislators discuss the role of Planned Parenthood in Arkansas' health care future and upcoming examinations of the state's parole and probation process. We also hear why a possible national designation for the White River has some people concerned. We'll also spend an afternoon at Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point, where musicians, singers and an entire community combines to create summer entertainment.
The Amazeum won't open until 2015, but Sam Dean, the director of the new science and learning museum, says that museum officials already have some idea of what the exhibits, and the building itself, will look like.
A group protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Oklahoma, including members from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and California, chain themselves to equipment at a construction site on the pipeline to prevent construction from moving forward. Officials in Central Arkansas lament a lack of access to documents related to the Mayflower Oil spill, leading to what they view as a lack of oversight. Rogers aldermen look to spend just more than $1 million on a trails project. And state officials draft a waiver that would allow the state to use federal Medicaid dollars for the state's so-called "private option" Medicaid expansion plan.
Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point's season runs through July 19 and will feature Madama Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Elixir of Love.For more about other drama events happening in the area, visit the following links:
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, a conversation with author Joyce Carol Oates prior to her lecture in Fayetteville. Plus, a bit of tinkering before the Amazeum opens to children and the community next fall.
We take a look at how theater in the region has changed as well as what plans some theater companies have for the future.
Becca Martin Brown of NWA Newspapers tells us about a nationally juried art exhibition that's coming to Fayetteville this week to commemorate women taking flight throughout aviation history.
Next month, chefs in Downtown Bentonville will take on the challenge of pairing their dishes with everything from beer and wine to works of art. We speak with two of the participating chefs about the science, art and experimentation that goes along with those pairings.
Adams, Garrett and Johnny perform "Sip, Drink and Toke" before their performance this afternoon in the opening concert of the third-annual Mountain Street Music Series at the Fayetteville Public Library
Here is a listing of the ten clips included in this week’s montage of ice-related items.
Vanilla Ice sings his biggest (only?) hit, "Ice, Ice, Baby."
Groucho gets fleeced in A Day at the Races.
Rock Hudson seeks information from Patrick McGoohan in Ice Station Zebra.
Camaro-ready rock and roll from Foreigner. The song is "Cold as Ice."
Pre-game analysis before the legendary 1967 NFL Championship Game, known as the "Ice Bowl." Green Bay beat Dallas 21-17.
"Ice Cream Man" from a young Tom Waits.
A portion of the trailer to the first Ice Age film.
Iceland native Bjork sings "It’s Oh So Quiet"
Val Kilmer, as Ice Man, gets all sentimental toward the end of Top Gun.
Theme from the HBO series Game of Thrones, adapted from A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin and filmed partially in Iceland.
Apologies to the fans of the movie Ice Castles, fans of Van Halen’s Ice Cream Man and rappers Cube and T. Maybe next time.
