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.
Katy Henrikson gives us a preview of what's in store on tonight's edition of KUAF's Sunday Symphony.
"Gorecki Symphony No. 2: First Movement"
In today's week in review, Ozarks at Large's Timothy Dennis looks at environment-themed stories from the past week.
To celebrate National Coffee Day, Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas visited the suburbs of Beaver, Ark. to visit the roasting operations of Mountain Bird Coffee. She learned that there is science involved in getting your morning joe tasting just right.
In this weekend montage, we salute the coffee drinker with ten pop culture references about the drink. The references featured are, in order:
"The Java Jive" by The Ink Spots
A 1954 TV commercial for Maxwell House
Agent Cooper describing his favorite beverage on Twin Peaks
Johnny Cash Singing "A Cup of Coffee"
Al Pacino and Robert De Niro sharing a scene in Heat
A pivotal moment in Pulp Fiction begins
Ella Fitzgerald with the classic version of "Black Coffee
A bit from the comedy Role Models
Frasier Crane ordering coffee
Frank Sinatra and "The Coffee Song"
Becca Martin Brown, features editor at Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, tells us about Art Night Out, coming up this week at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville. The event will focus on the relationship of art and music from the 1930s.