Ahead on Ozarks: Michael Tilley from The City Wire helps us keep with the moving pieces in the puzzle that is the 2014 Arkansas election. Plus last-minute Valentine’s Day plans courtesy of Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers and Shannon Wurst explains one inspiration for writing love songs.
Ozarks At Large
The state legislature yesterday continued considering changes to the Private Option in order for the Medicaid expansion to continue, at least for the remainder of the year, changes that Governor Mike Beebe doesn't necessarily agree with, though he does concede the amendments make the bill more pallatable to some politicians. And Crystal Bridges gets a new installation just in time for Valentine's Day.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, a movement in Fayetteville is encouraging residents to be kind to others, not just on Valentine's Day, but all year long. Plus, extremely cold temperatures and out of the ordinary snow storms have some wondering about climate change. We speak with one U of A researcher about global warming's effects on vegetation. And, two R&B divas perform in the region, Becca Martin Brown tells us what's up and more.
February is a month of compassion in Fayetteville. We hear this story of compassion from Kristina Andazola.
One researcher at the University of Arkansas has been taking a look at what would happen to the planet's surface vegetation if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate through the end of the century.
Charles Baum was both a philanthropist and a baseball lover. We learn more about the man behind the Arkansas Razorback's baseball stadium.
State legislators yesterday suggested several amendments that would allow the state's private option expansion of Medicaid to continue, and one of the state's circuit judges calls for a moratorium on building new prison facilities in Arkansas.
When the Federal Communications Commission opened up licensing opportunities for thousands of new independent low-power non-commercial FM radio stations in 2010, several dozen Arkansas groups applied. In northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville Community Radio appears to have made the cut. We meet Joe Newman, station manager, and volunteers Olivia Hines and Moshe Newmark.
The fiscal session of the Arkansas legislature continued yesterday, with talk about the Private Option and NOT talk of dealying Common Core implementation. The Washington county Sheriff's Office moves its enforcement and investigation divisions into the same space after remodeling 10,000 square feet of the department's east annex. The search for a missing Arkansas Forestry Commission pilot ended sadly yesterday. And Walmart is the latest in a string of multi-million dollar donors to the new Arkansas Music Pavilion under construction in Rogers.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: In 1980, thousands left Castro's Cuba on a boatlift to the United States. Many of them were given housing at Fort Chaffee. Jacqueline Froelich examines what happened then, what's happened since…and why historians are spending time getting the facts correct. Plus, a new adult education library for Northwest Arkansas Community College.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families releases a new report on children's health coverage. Also, a project looks at the idea of community, we hear an interview with gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross, and more.
Katy Henriksen gives us a preview of this evening's Sunday Symphony and Community Cinema event at the Fayetteville Public Library.
"The Red Violin" by Joshua Bell
Pluto was discovered 83 years ago on Monday, but it has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas speaks with Robert Beauford, a doctoral student in space and planetary sciences at the University of Arkansas about how and why Pluto was downgraded.
Here is our out-of-this-world list of material that made up our space montage this morning. If you correctly identified them all, buy yourself a cold glass of Tang.
"Major Tom," as performed by David Bowie
Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.
Charlton Heston just before his space ship crashes into future earth. Spoiler alert: there are APES. This is the opening scene from the original Planet of the Apes
A commercial for Tang
HAL takes over in 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Shocking Blue with their biggest hit, "Venus"
A piece of the trailer for the disaster movie Armageddon. That's nativa Arkansan Billy Bob Thornton explaining "It's a meteor shower."
Pluto, the dog, barking in his 1952 cartoon, "Pluto's Party."
The worst bit of dialogue ever in a movie ("Future events such as these will affect you in the future.") from Plan 9 From Outer Space"
Holst's Mars from "The Planets"
"Pluto" by Clare and the Reasons
The Arkansas Legislature moves forward with a voter ID bill, the city of Fort Smith gets ready for some new fire equipment, and Bill Halter speaks out against changes to the lottery scholarship.
"Meteor" by The Bird and the Bee
Michael Tilley from The City Wire talks about strong homes sales in northwest Arkansas so far in 2013...and the murky future of an aquatic park in Sebastian County.