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.
Youth Bridge Executive Director Nancy Hairston tells us about the upcoming Starry, Starry Night fundraiser.
More information available at www.youthbridge.com
Ozarks at Large’s Katy Henriksen talks to Canadian rocker Spencer Krug from the band Moonface that is set to perform this Saturday at Fayetteville’s Smoke and Barrel Tavern.
More information about the performance is available at www.smokeandbarrel.com
Arkansas Lottery Commission hopes to save money with the approval of a revised contract with its largest vendor; a group of University of Arkansas international students help rebuild Joplin for a day; and more – on today’s Segment A.
“The Set Break” by Gil Melle
Today, we begin a series on a farm to school project taking place this summer in Fayetteville. Over the coming months, Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas will give us updates on a program that connects schools with local food producers with the aim of serving their fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias and teaching kids about where there food comes from.
Today, she provides us with a bit of background on farm to school.
Syrian journalist and activist, Omar al Muqdad has been covering the Syrian Revolution since it began in March 2011, part of the Arab Spring.
Because his life was at risk, the U.S. State Department granted him political asylum. He recently settled in Fayetteville. Jacqueline Froelich met with the self-described media smuggler to bring us his story.
“Ian McKay was Right” by El Ten Eleven