Ozarks At Large
The head of the Hatcher Agency, the state's largest independent insurer, says that many of his clients are providing insurance to employees rather than paying penalties associated with the Affordable Care Act. Senator Mark Pryor talks about his push for answers from the Air Force regarding the 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith while Senator Boozman says he is concerned about a backlog in disability claims for veterans. And Elton John is coming to Fayetteville in just a few weeks.




Two public meetings were held late yesterday in Jasper to address concerns about the large CAFO in Newton County. Picasolar took home several thousand dollars from an MIT competition earlier this week. Fort Smith has finished automating trash collection, but now the city's sanitation department is turning its eye to automating recyclable collection. And speaking of Fort Smith, Senator Mark Pryor demands answers from the U.S. Air Force regarding the future of the 188th Fighter Wing.

Ozarks at Large's Meredith Martin Moats recently sat in on a conversation with Bud Rector, who will turn 99 later this year and has lived almost all his life in Yell County. We conclude her two-part report on his recollections of an Arkansas that has nearly vanished.

Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Remembering Some of the People We Lost in 2013
On this special edition of Ozarks we hear again some of the voices we lost during 2013, including Bill Harrison, Curley Miller, Ivan Denton and Dick Renko.
We take a trip down the hall to the office our underwriting coordinator Rhonda Dillard's office to select the winner of our Wakarusa giveaway.
The Final Countdown by: Europe
Backroad Anthem, a Fayetteville-based country rock band, has had several accomplishments in its short history. Next month, they will perform at the inaugural Thunder on the Mountain, a country musical festival on Mulberry Mountain. To hear more from our conversation, click here.
Governor Beebe begins the search for a new treasurer, disaster relief efforts are well underway in Shawnee and Moore, Oklahoma, and more.
Bullets for Bafazne by: Johnny Clegg
As Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas learns, we may need more doctors when new healthcare laws begin to take effect next year.
The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees is considering whether to opt out of a new law in Arkansas allowing faculty and staff to carry guns on campus.