Two state lawmakers weigh in on the debate about proposed expansions to the state's Medicaid system as the 89th General Assembly begins its second week in session. The unemployment rate for the state rose in December, but a state economist says the increase is not statistically significant. And 2012 housing sales figures for Northwest Arkansas have been compiled; overall sales and median home prices are up in some areas, but not all.
Ozarks At Large

We welcome back our tech ambassador to discuss this month’s Consumer Electronics Show, the annual showcase for what’s next in the digital world.

Here's the list of our presidential songs, quotes and miscellany for our montage:
- President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address on television on January 17, 1961
- President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address three days later.
- James Brown sings "Funky President."
- President Franklin Roosevelt's first fireside chat on radio on March 12, 1933.
- The band They Might Be Giants performing the catchy (and educational!) song "James K. Polk."
- Ronald Reagan speaks on June 12, 1987.
- Johnny Cash performs the standard "Mr. Garfield."
- Henry Fonda predates Daniel Day Lewis by more than 70 years in Young Abe Lincoln, directed by John Ford.
- The song "Peaches" by the band . . . The Presidents of the United States of America
- Herbert Hoover addresses voters in 1928. (bonus points if you knew that one)
With all of the acts announced for this year's Wakarusa music festival on Mullberry Mountain, Kevin Kinder of NWA Newspapers gives us his thoughts on this year's lineup.

Thursday is Arkansas Clarinet Day. As part of the celebration, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will host internationally acclaimed clarinetist Guy Yehuda. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas speaks with him prior to his recital and master class.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks at Large,a report on former president Bill Clinton's address on the Affordable Care Act from his Presidential Library yesterday. And, we visit a local bike shop to learn what it takes to get back on a bicycle after not riding for years.
Jean Button is the Queen Mother of the Fayetteville Mardi Gras celebration, which includes a parade tomorrow and much more.
Additional information is available at www.fayettevillemardigras.com.
"Mardi Gras New Orleans" by Professor Longhair
Tomorrow almost every discipline of study in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas will gather together for a full day of discussion. We have a preview of the first-ever Fulbright Colloquium.
Michael Tilley from thecitywire.com discusses another plan that might change Arkansas’ Third Congressional District and the latest consumer confidence numbers for Fort Smith.
www.citywire.com
The March exhibit at the Fayetteville Underground on the downtown square is up—and Jacqueline Froelich takes us down for a preview. A First Thursday reception at the Fayetteville Underground will take place tonight from 5 until 8pm.
This weekend orchids are the top plant at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.