We continue our series previewing this weekend's poetry festival at Nightbird Books. Katie Nichol grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota and says she started writing poetry when she was about 12 years old:
Ozarks At Large
Arkansas' U.S. Senators speak out in favor of the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require online retailers to collect state and local sales tax on purchases anywhere in the country. Officials with the WestArk Area Boy Scout Council voice their feelings about changes to the national organization's membership policy regarding sexual orientation. The Rogers Farmers' Market will be in a different location when it opens Saturday, and the Bentonville School District gets state funding approved for construction of a second high school, though the battle for building bucks continues.
Nathan Vandiver from our content partner KUAR in Little Rock provides a wrap-up of this year's Legislative Session.
The art department at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville has taken over the basement of the Bank of America Building on the square in downtown Fayetteville for the month of April with sUgAR's pop-up gallery featuring work from BFA honors students and MFA candidates. Katy Henriksen has this report.
Web Exclusive: Images From the sUgAR Gallery
Tom Vilsack, the country's Secretary of Agriculture, was the esteemed speaker of yesterday's Dale and Betty Bumpers Distinguished Lecture at the University of Arkansas. He took the opportunity to speak candidly with the standing room only crowd about short-, medium-, and long-term ag public policy goals, and about opening lines of communication.Governor Mike Beebe and the state legislature tie up some loose ends at the conclusion of the legislative session, the Northwest Arkansas Council holds a summit for area leaders to figure out how to connect immigrants--either international or domestic--to resources in the area. A group of concerned area residents held a protest on the U of A campus yesterday in an attempt to draw U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's attention to the confined animal feeding operation set to operate in the Buffalo River Watershed, and a group of UAFS students plan a run to benefit victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing.
The state's Department of Human Services holds a rally on the steps of the state capitol to raise awareness that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. One of Northwest Arkansas' two public transit operators get ready to expand certain bus routes in an efficiency reorganization. One economist at the University of Arkansas thinks that construction will help the state, and the nation, recover from the lingering effects of the economic recession. And Walmart sets a record for the amount of donations given by a retailer in a given year.
Montreal rockers The Besnard Lakes continue to hone their signature blissed-out apocalypse rock in their latest release Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO. Ozarks at Large's Katy Henriksen reviews the effort in anticipation of their appearance in Fayetteville this week.
Today, Roby Brock from our content partner Talk Business Arkansas has news about tax cuts, the governor's race, and Walmart's new sustainability goals. Recent numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Arkansas' unemployment rate remains lower than the national average, though the size of the state's workforce has shrank. Governor Mike Beebe touts the state's growing art tourism industry, Senator Mark Pryor's reelection bid will determine whether a Democrat can still be competitive in the state, and the Razorbacks split a series over the weekend, while the Naturals drop another three-game set at home.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, April 4, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: the former president of Heifer International speaks on the University of Arkansas campus. Plus, we take a walk through history that begins in Jasper.
Here is the list we'll call the "Congratulations Christina and Sam" montage:
The Marvelettes sing Going to the Chapel.
Luke and Laura get married on All My Children and live happily ever after. Just kidding, it was a soap opera.
Billy Idol pumps his fist to White Wedding.
Miss Piggy and Kermit come *this close* to marrying.
The Fifth Dimension and Wedding Bell Blues.
Steve Martin panics in the remake of the Father of the Bride.
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in Royal Wedding.
The ending of Four Weddings and a Funeral with Andie McDowell and Hugh Grant.
Sarah Harmer sings Open Window (the Wedding Song). Best song with wedding in the title, by the way.
Apologies to: Peter, Paul and Mary, Sex and the City (first movie), Wedding Crashers, Buddy Holly, and about one million other movies and songs. Maybe next time.
Members of the Arkansas Bar Association gathered in the state capitol yesterday to protest the influx of dark money, or out-of-state contributions from unknown sources and agendas, in the state's judicial elections. Plus, the USDA says that global climate change is having, and likely will continue to have an effect on agriculture in the country and in Arkansas.
"Bring Me Your Cup" by UB40
Our final conversation with a candidate in next week's primary election is with Bruce Westerman. He's seeking the GOP nomination for the 4th Congressional District.
The final tour for the Trey McIntyre Project stops in Fayetteville tonight.
"Quidditch World Cup" by Patrick Doyle
Becca Martin Brown, from Northwest Arkansas Media, says the weekend is full of activities designed for the youngest among us.
