Ozarks At Large
New standardized public education testing will be tried in Arkansas public schools under the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. As Jacqueline Froelich reports, one million students across 18 states, including Arkansas, will participate in the “Next Generation Assessment” field tests.
The university system's board voted yesterday to start offering online courses. And, the state departments of health and education partner on educating schools about the dangers of heat-related illnesses.
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks: a walk around the trails at Lake Fayetteville will take you past acres of charred land. We learn about the benefits of prescribed burns such as these. Plus not one, but two area towns are in the running to take over the March Madness bracket of the Greatest Southern Town. And, we climb a tree to visit the serene world of a children's treehouse, and get ready for Spring Break with options for movie lovers.
Trading on the popularity of the NCAA Tournament, the magazine Garden and Gun has its own bracket. This one pits southern towns against each other.
Wings, and other films, will be shown at area libraries during next week's Spring Break Vacation. Becca has a full list.
We go off into our own world with Josh Hart, a carpenter and owner of Natural State Treehouses, who builds play structures for people of all ages.
It’s that time of year, like it or not, when foresters and conservationists burn the land. But as Jacqueline Froelich reports, prescribed burning not only helps to restore and maintain native habitat, it can help to sequester carbon.
Roby Brock with out content partner Talk Business Arkansas leads a roundtable discussion with Grant Tennille, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, to talk jobs and the economy, including a state workforce program and minimum wage.
As promised, the state legislature overrode a line-item veto by Governor Mike Beebe to allow sand used in natural gas drilling to be exempt from sales tax. And, several organizations through the state accrue grant funding.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Monday, May 26, 2014
For a holiday edition of Ozarks at Large we hear highlights from a show at Fayetteville Public Library featuring songwriters Candy Lee, Shawn James and Barrett Baber.
Some Republican state lawmakers are still floating the possibility of a partial Medicaid expansion while others want to see tax reforms during this legislative session. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality gives a clean bill of health to a piece of formerly contaminated land in southeast Fayetteville. And the diamond Hogs get even more props in two new preseason polls.
"This Ain't The Blues" by Speedy Wast and Jimmy Bryant
All major cities in Arkansas report bulked-up sales tax collections. Michael Tilley from The City Wire discusses that plus homes sales figures and guns in city parks in his weekly conversation with Kyle.
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank staff knows their services are needed in the winter as much as any other time of year. Two porjects could help stock the food pantry this month.
"Table" by The Beautiful South
Becca Martin Brown from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers has the rundown on the Rogers Little Theater's 28th season, Wizard of Oz is included in the highlights.
Representative Charlie Collins from Fayetteville, the chair of the House Revenue and Tax Committee, talks to Roby Brock from Talk Business about possible tax policy legislation.
"Mantiqueira Range" by Antonio Carlos Jobim