The U of A gets $1.4 million of federal transportation money to start a Maritime Research and Educational Center. UAFS gets ready to unveil a new master plan. A Fort Smith school gets named a National Blue Ribbon School. And a volunteer fair set for this week aims to connect area non-profit organizations with people willing to help out.
Ozarks At Large



The Arkansas Insurance Department releases rates for insurance policies that will be sold through the state's new insurance exchange. Arkansas' poverty rate edges upward slightly in the latest American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Arkansas Children's Hospital researchers continue efforts to curb the rate of childhood obesity. A Fayetteville street is closed to make way for sidewalk construction. And fewer travelers flew through XNA in August, though the airport has still seen more travelers so far this year than at this time last year.



We speak with our Ozarks at Large insect expert, Dr. Donald Steinkraus, to the tricks to getting rid of and keeping away the pesky kitchen pest.

The Big River Steel superproject moves forward in northeast Arkansas, while Central Arkansas Water files intent to sue Exxon Mobile if the company decides to prematurely restart its Pegasus pipeline through Central Arkansas. And, the Beaver Watershed Alliance plans a series of community meetings in southern Washington County to give local stakeholders information regarding best operating practices to help improve water quality in the West Fork watershed of the White River. The schedule and more information for those meetings can be found in this flyer.


Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, as the state prepares for a busy election year, one county makes changes to its polling sites. Plus, a physical fitness event this weekend celebrates two very different causes, and we visit with a founder of the Soweto Gospel Choir, which is performing tonight at Walton Arts Center.
A proposal to cut maximum unemployment benefit payouts moves forward in the Arkansas Legislature, as do discussions regarding expansion to the state's Medicaid system. And, the proposal for the state to provide several million dollars in financing for the Big River Steel project passes the state House, though representatives still need to sign off on a budget bill for the proposal to be final
April 15th is just around the corner and many of us are scrambling to file our income tax returns. To help out, the AARP Foundation has set up seasonal tax preparation centers across the country. We take you to a Fayetteville center to see how it works. To find an AARP Foundation tax aid center near you, click here.
"Henry the Fifth" by Brass Band Lutzelfuh
Dr. Donald Steinkraus says that insects use sound to attract other insects, much in the same way that public radio uses sound to attract listeners.
Becca Martin Brown of Northwest Arkansas Media gives us the heads up on when to catch Anything Goes, running through the end of the week at Walton Arts Center.
Patricia Limerick is considered a vanguard of the "new western history." She says that many questions should be asked when trying to balance living in the west with current attitudes toward energy consumption.
"Henry Portraits" by Anthony Phillips