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.
Fayetteville's fire department pulls out of a regional hazmat team, the University of Arkansas shuffles its offices that handle issues of intellectual property for the Fayetteville campus and for the UA System Division of Agriculture, and UAMS deals with an exposure of medical records for more than a thousand patients.
"Swimming The Blues" by Clark Terry
The purpose of public charter schools is to expand school choice, test innovation, and help raise grade-level proficiency--especially in low-performing minority districts. But as Jacqueline Froelich reports, critics say charters distress districts and segregate the best students.
A possible expansion in Medicaid will help determine the direction of the Arkansas budget during the next General Assembly. Roby Brock of our content partner Talk Business has more.
"Straight Up And Down" by Brian Jonestown Massacre
The 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville is a combination boutique hotel, art museum and restaurant, all modeled after the flagship 21c in Louisville, Kentucky. Each hotel has its own flock of unique sculptures.
Our monthly survey of theater in the area has a definite holiday theme. We spend some time backstage at the Arts Center of the Ozarks as the ACO preps for another production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"
"Deck the Halls" by R.E.M.