The bill proposing changes to the state's lottery scholarship program moves forward as it passes the Arkansas House, while a bill aimed at capping spending growth by the state government likely heads back to committee. And, two bridges in downtown Fayetteville could soon see rehabilitation.
Ozarks At Large
Ahead on Ozarks, a new series of bills designed to tighten ethics in state government are circulating at the state capitol and we’ll hear from some of the authors of the legislation. Plus a hike to see a stand of Ozark chinquapin trees…a species that’s hard to find these days.The 2013 Point-in-Time Homeless Census numbers show more children in grades K-12 are homeless in Washington and Benton counties in 2013 compared to previous years.
To access data from the homeless census, visit, sociology.uark.edu.
Roby Brock from our content partner Talk Business Arkansas takes stock of the fifth week of the Arkansas Legislature and the past seven days in Arkansas business.
Biologist Joe Neal occasionally hikes up Kessler Mountain to scout for birds. But on a recent night time expedition—in the rain—while searching for spotted salamanders (pictured) he encountered a melodious spring harbinger. 
Eco-preservationists, recreationists and scientists are collaborating on a project to save Kessler Mountain, a 387-acre forest southwest of Fayetteville, from urban development. We take a short expedition along a scenic escarpment to an ancient grove of chinkapin oak, with geoscientist Dr. David Stahle and grad student Allen Edmondson. They want the UofA to dedicate an outdoor natural laboratory on Kessler—similar to Harvard Forest and Duke Forest.
To receive permission to explore Mount Kessler, contact Frank Sharp here.
Web Exclusive: Sampling an Ancient Chinquapin Oak Forest on Mt. KesslerA handful of bills regarding election ethics reform are making their way through the state legislature. But although the bills have been introduced, Timothy Dennis reports that those bills are without a certain future.
The concealed carry bill for college campus staff moves forward in the Arkansas General Assembly after passing a House vote on Friday. Governor Mike Beebe acknowledges the work of family farmers in the state, and the Razorback Foundation announces its next director.
Ahead on Weekend Ozarks: music with Mike Shirkey and Friends inside the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio, and the planet Pluto is discovered and recategorized. Plus, Becca Martin Brown has what's up for your plate.
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"
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Ahead on Weekend Ozarks at Large, a student-led sex education week at the U of A, two brothers building canoes in Avoca, and we step inside of Son's Chapel outside of Goshen.
It's not too early to get your holiday portraits made. And if you have them made at an upcoming event at Mt. Sequoyah, your sitting fee will benefit the Northwest Arkansas Family Network.
Transporting Transformations: Cuba In and Out is the new exhibit just up at 21c Bentonville. This diverse exhibit explores paradox in the years following Fidel Castro's retirement. Ozarks at Large's Katy Henriksen speaks with Alice Gray Stites, chief curator and director of art programming for 21c, about the exhibit, as well as her philosophy "art is a verb," which she presented for the TEDx conference at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm.
Web Exclusive: Pictures of the new 21c Exhibit
Becca Martin Brown tells us about an upcoming concert at Crystal Bridges featuring a new composition by Bruce Adolphe which is inspired by the works of Mary Cassatt.
The Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace begin enrolling residents for coverage yesterday, though demand was so high it made it difficult for many to access the Web site for the exchange. The effects of the federal shutdown are still being weighed, including the shutdown of National Wildlife Refuges and the eventual impacts on research at the University of Arkansas. And a statewide prescription drug take-back program grows with sixty more drop-off locations added across the state yesterday.
"Not a Bad Thing" by Justin Timberlake
At 12:01 a.m. ET yesterday, the continuing resolution funding the federal government wasn't the only legistlation to expire. We speak with an agricultural economist to find out what the Farm Bill's reversion to 64-year old policy means for Arkansans.
