Mercy Health used an innovative walking program to become one of the healthiest workplaces in the country.
Ozarks At Large
A roundup of events and news for the next few weeks include an alternative way to deliver a Valentine.


An administrative law judge with the Arkansas Public Service Commission on Friday ordered SWEPCO to proceed on its proposed plan to build a massive new power transmission line through portions of northwest Arkansas. Also, Governor Mike Beebe says that recent cost analyses of operating the state's Private Option expansion of Medicaid justifies the program's passage during last year's session of the state legislature. And the state Attorney General's office warns residents about rapid-refund tax providers.

Ahead on Ozarks, a conversation with young adult author An Na. Also, we learn what it takes to become a police officer.

We speak with An Na, author of A Step From Heaven, a book that was awarded the Michael L. Prince Award when it was published a decade ago. Critics and reviewers commended the book's characters for speaking like a child without being too precocious or condescending. The author will speak in Fayetteville later this month.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, we visit the kitchen of Jen Lewis, take a spin in a state-run clinic that aids veterans in rural communities, and we meet a recovering opiate addict who has found hope with methadone.
Wayne Bell says theaters in the area already have a few strong movies on their screens, but several more are headed this way,
Northwest Arkansas' unemployment rate dropped in the month of September, and a state economist says that the area is the strongest-performing in the state. Also, a kickball tournament to be held later this week has already raised thousands for the NWA Children's Shelter, even before the first ball is rolled. And, AARP plans to offer defensive driving courses to veterans next month.
"Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield
At least eleven public school districts in Arkansas now offer single-gender elementary classes, including Siloam Springs School District. We observe several of the classes and talk with educators and a scholar about the benefits as well as criticism regarding this school choice.
Prior to his move to the west coast, actor Jim Goza discusses the web series Zombie Go Boom and his plans for the future.
Becca Martin Brown has a list of plenty of Halloween events.
"Musica Ricercata" by Gyorgy Ligeti