Ozarks At Large
Simultaneous tax cuts and hikes, charter schools and the latest on Medicaid expansion from the state legislature; jockeys prepare for this weekend's Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn; more sidewalks in Fayetteville and the population continues to grow in Northwest Arkansas; all in today's Segment A.
The Arkansas General Assembly moves forward with a controversial voter ID bill, education and education supporters rally against a proposal that would shift money from the state's general fund into highway construction, and Arkansas' U.S. Senate contingent speaks out about efforts to pass a federal budget.


State lawmakers continue to weigh the issue of Medicaid expansion two weeks after receiving word from Washington that federal Medicaid expansion funds could be used for a privatized expansion of the system. A pair of lawmakers also weigh in on how recent anti-abortion legislation has affected Arkansas' reputation in the rest of the country. And a controlled burn is set for tomorrow in one local city.
Late last week, the Northwest Arkansas Council released the results of a study on the area's Business Retention and Expansion Efforts. The study was compiled from interviews by area chambers of commerce with 459 area companies. We speak with Mike Harvey, chief operating officer of the council about the survey and what the results mean for the area moving forward.
Another area city plans to speak out against a bill in the Arkansas Legislature that could mean a rollback of city development regulations. Governor Mike Beebe touts the state's efforts to make sure fewer children in Arkansas go hungry, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art again gets national recognition, not for its paintings but for the construction of the museum itsself.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, distance education will have a strong presence in a program on the University of Arkansas campus next fall, plus Rogers Little Theatre brings a comedy classic to the stage. We go behind the scenes with The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Katy Henriksen gives us a preview of this evening's Sunday Symphony and Community Cinema event at the Fayetteville Public Library.
"The Red Violin" by Joshua Bell
Pluto was discovered 83 years ago on Monday, but it has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas speaks with Robert Beauford, a doctoral student in space and planetary sciences at the University of Arkansas about how and why Pluto was downgraded.
Here is our out-of-this-world list of material that made up our space montage this morning. If you correctly identified them all, buy yourself a cold glass of Tang.
"Major Tom," as performed by David Bowie
Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.
Charlton Heston just before his space ship crashes into future earth. Spoiler alert: there are APES. This is the opening scene from the original Planet of the Apes
A commercial for Tang
HAL takes over in 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Shocking Blue with their biggest hit, "Venus"
A piece of the trailer for the disaster movie Armageddon. That's nativa Arkansan Billy Bob Thornton explaining "It's a meteor shower."
Pluto, the dog, barking in his 1952 cartoon, "Pluto's Party."
The worst bit of dialogue ever in a movie ("Future events such as these will affect you in the future.") from Plan 9 From Outer Space"
Holst's Mars from "The Planets"
"Pluto" by Clare and the Reasons
The Arkansas Legislature moves forward with a voter ID bill, the city of Fort Smith gets ready for some new fire equipment, and Bill Halter speaks out against changes to the lottery scholarship.
"Meteor" by The Bird and the Bee
Michael Tilley from The City Wire talks about strong homes sales in northwest Arkansas so far in 2013...and the murky future of an aquatic park in Sebastian County.