Members of the Washington County Community Remembrance Project have been planning for over a year to erect a marker in Fayetteville to memorialize victims of racial violence in the county. The monument will be part of a growing network of community markers across the South inspired and supported by the Equal Justice Initiative which operates a museum and memorial site in Montgomery, Alabama.

The first study on the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine this week. The study tracked 32,000 adults who had no signs of lung disease. By then end of the three-year study, researchers found people who used e-cigarettes were 30 percent more likely than nonusers to have developed chronic lung disease.

Things you can do this weekend include: A Tuna Christmas at Arkansas Public Theater in Rogers, Miracle on 34th Street at Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale and a SoNA Christmas at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. Becca Martin-Brown, the features editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , says there is an obvious theme to this last weekend before the holidays.

The third annual Smoothman Christmas will be held Saturday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. the Fayetteville Town Center. Earlier this week, Anthony Ball, Jeron Isbell, Grady Matthews and Reggie James stopped by the Firmin-Garner Performance Studio to talk about the event and to give us a musical preview.

A pair of matching bipartisan bills were introduced in Congress this year to reinstate Medicaid eligibility to citizens of Freely Associated States residing in the U.S. under treaties called Compacts of Free Association. Included are persons from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Marshallese physician, Dr. Sheldon Riklon, discusses the rationale for the entitlement.

The First 100 Families initiative in Fort Smith, which is spearheaded by Restore Hope Arkansas , aims to keep children out of the foster care system by bringing together organizations and agencies to provide wrap-around services to help struggling parents. The collaborative includes the Sebastian County Department of Human Services, as well as nonprofits that provide everything from shelter to parenting classes.

A multimillion dollar grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will enable the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and its partnering universities to conduct research on water efficiency in the poultry industry, as well as other topics.

Lia Uribe, associate professor of music at the University of Arkansas, says music lovers can enjoy a few holiday concerts this weekend including two performances by the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. Saturday, Dec.21 Solstice Spectacular at Mount Sequoyah (Fayetteville) - $20 suggested donation, 5 p.m. A Very SoNA Christmas at Walton Arts Center (Fayetteville) - $15-$55 and free for kids under 18, 2 & 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22 The Snowman: A Family Concert at Walton Arts Center (Fayetteville)

The weekend before the Christmas holiday features funk, electronica, folk and many more live music opportunities. Thursday, Dec. 19 Jesse Dean and Friends at Harry's Downtown (Fort Smith) - $5, 7 p.m. Sarah Loethen at Natural State Beer Co. (Rogers) - 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20 The Odds, Jesse Dean at George's Majestic Lounge (Fayetteville) - 6 p.m. Ben Miller Band, Flipoff Pirates at George's Majestic Lounge (Fayetteville) - $8 adv, $10 day of, 9:30 p.m. Modeling, Rings at Smoke and Barrel Tavern

We revisit a favorite conversation from May 2019. One hundred years ago, astronomers used a total eclipse to test Einstein's most famous theory. Dan Kenneflick has written a new book, No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity , about the science behind the effort.