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.
A police K9 unit, consisting of a handler and his dog, helps detect narcotics and track individuals, and shares a relationship based on love and trust.
Photo courtesy of the City of Fayetteville website: www.accessfayetteville.org.
Wayne Bell of www.fayettevilleflyer.com discusses Emmy nominees for the more popular categories.
“Theme from The Game of Thrones”
The Brick Fields Duo will take part in the Ozarks Blues Society Challenge tonight at George’s Majestic Lounge on Dickson Street in Fayetteville.
For more information, visit www.brickfieldsmusic.com.
But a significant portion of the long-vacant Mallalieu Church in Fort Smith is being preserved from demolition so it can be used as an entrance for a new community academic center.
“Moonlight” by Charlie Haden
The non-profit Youth Bridge, which provides services to at-risk teens in northwest Arkansas, is hosting Starry, Starry Night to raise money for a teen homeless shelter.
For more information, visit www.youthbridge.com or the Youth Bridge Facebook page.