Ozarks At Large

Arkansas ends its fiscal year with a surplus of several million dollars, but lawmakers have no firm plans yet of how to spend the money. Ongoing highway improvements mean some road closures and delays over the holiday weekend. And, students at UALR react to the interest rate hike that went into effect this week on Stafford student loans for low income students.




The United States Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act means changes for Arkansas.
The popular resort town of Eureka Springs is a prime Ozarks vacation spot filled with pretty B&Bs, cottages and cabins for overnight guests. But as Jacqueline Froelich reports, some say a glut of tourist accommodations and vacation rentals are dislocating residents, forcing them to live out of town.
Arkansas home sales are up by 10 percent according to the Arkansas Realtors Association. The half-cent highway sales tax kicks in this month and will continue for the next ten years. The Fort Smith Fire Department honors one of its own who rescued a child from a 30-foot utility shaft. And a familiar term to Fayetteville residents: construction zone.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
On this edition of Ozarks, a conversation with photographer and author Tim Ernst. Also, giving the gift of a free family portrait to those in need.
Becca Martin Brown, from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, says if you’re willing to fill up the tank, there are some big acts continuing their summer tours within a day’s drive.
The Fayetteville Roots Festival has roots music…but also another kind of roots: food. We talk to some of the farmers involved in the annual event.
"Butterfly's Day Out" by Mark O'Connor
Two special elections will be held tomorrow, one to fill a vacant city council seat in Springdale, and one regarding a 1 percent sales tax for water and sewer improvements in Paris. And, the Rogers School District, like many others in the area, will start the new school year with more bandwidth, to allow for a more connected classroom.
"Coconut Boogaloo" by Medeski Martin and Wood
A plan to create a campus in Fort Smith to help people move out of homelessness received some help this summer.
Roby Brock, from Talk Business Arkansas, has the details on a busier-than-usual August week in Arkansas politics and business.