In 2011, Northwest Arkansas Community College received a one-million-dollar federal grant to offer certifications and other classes to the unemployed in Northwest Arkansas. Now in its third year, the ARK Grant program has already helped 275 area residents further develop their skills in order to more easily find a job
Ozarks At Large
The Fort Smith Board of Directors last night held its first quarterly open-forum meeting. The sessions are designed to discuss any "What" and "Why" questions the directors might have.
The six-county Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District filed for bankruptcy in January on a landfill and hauling franchise it purchased nearly ten years ago in north Baxter County as a money-making venture. As Jacqueline Froelich reports, a state legislator has stepped forward to allocate special funding to safely seal the site. 
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks at Large, the types of food establishments--restaurants, convenience stores, grocers, fast food businesses--that surround a school have an impact on childhood obesity. We speak to two U of A System Division of Agriculture researchers who make that claim. Plus, Habitat for Humanity Washington County completes its 50th home, Roby Brock has his Talk Business Arkansas update, Becca Martin Brown tells us What's Up, and more.
Michael Thomsen and Rudy Nayga, researchers with the UA Division of Agriculture, look at how restaurants and stores that surround schools affect the weight of students.
This month's Stigler Lecture will be delivered by Jennifer Harty and Kade Ferris of Cardno ENTRIX of Bismarck, N.D.. Last year, the two helped identify stone features at a Chippewa site that had been impacted by oil and natural gas well construction.University of Arkansas Theatre presents the rock musical Spring Awakening during this spring semester. Becca Martin Brown says the play has a tie to Fayetteville.
Habitat for Humanity Washington County has constructed its 50th home, which is also the first Habitat home in the state to seek LEED certification.
The Arkansas House on Friday again failed to give enough votes in favor of the appropriation for the state's Private Option Medicaid expansion, Governor Beebe touts the results of the Arkansas Payment Improvement Initiative, the Libertarian Party of Arkansas holds its nominating convention, and the Bentonville airport will soon see improvements to the airports runway safety areas.
Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Ahead on this edition of Ozarks, golf is a sport, but it's also a vehicle for life lessons about honesty and perseverance. We visit the green as First Tee of Northwest Arkansas spends an afternoon teaching values to area youth. Plus, a look at the senate race in Arkansas.
Katy Henriksen gives us a preview of this evening's Sunday Symphony and Community Cinema event at the Fayetteville Public Library.
"The Red Violin" by Joshua Bell
Pluto was discovered 83 years ago on Monday, but it has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet. Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas speaks with Robert Beauford, a doctoral student in space and planetary sciences at the University of Arkansas about how and why Pluto was downgraded.
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"
"Pluto" by Clare and the Reasons
The Arkansas Legislature moves forward with a voter ID bill, the city of Fort Smith gets ready for some new fire equipment, and Bill Halter speaks out against changes to the lottery scholarship.
"Meteor" by The Bird and the Bee
Michael Tilley from The City Wire talks about strong homes sales in northwest Arkansas so far in 2013...and the murky future of an aquatic park in Sebastian County.
