A new fellowship program in Arkansas aims to stem the flow of highly skilled college graduates from the state to other areas. And, two of the longer-operating hospital systems in the state announce a merger.
Ozarks At Large
The latest revenue collections by the state came in again above what was originally forecast, while one gubernatorial candidate issues his plan to put mroe funding into Pre-K programs.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, those amphibious harbingers of spring--frogs and toads--are being counted all over Arkansas. We'll find out how the frog watch works, and if the number of frogs in the state is diminishing. And, the AMP is being prepared for its first show. The seats aren't in yet, but work is going on almost around-the-clock to meet a June 1 completion date.
This month, visitors to a bustling Bentonville square can step inside the Visitor's Bureau to take in the serene landscapes of pastel artist Judy Howard.
Becca Martin Brown, with Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, says there is a wide range of music (some of it free) this week.
It was a year ago this week that an oil spill created a major disruption in an Arkansas town.
Spring break is over; let the deluge of spring events begin.
We meet Tom Krohn, Arkansas Regional Coordinator for FrogWatch USA. Krohn hosts free workshops across the state, training citizen scientists to become certified frog listeners. He will be in Northwest Arkansasa April 8 & 15th at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. To learn more visit Arkansasfrogsandtoads.org.
The Walmart AMP's topping off ceremony was Monday, now the rest of the work takes place.
A wet March led Arkansas farmers to plant crops late, but it hasn't necessarily hurt this year's harvest. Plus, the Bentonville School District proposes a traffic study to project what traffic will be like in Centerton once the district's second high school is open for classes.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, a look at the increasing educational accountability standards placed on the nation's 5-year-olds. Plus, Michael Pakko discusses the state's economy, and more.
Bill Parry, from the cast of Memphis, talks to us about the musical, life on the road and the changes theater has had in the past couple of decades. Memphis is at Walton Arts Center through the weekend.
"Big Love" performed by Will Mann, from the Memphis soundtrack
The Valley of the Vapors music festival turns Hot Springs into a hotbed of DIY and experimental music each March. There's a new documentary film out about the fest making its Northwest Arkansas debut at Nightbird Books in Fayetteville this Saturday. Ozarks at Large's Katy Henriksen has more.
The Arkansas Legislature considers a ban on the parental rights of convicted rapists, as well as a bill barring school districts from considering home school students as public school students. Plus, University of Arkansas chancellor G. David Gearhart calls for an independent audit of the university's advancement division.
"We Will Become Silhouettes (Matthew Dear's Not Scared Mix)" by The Postal Service
In reaction to the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school massacre, Arkansas schools continue to bolster security—from hiring armed guards to installing heavy surveillance. We check districts around the region, talk with school security experts, look at current state legislation, and hear from former U.S. Congressman Asa Hutchinson on the status of his National School Shield Emergency Response Program, commissioned by the National Rifle Association.
We talk to an expert who has studied norovirus for 10 years about the symptoms and conditions to lead to its exposure to humans.