A new variant of covid-19 has grabbed the attention of health professionals around the world as it spreads. But what do we know about the Omicron variant and, more importantly, what do people in Northwest Arkansas need to know?

We’ll talk about that on the Know the News podcast.

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Actor Megan Masako Haley plays Gretchen Wieners in the new Broadway musical “Mean Girls,” based on the 2004 eponymous film written by Tina Fey.

Haley chats with assistant features editor Jocelyn Murphy ahead of the show’s Arkansas premiere at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville Dec. 14-19. Tickets start at $41 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 479-443-5600, or visiting waltonartscenter.org.

The 6 candidates running for the District 7 seat in the Arkansas senate a seat that include Springdale and Elkins, each give a 2 minute speech on why they should be elected.

Democratic contenders are Lisa Parks and Derek Van Voast.

Republican contendere are Jim Bob Duggar, Colby Fulfer, Robert “Edge” Nowlin and Steve Unger.

The NWADG sports reporters recap Fayetteville’s heart-stopping comeback win against Conway and take a look at this week’s state championship games in Little Rock.

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65,000 people in Northwest Arkansas experienced food insecurity in the last year. On the Know the News podcast, we’ll talk about what our listeners can do to help those folks get fed.

Join Chip Souza, Henry Apple, Paul Boyd, Rick Fires and Leland Barclay as they recap football action in the River Valley and Northwest Arkansas. An epic Fayetteville comeback, a heartbreaker for Bentonville, Leland predicts the North Little Rock game and more.

Don’t miss the latest sports stories at nwaonline.com/sports/prep and sign up for our free sports emails at nwaonline.com/sportsemail/

Bentonville High School is home to the only Junior ROTC program in Northwest Arkansas. The program launched this year. Cmdr. Mike Davis, instructor, and student Aryn Johnson join us to discuss how it’s going.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sports guys break down the first round of the Arkansas state football playoffs, including Fort Smith Northside’s big road win at Bentonville West. Rick Fires also dishes on a 22-play drive in another game.

Read more sports stories at: nwaonline.com/sports/prep/

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Actor Cody Garcia stars in the second national tour of the new Broadway musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Garcia chats with Assistant Features Editor Jocelyn Murphy ahead of the show’s Fayetteville debut at the Walton Arts Center Nov. 30-Dec. 5. Tickets start at $41 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 479-443-5600, or visiting waltonartscenter.org.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, even though we haven’t even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. But now is the time to start planning your holiday activities. Today we’ll talk with Becca Martin-Brown, features editor of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about many of the opportunities to celebrate the season on today’s Know The News Podcast.