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.
Thirteen thousand Arkansas high school graduates are getting lottery-funded scholarships for the coming school year; the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education in Springdale receives $3.5 million federal grant; and more – on today’s Segment A.
“At the End of Spring” by Zun
A proposed initiative could curtail gifts and campaign contributions to state legislators. To find out what legislators think of the idea, Roby Brock from our content partner Talk-Business-Dot-Net spoke with Republican Ann Clemmer and Democratic State Senator Joyce Elliott.
Last week Project Vote based in Washington DC notified the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office claiming non-compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. We get the details from a Project Vote program director.
Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers has puppets, owls, classical music and a civil-war reenactment on her to-do list today.
UofA freshman Andrew Irwin will compete for a spot on the U.S. team next week at the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
For a schedule of events visit:
http://tracktown12.gotracktownusa.com/olympic-trials-schedule