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.
Mountain Sprout is one of several bands performing at Yonder Mountain String Band's Harvest Festival, which is scheduled for Oct. 11-13.
Construction of a new bicycle and pedestrian trail is underway in Fayetteville and Johnson, and the Rogers Historical Museum moves forward with planning an anticipated expansion of its facilities.
"Lake Erie" by Boca Chica
Roby Brock from TalkBusiness.net talks with Jason Tolbert of the Tolbert Report and Michael Cook of Cook’s Outlook about the approaching legislative races in Arkansas.
Roy Reed was a newspaper reporter for more than 20 years with the Arkansas Gazette and New York Times. His new book, Beware of Limbo Dancers: A Correspondent’s Adventures with the New York Times, is a memoir of his days working for the Times.
Roy Reed will discuss his book and sign copies at the University of Arkansas celebration of faculty authors at 7 p.m. Wednesday (October 10th) in Giffels Auditorium on the University of Arkansas campus. He’ll also discuss the book from 2pm until 4pm Thursday (October 11th) at the Osher Lifelong Institute at the U of A Global Campus at 2 East Center Street in Fayetteville. He’s also scheduled to discuss the book on at 6:30 p.m. November 15th at the Fayetteville Public Library. The book is published by the University of Arkansas Press.
Web Exclusive: Flying With Wallace and the Future of Journalism
"Deep River" by Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, then "Selma March" by Grant Green
You can learn about the origins of Ozark dialect or listen to the gentle tones of Don Williams tonight. Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers has the details.