Ozarks At Large
Tonya Lewis Lee helped bring Christopher Paul Curtis' novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham to Tv this month. Tonight the film is being shown, for free, at Bentonville High School and today we talked with Ms. lee about the project that premiered earlier this month on the Hallmark Channel.
Late last week, the federal Department of Health and Human Services accepted Arkansas's plan for Medicaid expansion. The city of Bentonville will give away compost and wood mulch this week. A couple of roads close or otherwise reroute in the River Valley starting today. And gas prices dropped slightly in Arkansas over the past week.
With this morning's montage, we say several goodbyes; to Summer, to a famed Yankees pitcher, and to one of our longest-tenured colleagues at KUAF. Here are our 10 pop culture references we used to say goodbye.
- "So Long, Farewell" from the Sound of Music
- Lou Gehrig's farewell speech
- "Goodbye my Lover" by James Blunt
- ET says his goodbye
- The famous words from Gone With The Wind
- "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles
- The Friends leave the apartment for the final time
- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John
- Jim Carey tells his fare goodbye at the beginning of Dumb and Dumber
- Leaving Casablanca for the final time
- Johnny Carson bids his final farewell to the audience during his final time hosting The Tonight Show
The Arkansas Center For The Book this week made its selection for the 2013 If All Arkansas Read The Same Book Program. Kyle Kellams spoke with Vivienne Schiffer, the author of the novel Camp Nine, this year's selection.
State officials continue to seek a solution to the teacher insurance crisis in Arkansas. New numbers are out regarding Arkansas students' achievements on Advanced Placement tests. And, the Connecting Arkansas Internet Conference is being held in Little Rock this week.
You can go to a workshop at NWACC to learn about the state's Freedom of Information Act, or you can participate in one of many lake and other outdoor cleanups in the next few days.



Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, May 9, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, Michael Tilley talks about a new owner for some long-abandoned real estate in Fort Smith, and the official announcement of a Whole Foods in Fayetteville. Plus, Cletus Got Shot gets ready to perform at a few festivals in the next month.
Roby Brock, from our content partner Talk Business ands Politics, reports the state of Arkansas is targeting motorcyclists as potential tourists.
at end of show: "Keep on the Sunny Side" Roe Family Singers
Congressman Tom Cotton and Mark Pryor traded verbal blows late last week as each addressed the Delta Grassroots Caucus, which held its annual meeting in Little Rock. Enrollment in the state's Private Option continued to grow last month, as evidenced by a new report released by the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and the University of Arkansas System moved forward with its future online university programs last week by hiring the school's first three employees.
"Shuckatoom" by American Top 40
Students begin to lose gains made throughout the academic year almost as soon as the final bell rings for summer vacation. An open forum tomorrow at the Jones Center in Springdale will address opportunities to keep students' minds active during out of school times. Many organizations will be involved, including the Arkansas Out of School Network.
Roby Brock, from Talk Business and Politics, says it was an especially busy week for economic matters in Arkansas, including Tyson Foods' attempt to acquire Hillshire Brands.
Children's House in Springdale is designed to help some of the youngest victims of abuse and neglect in northwest Arkansas.
"Twilight" by U2