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.
Here are the ten clips (and eleven threes) included in our montage this week:
1. Bob Dorough sings Three is a Magic Number.
2. Larry, Curly and Moe in trouble in A Plumbing We Will Go.
3. Al Pacino utters the most memorable line from Godfather III.
4. The Three Degrees’ biggest hit, When Will I See You Again.
5. Kendall Trainor gives Arkansas a win with his field goal (worth 3 points) in the 1985 Holiday Bowl.
6. An early 1980s jingle for Three Musketeers candy bar.
7. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase as the likeable, but slow-witted, Three Amigos.
8. The Oscar-winning song It’s Hard to Be a Pimp by Three Six Mafia.
9. Speaking of Oscar, the opening comments from Three Faces of Eve, an Oscar-winner for Joanne Woodward.
10. DOUBLE THREE ALERT! The Three Tenors sing We Three Kings.
Apologies to the little pigs, the bears and Goldilocks, Jan Stenerud, Babe Ruth and that band that sang that song in the 90s.
Becca Martin Brown tells us that July is her favorite time of the year for all of the season announcements that are made.
A recent study suggests that comprehensive immigration reform could mean significantly more revenue for Arkansas and the rest of the nation. Another study shows that Arkansas has seen more police deaths this year than other states. A master plan for downtown Siloam Springs is in the works. SWEPCO gets approval to extend the life of its Flint Creek power plant in Gentry. And, drought returns to Arkansas.
"Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil
Michael Tilley from The City Wire discusses dramatic increases in foreclosed homes on the market in the region and the latest in the 2014 race for governor.
Becca Martin Brown gives us the usual "Chinese menu" of entertainment options for the weekend.
"Jumbucco" by Waak Waak Jungi
