Ozarks At Large

Ahead on Ozarks, this region is a hotbed for a rare weather pattern called derechos. We talk to an expert forecaster about this interesting weather phenomenon. Last week, the Faiyetteville Public Library's board of directors voted to offer Washington Regional Medical Center $2 million for the City Hospital property just south of the library. We talk with David Johnson, the library's executive director, about the expansion proposal.

Ahead on this edition of Ozarks,we talk with Roby Brock about the Arkansas political landscape in the wake of Bill Halter's announcement he will not seek the Democratic nomination for governor. We also have the second part of our series on what the Affordable Health Care Act means for Arkansas. And our history doctor, Bill Smith, says not all scandals are worthy of the suffix "–gate." He examines how burglars at a Washington, D.C. hotel unwittingly created historical shorthand that is often misused. And, a deadly fungus in bats has now been detected in Arkansas

A sizable grant from the Walmart Foundation will help the NWA Children's Shelter continue to provide essential services for the area's children. The Benton County assessor's and collector's office in Gravette will soon move. The City of Fayetteville installs a charging station for electric vehicles, only the fifth in NWA. And a religious scholar weighs in on Pope Francis's recent comments in Brazil regarding homosexuals.

Bill Halter steps out of the 2014 race for Arkansas governor, leaving Mike Ross as the sole Democrat in the race. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Arkansans have a shorter life expectancy than the national average. And several highway projects announced last week by the Arkansas Highway Transportation Department will eventually become part of Interstate 49, but when that will happen is still to be determined.