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.
Ozarks At Large

The Arkansas Senate followed the House's lead in passing a federally backed expansion of the state's Medicaid system, and all that remains is final approval from Washington. The Arkansas Governor's race gets a little more crowded with an official announcement by former Congressman Mike Ross. Arkansas' two Senators give their thoughts on the Gang of Eight proposed immigration reform package. A hearing is held today in Nebraska regarding the Keystone XL pipeline, and a Bentonville group wants to turn Fridays into bike days.



Becca Martin Brown from Nortwest Arkansas Media ponders the definition of a jam rocker while reminding us that Umphrey's McGee will perform at George's Majestic Lounge tonight.
The Arkansas Legislature was a flurry of activity yesterday, with passage not only of Medicaid expansion, but the House also advanced bills regarding cuts to the state's income, capital gains and utility taxes. The House also passed the Senate bill that will provide financial support for construction of the Big River Steel superproject ion Osceola. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel rejects the latest proposed ballot initiative regarding medical marijuana, and Northwest Arkansas' two baseball teams have a disappointing Tuesday.

Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, we visit the kitchen of Jen Lewis, take a spin in a state-run clinic that aids veterans in rural communities, and we meet a recovering opiate addict who has found hope with methadone.
Clint Schnekloth is the Lead Pastor at Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Fayetteville and the author of the new book, Mediating Faith: Faith Formation in a Trans-media Era.
at end of show: "Sunny of 75" by Joe Nichols
When the Arkansas Legislature convened this week, lawmakers proposed and pondered long-term solutions to the state's Private Option expansion of Medicaid. The changes considered were meant to make the program more palatable to some politicians. We learn more in this morning's Week in Review.
"The Game of Love" by Daft Punk
In 1980, more than 125,000 Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime were boatlifted to America and processed at military compounds including Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. Among the population were gay Cubans and prisoners that Castro had purged from his prisons. The Cubans were widely portrayed by the press as criminal—a stigma that's persisted. But as Jacqueline Froelich reports, historians are working to clarify the record.
Photo: "Task Force Commander, Colonel Don E. Karr with Cuban refugee family"--Courtesy Fort Chaffee Museum
Charles Baum was both a philanthropist and a baseball lover. We learn more about the man behind the Arkansas Razorback's baseball stadium.
"Stubborn Love" by The Lumineers
Here are the ten sources for our Sunday Montage dedicated to bows, arrows and archers:
1) Sam Cooke sings tribute to Cupid.
2) Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) proves a point in the animated movie Brave.
3) Harry Nilsson sings Me and My Arrow.
4) Claude Rains and Errol Flynn meet in the 1939 version of Robin Hood.
5) Arya receives counter intuitive lessons on an episode of HBO's Game of Thrones.
6) Kacey Musgraves offers advice in her song Follow Your Arrow.
7) Legolas fails to impress in a scene from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
8) From the 80s: ABC's hit Poison Arrow.
9) Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) gets attention after her amazing shot in The Hunger Games.
10) The Halle Orchestra performs the greatest piece of music dedicated to an archer, Rossini's William Tell Overture.
Apologies to: Hawkeye, Green Arrow, The Golden Archer (and about 100 other comic book characters), Burt Reynolds in Deliverance, Edith Wharton, and Cock Robin. Maybe next time.