
Ozarks At Large

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe was in Texarkana yesterday, where he refused to reveal his future political plans, but offered his opinion on the recent partial shutdown of the federal government. Fayetteville's Owl Creek School next year will become the third school in the district to move to a continuous learning calendar. And the NCAA releases the most recent data on graduation success rates for student athletes.


A Fayetteville company earned a big award from the Department of Energy worth $500,000.
Tinkerbell and all the rest are part of Trike Theater's latest production.

Cynthia Levinson's book, We've Got a Job examines an amazing event during the fight for civil rights. In 1963 thousands of children marched through the segregated city of Birmingham, Alabama.
The Arkansas Poll revealed Arkansans are more pessimistic than they have been in the past. You can read the full results of the poll here.
The Community Clinic of NWA yesterday announced it has received a notable recognition for its implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model of care. And, Fort Smith and Springdale get good jobs news.

Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, January 10, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks…the 2013 Northwest Arkansas Education Report Card has numbers, plenty of numbers, relating to 17 public school districts in Washington and Benton Counties. We'll talk to Gary Ritter, the director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas about the report. And the three-person band The Room Outside plays inside the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio. We'll also talk to Michael Tilley from The City Wire about the week’s news and Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers about the upcoming weekend’s entertainment opportunities.
Justin Minkel, a Springdale elementary school teacher and 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, has just written a new book aimed at young readers.
Here are out ten clips relating to Buffalo, New York and the War of 1812.
1) Ten Thousand Maniacs (from the Buffalo area) sing Because the Night,
2) Robert Redford and Wilford Brimley in The Natural (filmed in Buffalo).
3) Bruce Springsteen sings about Buffalo's Erie Canal.
4) A trailer, featuring Marilyn Monroe, for the movie Niagara…set in nearby Niagara Falls.
5) Buffalo native Rick James ponders a Super Freak.
6) A BBC documentary about the assassination of President McKinley. The shooting happened in Buffalo. (as did the subsequent swearing-n ceremony of Theodore Roosevelt).
7) The only electronic song we know of about Buffalo native Grover Cleveland.
8) Judy Garland sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow…written by Buffalo native Harold Arlen.
9) Amanda Blake, another Buffalo native, as Miss Kitty on an early episode of Gunsmoke.
10) Johnny Horton sings The Battle of New Orleans, about the final battle of the War of 1812. Arkansas connection: written by Jimmy Driftwood.
Roby Brock, from our content partner Talk Business Arkansas, offers a preview of the state's politics in the coming year.
"The Boxer" by Editors
Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers suggests 12 things you should do in 2014.
Kevin Kinder and Kyle Kellams compare their lists of favorite music for 2013.