Ozarks at Large Stories

The next seven days of local music features Diversity Weekend in Eureka Springs, the return of the Vine Brothers to a beloved local bar, Brianna Thomas performs at Walton Arts Center and more.

Fewer infants, children and teens are entering foster care in Arkansas, but fewer are leaving. Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services Director Mischa Martin explains how the agency is working, citing a critical need for more foster and adoptive families. The agency, she says, is also prepared to respond to any consequences of Arkansas's strict new abortion ban.

This week, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is hosting the Arkansas Flavor Analysis Conference in Fayetteville to give researchers and industry professionals the tools to optimize the unique qualities of our food.

This holiday season we reached out to several local independent bookstores in the listening area to get their recommendations for books. Today we hear from Pearl's Books in Fayetteville.

Gardens at Osage Terrace, the first senior assisted living facility in Arkansas licensed to accept Medicaid, continues to operate in Bentonville. The novel long-term care residence is a project of Community Development Corporation headquartered in Bentonville which creates and preserves affordable housing across the tri-county region.

For many Americans, Twitter isn't a service that they use. But some power users in Arkansas have begun thinking about what will happen to their work if Twitter goes away.

Our latest dip into Pryor Center archives allows us to continue our examination of some of the people involved in the Whitewater investigation of the 1990s.

Thanksgiving is over and the SoNA holiday concerts are approaching. Paul Haas, the SoNA conductor, says the three concerts early next month are among his favorites.

Phil Allen, Jr. is a pastor, speaker, and the author of The Prophetic Lens: The Camera and Black Moral Agency From MLK to Darnella Frazier. He discusses the impact of everything from Spike Lee to citizen-captured video of news events can shape public conversations.

In an excerpt from the latest episode of Points of Departure, the hosts travel to PortAventura to discuss their Dreams program which was designed with the intention of giving a break to all those families with children who have spent a long period of time in hospitals.

Kyle Kellams, Anna Pope, and Matthew Moore come together to guess the top side dish in Thanksgiving, parades, and more trivia related around the holiday season.

This year's guest of the University of Arkansas Scholars at Risk Committee, Saladdin Ahmed, came to our studio to discuss his latest book, Revolutionary Hope After Nihilism: Marginalized Voices and Dissent.

The Republican Party will be in charge of the United States House next year. Roby Brock, with our partner Talk Business and Politics, talks with Arkansas Third District Congressman Steve Womack of Rogers about the upcoming Congressional year.

The latest population survey from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission indicates promising numbers for future wild turkey population.

Best known for its community support, the group, Duo Divinas, was the only group from Arkansas to win at the Latino Music Awards in Chicago. Reporter Rachell Sanchez-Smith talked to artists Julieta Ortiz y Azucena Garcia about their journey from playing covers to winning an international contest, plus a performance of their latest release Esclavos del Pasado.

Dr. Charles Robinson is the unanimous choice to be chancellor at the University of Arkansas. Yesterday he answered reporters' questions about what's next for the campus.

This week's Northwest Arkansas Business Journal explores what is next for solar energy in Arkansas.

Transition Overwatch prepares and connects military Veterans across the U.S., including in Arkansas, to civilian careers — at no cost.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving includes performances by traveling singer-songwriters, rock and rollers from here and elsewhere, and the return of a beloved holiday tribute show.

Our Friday News Wrap covers a lot of election coverage, a roundup of college soccer, and more.

Two non-profit agencies are teamin up with each other and dozens of other organizations to provide help. We talked with the executive directors of HARK and Arkansas 211.

Queer non-binary photographer, Ann Guyton, was awarded a residency at Fenix Arts where they are exploring the intersection of identity and body liberation. Guyton is exhibiting several exemplary self-portraits in the "The Hand," a group show now on display in Fenix gallery through mid-November.

The musical Chicago may be set in the 1920s, but the issues discussed are relevant to the 2020s. Chicago is on stage through Sunday afternoon at the Walton Arts Center.

The 24th annual Arkansas Poll reveals feelings of likely voters ahead of 2022 midterms.

Next spring Distinguised Professor of Art Lynn Jacobs will lead a University of Arkansas Honors College Signature Seminar about death and art. She'll also deliver a virtual preview lecture tomorrow evening at 5:15. We asked her about the course.

Fayetteville musician and activist Donna Mulhollan crafts to raise awareness about critical issues including climate change and social justice. We visit her studio to observe the discipline known as craftivism, and gather insight from University of Arkansas art historian John Blakinger who specializes in aesthetics and politics.

The University of Arkansas and the City of Fayetteville marked their 18th official recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day.

For many, talking about your mental health can be a source of stigma and shame. That was the case for Toby Slough for years. Today, his work is dedicated to helping student live emotionally healthier lives and provide them with steps to improve their mental wellness.

Michael Tilley, with our partner Talk Business and Politics, explains job creation is rising in Arkansas. He notes more than three-quarters of the new jobs are in three areas of the state. Michael also responds to some listeners' concerns.

Why wait until October 31st to celebrate Halloween? For that matter, why wait until October? Pinpoint in downtown Fayetteville celebrates now.

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is on stage at John Brown University. Becca Martin Brown, the features editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, says she's eager to see this new version from Ken Ludwig.

The band Olympics recently released their first album, which is available for listening on most major streaming platforms. The band's members recently came to our Firmin-Garner Performance Studio to talk about the EP and to perform a few songs for us.

Next spring Celina Suarez, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas, will lead a Honors College Signature Seminar titled "The Science, Politics and and Culture of Dinosaurs." We asked her about the class and about her Zoom preview lecture Tuesday evening at 5:15.

Arkansas voters will decide if recreational marijuana can be legal in November. Roby Brock, on this week's Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, seeks opinions of support and opposition.

The week's coming musical attractions includes the return of Hillberry, a few hard rock shows, songwriters and more.

Grammy-nominated singer Jubilant Sykes will perform Sunday, October 9th on the John Brown University campus. He talked with us about his music, the concert and his joy in leading at master class while at JBU.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled votes cast regarding legal recreational marijuana in Arkansas will count. Roby Brock and John Brummett cosnider the ramifications of the opinion.

Nearly 1 in 3 Arkansans has a disability. Jonathan Taylor, executive director for the Arkansas Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, discusses what his group is doing to make voting more accessible for everyone.

Electric vehicles are becoming more popular in the state and nation. Plans for Arkansas' statewide network of charging stations were approved earlier this month and before that, Canoo, an electric car company, relocated its headquarters in Northwest Arkansas. The Drive Electric NWA event this past Saturday aimed to answer questions about ownership and infrastructure.

Musicians from the Fort Smith Symphony will be busy this October. There are chamber music performances featuring music of an inspired by Indigenous cultures, a superhero-themed concert and the annual Earquake concerts for area students.

Republic of the Marshall Islands President David Kabua spent several days in Northwest Arkansas late last week, hosted by Arkansas Marshallese Consul General Eldon Alik. On Saturday, the RMI President met with constituents at Manit Day, a traditional cultural gathering at Jones Center Community Park, where he spoke about pressing Marshallese politics, human rights and social justice issues.

John Waters seemingly never rests. The filmmaker, actor, writer and artist will bring his show, "False Negative: An Evening with John Waters" to the Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock. The show is part of the Six Bridges Book Festival from the Central Arkansas Library System.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' northwest Arkansas campus has opened a clinic for people experiencing symptoms three weeks or more after a positive test.

We take a look back at the career of Webster Hubbell, the United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton and a pivotal subject of the Whitewater controversy, on today's journey through the Pyor Center Archives.

Natural Election is taping a live episode of the podcast Tuesday September 27th at the Pryor Center in downtown Fayetteville to discuss the impact of your vote in this upcoming election.

Events like the Bentonville Bike Festival and the Bentonville Film Festival attract thousands of people. FORMAT Festival is this weekend, and its planners are expecting about 10,000 attendees. Debbie Griffin, the director of administration for the City of Bentonville, said planning for festivals requires coordination of safety, lodging, sanitation and transportation.

Michael Tilley, with our partner Talk Business and Politics, has a full agenda of news including a new development in an ongoing matter with Fort Smith sewer and water.

The Art Collective Gallery in downtown Rogers is exhibiting pop art works from artists working both near and far.

There are people on stages everywhere this weekend. Becca Martin Brown, the features editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, says productions at TheatreSquared, Fort Smith Little Theater, Arkansas Public Theater and, oh yeah, Format Festival, are just the beginning.

Courtney Lanning says Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island is s treat for people who know what that title means. She says for the rest of us, it may be a hard place to enter a well-known, if niche, franchise.

The University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability is encouraging more students and staff to choose alternative transportation in an effort to reach sustainability goals.