Canopy of Northwest Arkansas, the state's only resettlement agency began recieving Afghan evacuees in October of 2021. Joanna Krause, the agency's executive director, says they have onboarded at least one new arrival each week since then.

With the spread of COVID-19 continuing, UAFS is moving to mostly virtual instruction next week.

Christopher Schulte, endowed associate professor of art education and assistant director of the School of Art at the University of Arkansas, is founding and directing the new Center for the Study of Childhood Art, the first such instutite in country, he says.

There are things to do this weekend. Becca Martin Brown, the features editor with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, gives us highlights. She also says with a chance of snow and the continued spread of the virus, we should check on the status of any event before going to it.

One Penny Shy is scheduled to play at the Fayetteville Public Library Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00. We talked with Becky and Jacob last night about the show and their EP, Grown.

On today’s show, interest in land in Newton County. Plus, efforts to get more COVID-19 tests in Arkansans’ hands, another edition of young musical all stars, and much more.

Arkansas recorded nearly 11,000 new cases of COVID-19, a new single-day record. Also in the news: Arkansas' senior US Senator defends the filibuster and the Razorback men's basketball team gets a big victory.

The first shipment of at-home COVID-19 tests are being given away across the state at local libraries and other community partners. Dr. Jennifer Dillaha says that the high positivity rate is an indication that more testing is needed.

So much property in Newton County has sold during the pandemic, that once-affordable land prices have soared. Buyers include couples and familes relocating from crowded urban centers and climate catastrophe zones to carve out new lives on the Ozarks. But others are investors buying up land to develop or market as short-term vacation rentals. We query officials, businesses, locals and newcomers about what the changes portend.

Ozark Compost & Swap, a new residential compost pick-up service, aims to make composting more accessible for people in northwest Arkansas. The company offers weekly and bi-weekly options and also partners with local producers to deliver sustainable goods like coffee and household cleaners.