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.”
The former Arkansas senator served Arkansas’ Fourth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years. Roby Brock from our content partner Talk Business, spoke with former Congressman Ross just as 2012 was drawing to a close.
“Congressman” by Groundation
Gage Mountain in eastern Carroll County has long been referred to by locals as “Crystal Mountain.” And as Jacqueline Froelich discovered, rock crystal harvested from the surface of the mountain was, more than eighty years ago, used for a very noble purpose.
A triptych, coming from the Greek word for three fold, is a work of art, usually a panel painting that is divided into three panels. A new book takes a closer look at the antique artform. Ozarks at Large’s Kyle Kellams spoke with University of Arkansas art historian and assistant professor Lynn Jacobs about her new book, which attempts to reinterpret the early Netherelandish triptych.
“Triptych” by Rumspringa
Catch Me If You Can and a pair of performances by the Oberlin Dance Company are all that’s in store for January at the Walton Arts Center, but Beth Bobbitt, the center’s manager of public relations says that more is on the way in February.
Individuals seeking a GED have always enrolled and tested for free in Arkansas--one of the last states to offer it at no cost. But by 2014, the program will be privatized and digitized--and students will be charged a hefty fee. We visit a GED Center housed at the former Jefferson Elementary School in Fayetteville to learn about the changes.