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.
This Christmas concert allows SONA to perform many different styles and genres of music.
The Arkansas delegation in the U.S. Senate file a bill that they say will help protect rice growers and hunters alike. Also, Tontitown moves closer to having a police department of its own with the hire of a chief to lead the town's police force. And, Fort Smith receives recognition, both for its roots and for its rapid growth.
"The Hanukkah Waltz" by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government may have to pay millions of dollars to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for damages caused when one of its U.S. Army Corp of Engineers-operated dams chronically flooded one of its large preserves.
The 2012 Northwest Arkansas Report Card compiles statistics about public education and higher education in Washington and Benton counties.
"Hanukkah, 'O Hanukkah" by Barenaked Ladies
Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers has a list she’s checked twice for holiday entertainment options.