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.
Michael Tilley from our content partner www.thecitywire.com discusses the increase in home sales in northwest and central Arkansas, and the multifaceted unemployment numbers in the former region.
Every day, over 5,000 acres of land are developed in the United States.
But many landholders are using land trusts to protect their farms and forests for future generations. We visit with the executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust to find out how it works.
“Do You Know It Means to Miss New Orleans?” by Pete Fountain
Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers tells us about her ongoing trip to New Orleans, plus things we can do in northwest Arkansas today.
Pianist and composer Aaron Goldberg speaks with KUAF’s Robert Ginsberg in advance of his trio’s performance this Saturday at Walton Arts Center.
Jodi Beznoska from Walton Arts Center gives us a preview of what to expect at Walton Arts Center over the 2012-13 entertainment season.
“Mississippi Mud” by Red Nichols