Governor Mike Beebe says that a package of tax cuts approved yesterday by the Arkansas Senate is acceptable, though he worries about the cuts' impact in the years to come after he leaves office. A proposed constitutional amendment that would move ethics reform forward in the state moves closer to the ballot after receiving final approval by the legislature. The latest on cleanup efforts on the Mayflower oil spill, in spite of the potential for severe weather. Plans for the Sebastian County aquatics park move forward, and a group at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville plans to take back the night with an annual event aimed at raising awareness about sexual violence.
Ozarks At Large



The Arkansas Senate followed the House's lead in passing a federally backed expansion of the state's Medicaid system, and all that remains is final approval from Washington. The Arkansas Governor's race gets a little more crowded with an official announcement by former Congressman Mike Ross. Arkansas' two Senators give their thoughts on the Gang of Eight proposed immigration reform package. A hearing is held today in Nebraska regarding the Keystone XL pipeline, and a Bentonville group wants to turn Fridays into bike days.



The Arkansas Legislature was a flurry of activity yesterday, with passage not only of Medicaid expansion, but the House also advanced bills regarding cuts to the state's income, capital gains and utility taxes. The House also passed the Senate bill that will provide financial support for construction of the Big River Steel superproject ion Osceola. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel rejects the latest proposed ballot initiative regarding medical marijuana, and Northwest Arkansas' two baseball teams have a disappointing Tuesday.
The Arkansas legislature passed a long-sought-for bill to protect the interests of land owners on a large natural gas play in north central Arkansas, where more than 4,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled. The measure was pushed by Arkansans for Responsible Gas Development.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Ahead on Weekend Ozarks, a conversation with Arkansas photographer Tim Ernst. Also, singer/songwriter Joe Pug pays a visit to the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio.
Last Friday, former president Bill Clinton was at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where doctors are working to find genetic causes of childhood cancer. It’s work that would not be possible without the first map of the human genome, which was completed while Clinton was President. Eleanor Boudreau from our partner station WKNO in Memphis filed this report.
Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas talks to Matt Melson, a wildlife biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, to find out how wild animals survive in extremely hot and dry conditions.
“New Slang” by The Shins
The Migration Policy Institute based in Washington D.C., with financial support from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Little Rock, commissioned Dr. Rafael Jimeno to conduct a scientific survey of Marshallese migrants who’ve settled in Springdale, the first study of it’s kind.
"When I Survey" by Various Artists
First United Methodist Church in Springdale will host a community block party next month.
"Community" by Cluster
Author Megan Bergman talks to Ozarks at Large’s Katy Henriksen about her book “Birds of a Lesser Paradise,” a collection of short stories that was just cited by the Huffington Post as a must-read.