A potential national designation for the White River has created concern among some Arkansas residents.
Ozarks At Large

A group protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Oklahoma, including members from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and California, chain themselves to equipment at a construction site on the pipeline to prevent construction from moving forward. Officials in Central Arkansas lament a lack of access to documents related to the Mayflower Oil spill, leading to what they view as a lack of oversight. Rogers aldermen look to spend just more than $1 million on a trails project. And state officials draft a waiver that would allow the state to use federal Medicaid dollars for the state's so-called "private option" Medicaid expansion plan.

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The state's Department of Corrections has announced it will make changes to the state's parole system following calls by Governor Beebe and others to strengthen the supervision and control of parolees in the state. While new unemployment numbers show a decline in the state's business sector, other areas have experienced growth. Opposition is mounting against the White River's designation as a National Blueway. And non-profit organizations looking to Rogers to host baseball tournaments will soon have to pay more to play.


Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Friday, December 6, 2013
Ahead on this snow day edition of Ozarks at Large, our weekly conversation with Michael Tilley of The City Wire; plus the violent explusion of an African American settlement in southeastern Crawford County comes to light, ninety years after the fact.
Today is the 45th anniversary of the plane crash that claimed the lives of Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays outside of Madison, Wisconsin. The sole survivor of that crash was Bar-Kays trumpet player, Ben Cauley. Cauley turned 65 this year, and Sara Hoover from our content partner WKNO in Memphis brings us his story.
Becca Martin Brown from NWA Newspapers reminds us about an exhibit on Arkansas' first great entrepreneur, which is on display at the Bentonville Public Library today.
Adam Vines’ collection of poetry "The Coal Life" was published by the University of Arkansas Press and has earned critical praise. He was recently in Fayetteville and talked with Ozarks at Large’s Kyle Kellams.
We survey four state advocacy groups about their legislative action items leading up to the Regular Session of the 89th General Assembly scheduled to convene on Monday, January 14th.
On its surface, today's week in review may look like a retread of last week's, but these education stories offer a twist of innovation.