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.
The 2013 Point-in-Time Homeless Census numbers show more children in grades K-12 are homeless in Washington and Benton counties in 2013 compared to previous years.
To access data from the homeless census, visit, sociology.uark.edu.
In today's Week in Review, Ozarks at Large's Timothy Dennis reviews happenings in the state legislature from the past seven days.
A report released Thursday by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families shows that Arkansas schools rely heavily on out of school suspensions, with many districts punishing minorities at a higher rate than white students, thus limiting their learning opportunities. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas spoke with Jerri Derlikowski, Director of Education Policy for AACF and author of the report.
"A Willful Suspension of Disbelief" by Modest Mouse
Becca Martin Brown gives us a roundup of three local eateries, including a comfort food eaterie in Gentry, a pie shop in Fayetteville, and a plate of burgers and history in Evansville.
A concert including Still on the Hill, Outside the Lines, Trout Fishing in America and the Mike Sumler Trio may be sold out, but we have a preview of sorts from the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio.