Arkansas's new state treasurer is reshaping policies of the office based on input from employees of the division. The 2014 fiscal year begins today with a new budget for the state, which includes increased spending for Medicaid and higher education. Today is the deadline for public input on the state's new voter ID law. Political commentators ruminate on Tom Cotton's chances for running a successful Senate campaign against Mark Pryor. And, Benton County starts looking at building a new courts building to replace the current one, built in 1928.
Ozarks At Large
Former state treasurer Martha Shoffner talks to reporters on her way into the courtroom in Little Rock. Some state lawmakers wonder if Arkansas can cover the cost of the so-called private option when the state has to pick up part of the cost in a few years. And UAFS gets a sizable gift to help expand the college's nursing program.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: what does yesterday's Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act mean for Arkansas? And Jim Fairbanks talks about his new memoir about getting stronger after being diagnosed with diabetes. We'll also take a spin around Siloam Springs' new outdoor gym and say a farewell to our regular Thursday guest, Jodi Beznoska.
A Rally is held today in Little Rock to call on Senator Mark Pryor to support gun control legislation. The City of Fayetteville will likely take over management of paid parking at the U of A's West Annex parking lot. Three countries stop importing Arkansas chicken after an outbreak of avian flu in Scott county. And a Siloam Springs chicken magnate gets named the new head of the NWA Council.
Home BancShares, owner of Centennial Bank, announces its acquisition of Liberty BancShares of Jonesboro, nearly doubling the bank's reach in the state. Head Start of Washington County will close two classrooms as a result of federal sequestration of part of the organization's budget. A strain of bird flu found in Scott County has been isolated and contained. And some state campgrounds closed because of flooding have reopened.
On this edition of Ozarks, two legislators discuss the role of Planned Parenthood in Arkansas' health care future and upcoming examinations of the state's parole and probation process. We also hear why a possible national designation for the White River has some people concerned. We'll also spend an afternoon at Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point, where musicians, singers and an entire community combines to create summer entertainment.
The Amazeum won't open until 2015, but Sam Dean, the director of the new science and learning museum, says that museum officials already have some idea of what the exhibits, and the building itself, will look like.
A group protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Oklahoma, including members from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and California, chain themselves to equipment at a construction site on the pipeline to prevent construction from moving forward. Officials in Central Arkansas lament a lack of access to documents related to the Mayflower Oil spill, leading to what they view as a lack of oversight. Rogers aldermen look to spend just more than $1 million on a trails project. And state officials draft a waiver that would allow the state to use federal Medicaid dollars for the state's so-called "private option" Medicaid expansion plan.
Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point's season runs through July 19 and will feature Madama Butterfly, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Elixir of Love.For more about other drama events happening in the area, visit the following links:
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, a conversation with author Joyce Carol Oates prior to her lecture in Fayetteville. Plus, a bit of tinkering before the Amazeum opens to children and the community next fall.
Becca Martin Brown gives us the scoop on a new exhibit in Fort Smith about Hattie Caraway, the first woman ever to serve as a U.S. Senator, featuring the writer formerly of Fayetteville.
Monday is Pi Approximation Day (a.k.a. Casual Pi Day) because when written in the day/month format (22/7) the date equals 3.14 or the mathematical constant known as pi (hooray math jokes!). In honor of the day, today's montage focuses on pi(e).
1. "American Pie" by Don McLean
2. Clip from The Three Stooges
3. Clip from the television show What Would You Do?
4. "Amore" by Dean Martin
5. Clip from the movie American Pie
6. "Cherry Pie" by Warrant
7. "The Worst Pies in London" from the movie adaptation of Sweeny Todd
8. Clip from The Life of Pi movie trailer.
9. Clip from the movie Blazing Saddles
10. "3.14 Apple Pi" by Bo Burnham
During a recent visit to the studio, Don't Stop Please performed an original song called Henry and the Great Salt Lake.
Changes have already been made to the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, with more changes still to come. Although the state's unemployment rate didn't change from May to June, that doesn't take into account several layoffs that have happened in the past month. Gas prices have been on the rise across Arkansas, with still higher prices on the horizon. And 39 permits have been issued for retail liquor sales in Benton County, leaving 16 potential permits still up for grabs.
“200,00” by The Rocket Summer
Michael Tilley from The City Wire discusses unemployment figures released this morning.
