Members of Arkansas' Congressional delegation react to President Obama's State of the Union Address earlier this week, as well as the President's pick to lead the Department of Defense. And, Fort Smith city and Sebastian County officials plan their next step inn moving forward with a regional aquatics center following public dissatisfaction with recently revised plans.
Ozarks At Large

A survey released this morning by the Walton Family Foundation measures residents of Northwest Arkansas' happiness and opinions.
Arkansas legislators move forward with a bill that would cap annual growth of the state government, and the controversial bill that would allow some to carry concealed firearms on college campuses in the state moves forward as well. Plus, John Brown University in Siloam Springs gets a gift to help renovate the oldest dormitory on the school's campus.
A bill that would initiate a study of the state's public schools' readiness to acts of violence is one step closer to becoming law. The Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas selects cities to be a part of a program studying municipal sustainable energy consumption. And Lincoln residents will get the chance to see one of the Academy Awards nominees, weeks before the ceremony takes place in Holywood.

Becca Martin Brown from NWA Newspapers says tonight's entertainment suggestions include auditions for “Goodbye Charlie” at Rogers Little Theater, and the band Spoken returns to Fayetteville.
A recent bill in the Arkansas legislature would reward state employees who report waste or inefficiency with state money, and lawmakers speak out on a recently released audit of the state's Medicaid system. And, smaller beef cattle herds in the state caused by last year's drought may result in higher beef prices at the grocery store.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Monday, March 17, 2014
On this St. Patrick's Day edition of Ozarks, a conversation with Christopher Leonard, author of “The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business.”
We talk to Jim Fairbanks, the president of the Fayetteville Chapter of the venerable organization, Toastmasters International.
Shawn James, a Chicago native, hasn't been in Fayetteville that long, but he's quickly become a staple of the local music community. He stopped by the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio recently to play some tunes with Mark McKinney, banjo, and Nick Shoulders, harmonica. Their cover of John Legend's "Who Did That to You," which was captured on video by Anna Hutchison of Spring Street Portraits, has already gone viral.
New proposals for House and Senate revolve around familiar subjects.
"The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down" by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation recently awarded this rural advocacy organization a $175,000. Rural Community Alliance will use a portion of the funds for a community revitalization project in Southeast Arkansas. Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas spoke with the directors of both organizations.
Opponents of sequestration say jobs and revenue could be hit hard in Arkansas if lawmakers don't act.