Last year's Pride Parade in downtown Fayetteville drew an estimated 20,000 people. This year, Northwest Arkansas Pride will celebrate the 16th annual event virtually with a series of events from June 26 through 27 in conjunction with International Global Pride.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise across Northwest Arkansas, the medical community is working to slow the spread of the virus. Part of that effort includes testing, some of which is being provided by Springdale-based Community Clinic . CEO Judd Semingson gives us an update on the organization's testing capabilities.

A petition is circulating supporting a state-led working group comprised of Arkansas cities and counties to develop unified protective coronavirus codes, including ordinances for wearing masks in public. After Fayetteville enacted an emergency mask ordinance this week, and Little Rock drafted an executive order, Governor Asa Hutchinson expressed opposition.

On today's show, we have the latest on the pandemic from the governor's coronavirus response briefing, which he held in Fort Smith. Plus, we find out about the measures taken by the Fayetteville Housing Authority to prevent COVID-19 from spreading at one of its properties after a staff member tested positive. And, University of Arkansas Associate Professor of Music Lia Uribe is back with our Sound Perimeter segment.

Governor Asa Hutchinson delivered today's coronavirus response briefing from Fort Smith, which is also seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. He reported 322 new cases, 11 additional deaths bringing the total to 208, and nine more hospitalizations. Hutchinson also extended the state's public health emergency for an additional 45 days. The increasing number of cases in Arkansas has landed it on a list of hot spots issued by Kansas, which means Kansans who visit the Natural State must go into two weeks

After a Hillcrest Towers staff member recently tested positive for COVID-19, the director of the Fayetteville Housing Authority implemented strict pandemic cleaning procedures and new protective protocols to prevent further spread thoughout the housing complex, which is reserved for elderly and disabled tenants.

On Wednesday, the mayor of Rogers announced the launch of a new public health campaign called #KeepRogersSafe to encourage residents and visitors to follow guidelines like wearing face masks and social distancing. To be part of the opt-in campaign, business owners sign a pledge to carry out public health directives issued by the governor and the Arkansas Department of Health at their establishments.

After the Fayetteville City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to pass an emergency ordinance requiring face masks be worn in most indoor public places, including businesses, Governor Asa Hutchinson weighed in saying cities and towns need to comply with state directives instead of enacting a mix of local codes.

In today's edition of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Report, Paul Gatling catches up with Brad Hammond, who leads the Fayetteville office of Olsson, a nationally-recognized engineering firm based in Nebraska. Hammond joined Olsson when the firm acquired McGoodwin Williams & Yates in 2018.

Our Militant Grammarian Katherine Shurlds says if you spit in the past, it's spat, not spitted, but as tends to be the case with the English language, there's always an exception.