President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden faced off in the first presidential debate last Tuesday. By Friday, the conversation about how the debate, which was full of interruptions, proved less than informative for American voters, was overshadowed by news of the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis and his subsequent hospitalization. That whirlwind of a week and what comes next was the focus of this week's conversation between Roby Brock from Talk Business & Politics and John

Arkansas State Forester Joe Fox was elected in late September to serve as president of the National Association of State Foresters . Fox says wise forest management and safe wildland fire operations are top priorities while building collaboration and communication within the nation's forestry community.

The Buffalo National River has been designated a Leave No Trace Gold Standard Site. The honor, awarded to only a handful of parks annually by the national Leave No Trace For Outdoor Ethics, makes the Buffalo National River the sixth National Park Service site to receive the award — and the first in Arkansas.

You may have told somebody they were "close, but no cigar" without knowing just why that phrase first gained popularity. Enter our Militant Grammarian, Katherine Shurlds, to explain the origins of several old idioms.

In May, Arkansas allowed restaurants to re-open their dining rooms to the public with reduced capacity, adjusted seating space, mask requirements and health screenings for employees. But even now, many local restaurants are still trying to find safe ways to reach customers- from to-go only or outside seating. And as colder weather approaches some establishments are uncertain about what they'll do next.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest in Fayetteville is operating a drive-thru clinic for patients seeking medical exams, but are too wary of entering a medical facility during the pandemic. Dr. Hunter Judkins, medical director of the Family Medicine Residency Program, initiated the novel extension clinic.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments tomorrow in Arkansas's appeal of a case regarding reimbursements pharmacies receive from insurance providers. The case involves a 2015 law passed by the Arkansas legislature and has the potential to a be a precedent-setting case.

The 1980 film Brubaker starred Robert Redford and gained national attention. Randy Dixon, with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Oral and Visual History , brings us archives of the real story that inspired the film. A corrupt and brutal prison system existed before and after the movie about a fictionilzed effort to clean up Arkansas's prisons.

On today's show, we have the latest roundup of news from the River Valley with Michael Tilley of Talk Business and Politics. Plus, we find out how a regional education cooperative is helping public schools manage operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, we take a look at where discussions stand between the City of Fort Smith and the Arkansas Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy concerning a Confederate monument on the grounds of the Sebastian County courthouse.

Arkansas's jobless numbers for August 2020 are better than earlier this year, but they're worse than this time last year. Michael Tilley with Talk Business and Politics explains and discusses several other items making news in the River Valley.