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 NWA Newspapers gives us a preview of the Walton Arts Center's 2013-2014 season.
Recently, the band Little Chief came to the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio for a conversation and performance. Their EP, “Somewhere Near the River,” is now available on iTunes.
With federal budget sequestration looming around the corner, Arkansas' U.S. Senate contingent sounds off about the issue. We also look at how budget sequestration could impact research at the University of Arkansas. And, the Arkansas Legislature moves forward with two anti-abortion bills.
"Loud Pipes" by Ratatat
The pipeline, which will pump heavy crude oil mined from Canadian tar sands through Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas Gulf Coast refineries is providing hundreds of jobs for Oklahomans and sourcing steel pipe in Arkansas. Opponents claim the project is environmentally disastrous and only serves petrochemical industry interests.
(Photo courtesy of David Druding)
Small business owners in Arkansas express concern over the federal healthcare law. Maggie Carroll from our content partner KUAR in Little Rock has more.