Ozarks At Large
Simultaneous tax cuts and hikes, charter schools and the latest on Medicaid expansion from the state legislature; jockeys prepare for this weekend's Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn; more sidewalks in Fayetteville and the population continues to grow in Northwest Arkansas; all in today's Segment A.
The Arkansas General Assembly moves forward with a controversial voter ID bill, education and education supporters rally against a proposal that would shift money from the state's general fund into highway construction, and Arkansas' U.S. Senate contingent speaks out about efforts to pass a federal budget.


State lawmakers continue to weigh the issue of Medicaid expansion two weeks after receiving word from Washington that federal Medicaid expansion funds could be used for a privatized expansion of the system. A pair of lawmakers also weigh in on how recent anti-abortion legislation has affected Arkansas' reputation in the rest of the country. And a controlled burn is set for tomorrow in one local city.
Late last week, the Northwest Arkansas Council released the results of a study on the area's Business Retention and Expansion Efforts. The study was compiled from interviews by area chambers of commerce with 459 area companies. We speak with Mike Harvey, chief operating officer of the council about the survey and what the results mean for the area moving forward.
Another area city plans to speak out against a bill in the Arkansas Legislature that could mean a rollback of city development regulations. Governor Mike Beebe touts the state's efforts to make sure fewer children in Arkansas go hungry, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art again gets national recognition, not for its paintings but for the construction of the museum itsself.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, distance education will have a strong presence in a program on the University of Arkansas campus next fall, plus Rogers Little Theatre brings a comedy classic to the stage. We go behind the scenes with The Man Who Came To Dinner.
In the final part of our series on the Arkansas Research & Technology Park, we take a look at some of the resources based in the park's Innovation Center, and a look at how the entrepreneurial climate is changing in northwest Arkansas.
The band 1 Oz. Jig brings their guitar, bass, trombone, trumpet and drum sticks to the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio.
Senator John Boozman says he would like to see the National Security Agency use more focused efforts to curb terrorism rather than relying on programs that use mass collections of data. The Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners approves a draft of rules for implementing the state's new voter ID law. Work is expected to begin soon on clearing the Cache River, a tributary of the White River. And the special collections department at the UA's Mullins Library unveils a new exhibit to celebrate National LGBT Pride month.
"Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" by A3
The road to capitalizing on research and development can be a long one. It can take years before a technology startup actually turns research into a physical product. In the second part of our series on the Arkansas Research and Technology Park, we take a look at a pair of companies turning research into revenue:
Arkansas is one of 45 states to enact Common Core State Standards. A new office on the University of Arkansas campus has been established to find new ways bring those standards into the state's schools. We learn more about the Office of Innovation in Education from the office's director.
"Ice Hatchets" by Chromatics