Several happenings at area libraries and music at local pubs for this National Chocolate Milkshake Day edition of the daily notes.
Ozarks At Large
This week Senator John Boozman talked about prospects for passage of a farm bill and mother matters before Congress.
The Arkansas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies yesterday approved plans to let 13 school districts across the state arm some of their staffs. Governor Beebe talks with Roby Brock about what's next in attempts to fix a shortfall in the state's Public School Health Insurance Program. John Brown University is again ranked at the top, and the Walton College of Business at the U of A again gets praise as well.
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In addition, the University Libraries digital exhibit on the history of Vol Walker Hall can be accessed here
Web Exclusive: More About Vol Walker
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Madison County residents won't see a sales tax increase, and the city sales tax in Siloam Springs will be split a little bit differently after special elections yesterday. The future site of the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith has moved slightly to another riverfront parcel that's twice the size. Residents in Benton County won't receive disaster aid for damage caused by the August storms. And more new jobs are coming to Fort Smith by way of another firearms-related company.
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A new art gallery, dedicated to showing controversial and confrontational works, will open this month. We meet the curators at the new Bottle Rocket gallery.
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The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care is working to improve conditions at nursing homes throughout the state. And tax elections are taking place today in Madison County and Siloam Springs, while early voting begins for a millage increase in Bentonville.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, February 28, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: it has been 60 years since the largest-ever nuclear weapons test by the United States took place on the Marshall Islands' Bikini Atoll. Today, many Marshallese, including several northwest Arkansas residents, are marking the anniversary of the Castle Bravo Blast. Plus, Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers gets us ready for the weekend, Michael Tilley from The City Wire helps us analyze the week's news, and more.
Forty-five states, including Arkansas have adopted Common Core career and college readiness K-12 education standards. But under the technology-enriched curriculum, cursive handwriting is optional. A St. Joseph third grade class in Fayetteville helps us to parse the implications.
Becca Martin Brown of Northwest Arkansas Media tells us about a showing of They Were Promised the Sea which is the latest presentation in the Caravanserai series.
"Becca and the Blue Capo" by Trace Bundy
In case you need a spot to duck into in between April showers, local and regional art galleries and exhibition spaces will have plenty for you to soak up throughout the month, including exhibits at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, the John Brown University art gallery, and elsewhere.
Here are our ten clips from our montage dedicated to April Showers. Well, dedicated to rain at least…
B.J. Thomas sings "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Hugh Grant and Andie Macdowell admit their mutual love at the end of Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Prince sings "Purple Rain."
Bill Cosby with an early TV rendition of his famous Noah routine.
Mahalia Jackson with the gospel great "Didn’t It Rain".
Gene Kelly about to launch into the best three minutes ever recorded in a movie musical.
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst exchange a rainy kiss as Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson.
Tom Hanks (as Forrest Gump) describes the many kinds of rain.
Sam Neil tries to save kids from a hungry T. Rex in Jurassic Park.
Audrey Hepburn finds the cat…and George Peppard…at the end of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Mancini notes should have given this away.
Apologies to: The Weather Girls, Andy’s escape in Shawshank Redemption, the bubbling skeletons in Poltergeist, the Eurythmics, John Wayne in the Quiet Man and all those movies with Notebook in the title. Maybe next time.
The proposed expansion of Arkansas' Medicaid system cleared a preliminary hurdle in the House yesterday, though final approval is still pending. And families who live near the Pegasus Pipeline rupture in Mayflower will be allowed to return to their homes this weekend.
"Situation (Deadline Mix)" by Yazoo