The 10th anniversary of Wakarusa was full of live performances and rain. Check out our photos of the festival here.
Ozarks At Large



The Arkansas Secretary of State released a draft of rules for implementing the state's new voter ID law. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel isn't overly concerned about discrepancies in Exxon-Mobile's reported timeline of the Mayflower oil spill. U.S. Geological Survey officials say that the flooding of the Fourche LaFave River last week was a flood of historic proportions, or at least the largest since record-keeping began on the river. And Fayetteville is ranked as one of the cheaper places to live in the country.



Judge Leon Holmes rejects former state treasurer Martha Shoffner's guilty plea after being unsatisfied with her testimony regarding activities that led to her indictment. Senator Mark Pryor lashes out with his own ad against negative publicity regarding his voting record on gun control. Governor Mike Beebe lauds the state's Unemployment Insurance Program for bouncing back after running out of money a few years ago. Ozark Regional Transit offers free rides throughout the summer to children aged 17 and under. And Tyson Foods acquires a California-based ethnic food operation.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, January 10, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks…the 2013 Northwest Arkansas Education Report Card has numbers, plenty of numbers, relating to 17 public school districts in Washington and Benton Counties. We'll talk to Gary Ritter, the director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas about the report. And the three-person band The Room Outside plays inside the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio. We'll also talk to Michael Tilley from The City Wire about the week’s news and Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers about the upcoming weekend’s entertainment opportunities.
If you've been out and about and you've noticed a group of ladies wearing bright red and purple hats, good. They wanted to be noticed. They're most likely members of the Red Hat Society. This Thursday, the group will celebrate the day 15 years ago when five women got together just to have fun. The group has since then morphed into an international organization.
Here are the 11 clips heard during today’s hat montage;
Joe Cocker’s version of "You Can Leave Your Hat On."
The greatest Bond villain of the them all, Oddjob, throws his lethal bowler.
"Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" by Bob Dylan.
From the late 1950’s, a commercial for Mattel’s beanie copter.
Fred Astaire sings "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." From the movie Top Hat.
Woody Woodpecker and Wally Walrus debate just what is a top hat.
Gene Watson gives birth to a great phrase in his song "All Hat No Cattle."
Maggie Smith gets the sorting hat ready in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Carmen Miranda (who else?) and the song "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat." From the movie The Gang’s All Here.
Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, needs his hat in Toy Story.
The Men Without Hats sing "The Safety Dance."
Apologies to: Prince and his Raspberry Beret, the men Waiting for Godot, the Mad Hatter, Davy Crockett, Laurel and Hardy, and every character from Miller’s Crossing. Maybe next time.
Governor Mike Beebe says that a package of tax cuts approved yesterday by the Arkansas Senate is acceptable, though he worries about the cuts' impact in the years to come after he leaves office. A proposed constitutional amendment that would move ethics reform forward in the state moves closer to the ballot after receiving final approval by the legislature. The latest on cleanup efforts on the Mayflower oil spill, in spite of the potential for severe weather. Plans for the Sebastian County aquatics park move forward, and a group at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville plans to take back the night with an annual event aimed at raising awareness about sexual violence.
"Zodiac" by God is an Astronaut
Michael Tilley of The City Wire says that a lower jobless rate doesn't necessarily mean a healthy overall workforce, and the latest on this week's economic developments in the Arkansas River Valley.
Lori Boatright of the Fayetteville Farmers' Market says that the sporatic Arkansas Spring weather can neither dampen nor put a chill on the five markets throughout the week.
"Chi Youm" Abaji