The 479 Show

Coming up in this episode, the first week of early voting featured the Springdale City Council Ordinance Committee introducing a measure to allow golf carts on city streets, the Siloam Springs Board of Directors approving the second reading of its moratorium on data centers and shutting off the Flock safety cameras while tabling any final action on the surveillance devices and the Tontitown City Councill ordering its officials to undergo Freedom of Information Act training.

The Rogers Board of Education would have a busy week hiring a search firm for its superintendent that would be...

Coming up on this episode, the government business featured the update on the wastewater system updates in Greenland, a more successful rezoning request in Bentonville, grant funding for transportation projects in Rogers, the endorsement of a tax-back program by Springdale to allow Tyson to convert its newly-acquired Cargill turkey plant on Randall Wobbe Lane for chicken, and Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins discussing reforms in the purchasing and disposal of county assets to limit fraud, which he hoped might be adopted elsewhere in the state.

It was Fraud Week in the courts, as a couple...

Coming up on this week's episode, while the heat wave was making a brief return to the region, the real heat was inside a couple of municipal buildings with mayors in Tontitown and Lowell getting flamed by council members, leading to a censure in the former case and a continuing investigation in the latter creating heartburn less than two weeks from early voting.

Our crime news ranged from the political, with the bonding out of a former state legislator and sole candidate for Benton County Judge, to the end of two careers for a substitute...

On this week's episode, a light week of government action featured the Bella Vista City Council and Washington County Quorum Court holdings meetings.

Ground would be broken on a new Walton-family inspired STEM-based university that aims to be more than a BIT player in workforce development...you'll understand the pun in a bit...er, in a few minutes.

The courts were even busier this week, with the lead story of the week seeing the lone candidate for Benton County Judge posing for more unwanted photographs which would wind up on opposition...

Coming up on this week's episode, the week was busy with the main event featuring the Benton County Quorum Court decision on an immigration enforcement program and potential to expand its jail that hasn't grown since it was built in 1999.

Other action included the Springdale City Council purchasing hardware for its information technology upgrades, the Bentonville City Council hearing about and approving transportation projects, the Rogers City Council approving a rezoning to accommodate low-income housing.

In the school boards, the Gravette board would continue negotiations on the sale of property it...

Coming up on this week's episode, the heavy week of government meetings generated a lot of discussion but not too much immediate action, with the Fayetteville City Council allocating funds for its bonds, the Siloam Springs Board of Directors approving a memorandum of understanding on a major law enforcement task force, the Lowell City Council discussing and tabling its proposal to pull the plug on the Flock cameras while Washington Countny's Quorum Court pulled the trigger despite the use of the devices not even on the agenda or any of the current or potentially elected officials.

Coming up on this week's episode, the Labor Day holiday might have shortened the work week for our government agencies, but the Bentonville City Council could have probably used another vacation after the marathon session the next night.

The Springdale City Council had a much shorter session as it approved the contract to work on the eastern gateway to downtown, while the Board of Education heard the update on the Westwood Elementary construction.

Rogers-based America's Car-Mart would also see its name in the paper as it attempts to stave off the...

On this week's episode, the latest major transportation project in the region reached a milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of two highways.

The heat continued its grip on the region, continuing the worsening conditions of the drought not seen in a decade.

Government business was quick with Springdale's City Council moving forward its East Emma Streetscape project, the Benton County Planning Board dealiing with telecommunications towers and Siloam Springs was the latest to join the Flock.

Area colleges would release their enrollment numbers and...

On this week's episode, our busy week began with the Bella Vista City Council rushing through the creation of an Advisory Green committee while taking its time discussing a sales tax reduction proposal, the Springdale City Council approving its updated land use plans, the Bentonville City Council turning down the noise, the Benton County Quorum Court sitting through the sound and fury while approving a bond issue to help build more health care facilities and the Fayetteville Board of Education approving a maximum price construction contact for the future Ramay Junior High School.

We also...

On this week's episode, it was a mixed bag of news this week with Springdale officials hearing about plans for the Rabbit's Foot Lodge, Fayetteville would adopt tighter restrictions on data centers, Siloam Springs would place their sales tax extension on the ballot and Washington County's legislative branch would exert more control over its budget.

In the school house, Rogers would approve new courses as part of its advanced curriculum while Bentonville approved a contract for the expansion of one of its newer elementary schools.

Statewide news would see the apparent...

Coming up on this week's episode, our busy week saw the Washington County Quorum Court look to assert greater control over capital outlays, the Springdale City Council back to full strength, the Rogers City Council moving its bond issue and sales tax extension to the hands of the voters, the Centerton City Council joining the growing flock of communities to pluck the feathers of its surveillance camera system and the Lowell City Council changing its rules of procedure.

Meanwhile, Tyson Foods would consolidate its beef processing facilities as the segment continues to struggle while row...

Coming up on this episode, the Springdale City Council may have complicated matters in their bid to fill a vacancy while the Pea Ridge Planning Commission approved a controversial rezoning for a proposed development next to its city park. Benton County officials would discuss the proposed re-allocation of its one-cent sales tax but have a short time to place the question before the voters.

Officials in Fayetteville would break ground on the future Ramay Junior High School while Springdale opened its repurposed Elementary School.

Municipal filing season ended and we have...

Coming up on this week's episode, the end of the month saw the Bella Vista City Council play to a packed room due to the interest over the short-term rental proposal that would increase the number of permits.

In other news, the Rogers City Council presented its bond referendum request while the Springdale City Council left the vacant seat in their membership run for another couple of weeks, the Bentonville City Council approved administrative fees for people not mowing their grass and progress on the future Ramay Junior High School cleared another hurdle when the...

Coming up on this week's episode, another full week of government action saw the Springdale City Council discuss its vacant seat during its Committee of the Whole meeting, the Prairie Grove Council amend its door-to-door solicitation ordinance, the Tontitown City Council approve some significant changes in its meeting calendar, the Fayetteville City Council adopted its ordinance limiting the use of non-disclosure agreements and approve a major rezoning, the Siloam Springs Board of Directors introduce the extension of its five-eighth cent sales tax for wastewater treatment work and the Benton County Quorum Court move forward its accounting of the 287g...

On this week's episode, a number of government agencies took care of business quickly while others had more on their collective plates. Greenland approved an agreement with West Fork in one area while there might be some tension on another front. Springdale's City Council changed the name of a street and agreed to pay for the school resrouce officers at its junior high schools. Bentonville's City Council approved a couple of pedestrian capital projects while officials in Rogers previewed a list of items that could be financed with a bond issue it plans to put before voters in November...

Coming up this week, the Springdale City Council learned it would have to fill the vacant Ward Teo seat before the November elections, while the Committee of the Whole set up a public hearing to change the name of a street on the east side. The Fayetteville City Council would approve the issue of $191 million in bonds for capital projects the voters approved this past March. The Siloam Springs Board of Directors would approve new rules governing electric bicycles and mobility devices on its sidepaths and trails. Planning commissioners weren't able to accomplish much in the region as incorrect...

Coming up on this episode, the short work week before the July 4 holiday saw lots of action in Washington County, including the surprise presentation of long-term building plans that proved to be even more of a surpise to the officials who would have to work in the facilities.

Elsewhere, the focus was fairly light with the Benton County Quorum Court establishing an operating fund for what they hope would be a misdemeanor pod in its county jail whose capacity hadn't changed though the county's population more than doubled, and the Rogers City Council approving a...

On this week's episode, Rodeo of the Ozarks week took over Springdale June 24 through 27, and it was a busy week among our government and school boards.

The Bella Vista City Council discussed short-term rentals while the Bentonville City Council Committee of the Whole discussed possible changes to its noise ordinance. The Springdale City Council approved agreements on a parking deck, wider side paths along interchanges at the future Northern Bypass, a transit development study along the Business 71 corridor and the Sunset Avenue extension.

The Bentonville Board of Education approved an expansion package at Bentonville West...

Coming up on this episode, the 479 followed up a busy week of government action with another newsworthy period as Springdale, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove, Tontitown, Siloam Springs and Lowell discussed business.

The Rogers School Board held a light session while the Gravette board also met, and the Northwest Technical Institute Board of Directors hiked tuition and the state of Arkansas celebrated improvement among students at all grade levels in standardized testing for the past school year.

Business news included some serious amount of human monies leaving the Tyson Foods bank account in the wallets...

Coming up on this episode, the Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees approved the location for its first on-campus housing while the Fayetteville Planning Commission added a couple of local historic districts.

The Springdale City Council would lose a member while its Board of Education returned to full strength, the Centerton City Council discussed the renovation to its Community Building on North Main Street that once housed its municipal offices but could soon include a library and the Washington County Quorum Court's Finance and Budget Committee would recommend adding to its employee insurance fund.

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Coming up on this episode, the Springdale City Council Finance Committee had a light session while the Fayetteville City Council and Siloam Springs Board of Directors were somewhat busier. The Planning Commissions in Bentonville and Springdale tackled major developments, with Bentonville approving a significant housing development and Springdale changing a zoning designation to ease the conversion of the former Cargill turkey plant to a Tyson chicken facility. Siloam Springs would be taken to court over its denial of a preliminary plat for a major housing subdivision next to the airport. Northwest Technical Insttitute would fill a time capsule to...

Coming up on this episode, the week was compact with city council meetings in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Bella Vista and Cave Springs along with the Benton County Quorum Court and school district news from Pea Ridge, Fayetteville and Springdale.

Our trip off the beaten path takes us to Franklin, Tennessee, where it could be argued that some school administrators didn't know enough to come in out of the rain.

This week in the 479 saw the Fayetteville City Council endure a marathon session with two appeals in the spotlight, the Springdale City Council Finance Committee moving forward with a federal grant acceptance for elimination of an at-grade railroad crossing, the Rogers Board of Education setting in motion a study on block scheduling, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission getting ready to approve transportation projects and the University of Arkansas increasing tuition and backing its president in dealing with a tenured professor's troubling social media activity.

We hear more highlights from area high school graduations and our Comment...

On a packed episode, the City of Greenland was closer to becoming a first-class city, the City of Centerton was closer to having a library, the Bentonville City Council was back to full strength, the Springdale City Council created a new deputy animal services director position and the University of Arkansas tennis programs received a stay of execution after supporters raised funds to support it.

We highlight some of the high school graduations that took place during the week.

Our Comment from the Capitol visits with the producer of the National Memorial Day Concert.

The first week of May in the 479 saw the Springdale City Council adopt changes to its downtown form-based code, the Fayetteville City Council adopt increased water and sewer rates, the Washington County Quorum Court County Services Committee deal with a Fayetteville business that had been operating without permits for years, and commencement exercises at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville.

The Arkansas General Assembly met in special session to consider a fourth income tax cut in as many years.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Maryland, where a college football team features...

The end of April was busy as Highfill officials proposed the idea of an Industrial Development Authority, while the city councils in Bella Vista, Bentonville and Rogers met. The Washington County Planning Board closed out the month with a conditional use permit for a residential treatment center near Prairie Grove to house sixteen girls, and the Arkansas General Assembly wrapped up its fiscal session in time to be called back into a special session.

Our Benton County Extension Report focuses on the presence of hemlock and the dangers it poses for livestock, while our Comment from the...

School boards took the spotlight during the week with Bentonville and Fayetteville boards hearing about facilities improvements, Fayetteville and Rogers approving salary schedules for the coming year and Gravette considering a real estate offer.

On the government side, Fayetteville approved the expansion of its Farmer's Market, Prairie Grove moved forward with its downtown street work, Springdale officials discussed updates to its downtown form-based codes, Bentonville and Lowell would have vacancies in their councils, Benton County put the idea of an industrial development authority to rest and regional agencies discussed road construction and a possible merger of solid...

We have another busy week in the region as the Bentonville City Council updated its Plan Bentonville comprehensive plan update, the Springdale School District started work on Westwood Elementary School and the Washington County Quorum Court adopted an ordinance subjecting most resolutions to committee hearings before being introduced in the full body.

Our Comment from the Capitol describes the week in Washington following Easter recess for Congress.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to New Jersey, where the promoter of the Santa Con bar crawl put himself on Santa's naughty list, which...

The first full week of April featured the Fayetteville City Council discussing the expansion of the Farmers Market, while the Arkansas General Assembly convened its fiscal session and the Arkansas Department of Transportation presented its plans for the Western North-South Connector Road.

Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack spoke with the operator of the Oz Bike Trail and Chair Life in Bella Vista about their opening in May.

Our trip off the beaten path takes us to northwestern Georgia, where a youth softball tournament made the news for the wrong reasons.

The week featured a recap of the March 31 runoff elections in Arkansas along with the introduction of a new north-south connector road west of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport and the dedication of the Bella Vista Bypass segment of Interstate 49 in honor of former Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Our Benton County Extension report prepares homeowners for the canning season.

And our trip off the beaten path focuses on the theft of Kit Kat bars in Europe.

The week of Spring Break saw light government action with the Bella Vista State of the City report, the presentation of plans for Ramay Junior High School and the filling of the vacant seat in the U.S. Senate with the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin to head the Department of Homeland Security.

School boards were the focus this week in Bentonville, Rogers and Fayetteville, while Fayetteville welcomed the arrival of a new commercial pilot training program to operate at Drake Field.

We hear from Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack during his Comment from the Capitol.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Ohio for the latest Trial of the Century.

During the second week of March. the Springdale and Centerton mayors presented their State of the City addresses while the Springdale School Board would explore repurposing Jones Elementary School.

This week includes a report on the March 3 primary elections.

Other highlights include the Washington County Quorum Court tabling indefinitely the establishment of a Regional Industrial Development Authority and the Siloam Springs Board of Directors hearing a presentation on a waste-to-energy project.

The final week of February featured State of the City addresses in Bentonville and Rogers along with plans for the current Ramay Junior High School in Fayetteville to convert to a magnet high school.

The Champions for Children Give-a-thon took place as the 479 Media Group hoped to raise funds towards the expansion of Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale.

The week in the 479 featured school board meetings in Bentonville and Rogers, the Fayetteville and Springdale city council meetings, the earnings report for Wal-Mart and the Washington County Quorum Court,

Our extension report focuses on the new nutrition guidelines.

And our trip off the beaten path features a canine appearance in an Olympic cross-country ski race.

The week featured an update of the COVID mitigation project that served as a de facto expansion of the Washington County Jail.

Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn presented her "State of the City" address to highlight her first year in office.

Decatur Mayor David Johnson spoke about the first month at the helm.

We recap the news from the first full week of February, which would include numerous planning commission meetings, the 96th Annual Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and a court battle involving a high school basketball player.

Our spotlights feature an upcoming Field Day in Benton County this March and a return to Washington for the House of Representatives.

Our trip off the beaten path takes us to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home of the nation's most famous rodent meteorologist.

The major highlight from the week was the first winter storm, which cancelled school and impacted municipal services for almost a week.

Our spotlight was on EverHope, which was the rebranding of the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter. We spoke with CEO Rebecca Mitchell about the mission.

Highlights for the week include the establishment of Fayetteville's first local historic district and the drop-in meeting for the final phase of the Springdale Northern Bypass.