Becca Martin Brown, the features editor at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , says she wants us to stretch this weekend and try some new things. Her suggestions include a renaissance fair near Siloam Springs and a Grammy-winning guitarist playing tonight in Bella Vista.

After winning the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, Ghadir Abass Goodarzy chose to immigrate to Fayetteville to embark on a new life and second career. This story is part of our continuing series of profiles on Ozark Literacy Council students. Ozark Literacy Council offers all classes free of charge.

The ME TOO March on Fayetteville will begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Fayetteville Town Center plaza. The event will feature guest speakers, a proclamation from Mayor Lioneld Jordan, and a one-mile march. In case of inclement weather, a rain date will be posted to the event's Facebook page .

Michael Tilley, from Talk Business and Politics , is with us to discuss expected financial reports from J. B. Hunt and new support for a Fort Smith school millage request.

On this week's Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Report, Kathleen Lawson, executive director of Economics Arkansas, discusses efforts to teach young Arkansans more about financial matters.

Liton Beasa is a Marshallese canoe master carver. Originally from Namorik Atoll, he'll carve a traditional kōrkōr (canoe) out of a giant sycamore tree trunk on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History . The canoe carving project is being coordinated by the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese , supported by Shiloh Museum staff, and it is funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In March 2017, the region got its first permanent comedy club. The Grove was a restaurant during the week and a comedy club on the weekends. The venue shut down in August while the owner worked on renovating a 9,000 square-foot building in Lowell that’s ready to host its first comedy show this weekend.

A Thursday roundup includes Walmart and vendors discussing sustainability goals, and some legislators call for the impeachment of a judge.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation cut the ribbon Wednesday on a 4.5-mile portion of the Springdale Northern Bypass , or future Highway 412. The bypass will eventually connect to existing Highway 412 on the west side of Tontitown and on the east side of Sonora. The section of the highway unveiled Wednesday will be open to drivers starting April 30.

Although the Oklahoma Education Association ended the official teacher walkout last week, many educators are vowing to keep fighting for school funding by other means. Some districts are sending delegates each day to the capitol, many teachers have decided to run for office themselves, and others are rallying behind candidates who support education funding. We catch up with Roland High School math teacher Steven Ostrander, who has been part of the walkout effort in Sequoyah County, about what