The 479 Show

Coming up on this week's episode, the end of the month saw the Bella Vista City Council play to a packed room due to the interest over the short-term rental proposal that would increase the number of permits.

In other news, the Rogers City Council presented its bond referendum request while the Springdale City Council left the vacant seat in their membership run for another couple of weeks, the Bentonville City Council approved administrative fees for people not mowing their grass and progress on the future Ramay Junior High School cleared another hurdle when the Washington County Circuit Court dismissed an appeal intended to stop it.

Arkansas election laws were on the spotlight as the two sides in the legal battle over laws intended to combat petition fraud or improve direct democracy depending on which side of the fence one is standing made their arguments in U.S. District Court while the Secretary of State rejected the petitions filed by one advocacy group in support of a constitutional amendment tossing out the new laws.

Municipal campaign season got started with the opening of the one-week filing period while the race for Benton County Judge took an unexpected turn into the county jail.

Our Benton County Extension report gives parents tips on food safety as their children return to school.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Bakersfield, California, where a former college basketball assistant will have the chance to coach a prison team after he pleaded to supplementing his income the old-fashioned way....as a patron of the tarts.

Coming up on this week's episode, another full week of government action saw the Springdale City Council discuss its vacant seat during its Committee of the Whole meeting, the Prairie Grove Council amend its door-to-door solicitation ordinance, the Tontitown City Council approve some significant changes in its meeting calendar, the Fayetteville City Council adopted its ordinance limiting the use of non-disclosure agreements and approve a major rezoning, the Siloam Springs Board of Directors introduce the extension of its five-eighth cent sales tax for wastewater treatment work and the Benton County Quorum Court move forward its accounting of the 287g program.

In the school house, the Bentonville Board of Education sold one of the two parcels of property that received unsolicited offers to purchase, the Rogers Board signed on to a class-action lawsuit targeting social media companies and the Fayetteville Board approved the sale ot construction bonds and heard the update on its efforts to prepare its elementary students for success.

We also had a busy week in the courtroom as an opponent of the future Ramay Junior High School took the city and school district to circuit court to stop the process while a Fayetteville property owner whose home was a frequent stop for first responder agencies was accused of turning his dilapidated structure into a home flambe in order to cash a check from his insurance company that may result in an even larger check for his barristers.

It was a more difficult week for responders, as Springdale Police were called to a couple of shooting deaths that resulted in a couple of teen boys facing adullt consequences while a moped driver and pedestrian in Rogers were fatally injured in motor vehicle accidents and a rookie police officer gave his life while trying to save another swimmer in the Elk River north of the state line.

Our Benton County Extension report previews a seminar on the new world screwworm that is causing trouble for cattle producers.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us across the state to Jonesboro, where a friendly neighborhood Spiderman was caught on video playing Boy Scout and helping a disabled pedestrian across a busy street

On this week's episode, a number of government agencies took care of business quickly while others had more on their collective plates. Greenland approved an agreement with West Fork in one area while there might be some tension on another front. Springdale's City Council changed the name of a street and agreed to pay for the school resrouce officers at its junior high schools. Bentonville's City Council approved a couple of pedestrian capital projects while officials in Rogers previewed a list of items that could be financed with a bond issue it plans to put before voters in November. The Washington County Quorum Court would approve a conditional use permit for the Genesis Ranch to operate a residential treatment home for teenaged girls.

School districts also got together as they prepared for the coming year. The Gravette board celebrated completion of its capital projects and approved a new math curriculum for its middle school. Springdale's Board of Education would hear updates to its renovation of Westwood Elementary School and updated bus routes for students moving from Jones to Bayarri and Knapp elementary schools.

Business news saw financial reports for America's Car Mart and J.B. Hunt Transport, along with the opening of a new office building in Rogers.

Our Benton County Extension Report previews the Pullet Show in August while our Comment from the Capitol recaps the week in Washington.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to San Francisco, where a tourist wished he'd adapted a famed Bush Administration education program and Left No Meth Behind.

Coming up this week, the Springdale City Council learned it would have to fill the vacant Ward Teo seat before the November elections, while the Committee of the Whole set up a public hearing to change the name of a street on the east side. The Fayetteville City Council would approve the issue of $191 million in bonds for capital projects the voters approved this past March. The Siloam Springs Board of Directors would approve new rules governing electric bicycles and mobility devices on its sidepaths and trails. Planning commissioners weren't able to accomplish much in the region as incorrect information provided by the law firm representing developers of a property in downtown forced the board in Bentonville to table the rezoning request while a lack of a quorum doomed the Washington County Board.

A light week of state work saw the Board of Education endorse a new rule to help parent districts who have isolated schools opt to break away, with Kingston planning to leave the vast Jasper district that it was consolidated into a long time ago.

Our Benton County Extension report comments on the early cuttings of this year's hay crop and offers producers the chance to test the forage for nutrients.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Baltimore, Maryland, where even a burglar can't escape being the victim of a crime, so police were able to find him a much more secure career making license plates.

Coming up on this episode, the short work week before the July 4 holiday saw lots of action in Washington County, including the surprise presentation of long-term building plans that proved to be even more of a surpise to the officials who would have to work in the facilities.

Elsewhere, the focus was fairly light with the Benton County Quorum Court establishing an operating fund for what they hope would be a misdemeanor pod in its county jail whose capacity hadn't changed though the county's population more than doubled, and the Rogers City Council approving a contribution to the Children and Family Advocacy Center to offset the loss of federal funds.

Further afield, the state office celebrated a bumper crop of surplus revenue in its fiscal year that ended June 30 while officials in Oklahoma had a different kind of bumper crop harvesting nearly a ton of funny grass that was allegedly being grown illegally. And the National Transportation Safety Board filed an intial report into the plane crash in Butler, Missouri that killed all aboard.

The Benton County Extension Report highlighted an amazing opportunity for 4-H youth to see the nation on its 250th birthday while Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack dons his top hat to report on the longest-running and most expensive soap opera in the nation where just about anything that gets done is accidental.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to the home of our elder cousins, where the fossil of a dinosaur found in Antarctica was treated like a bill in Parliament, forgotten in a desk for about four decades before being discovered.

On this week's episode, Rodeo of the Ozarks week took over Springdale June 24 through 27, and it was a busy week among our government and school boards.

The Bella Vista City Council discussed short-term rentals while the Bentonville City Council Committee of the Whole discussed possible changes to its noise ordinance. The Springdale City Council approved agreements on a parking deck, wider side paths along interchanges at the future Northern Bypass, a transit development study along the Business 71 corridor and the Sunset Avenue extension.

The Bentonville Board of Education approved an expansion package at Bentonville West High School, the Fayetteville Board of Education named a new middle school that would operate at the current Woodland Junior High School and made plans for the magnet high school that will take over the current Ramay Junior High School. The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved an agreement that includes the naming rights for Reynolds Razorback Stadium and Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack honored the new cadets and graduates of the military service academies.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Miami, Florida, where a couple of traveling families ended up shore-bound after what many observers would call an impromptu attempt to audition for the next Jericho 'rasslin cruise.

Coming up on this episode, the 479 followed up a busy week of government action with another newsworthy period as Springdale, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove, Tontitown, Siloam Springs and Lowell discussed business.

The Rogers School Board held a light session while the Gravette board also met, and the Northwest Technical Institute Board of Directors hiked tuition and the state of Arkansas celebrated improvement among students at all grade levels in standardized testing for the past school year.

Business news included some serious amount of human monies leaving the Tyson Foods bank account in the wallets of current and former administrators while Highlands Oncology bid adieu to its chief executive officer.

Our weekly Benton County Extension report touches on the need to stay hydrated if you're planning outdoor activities in the summer.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Los Angeles, where a new museum is offering what some observers say is an opportunity for today's generation to experience the thrill of the Woodstock, Wakarusa or Grass Roots Festival without the getting turned on the Timothy Leary Express

Coming up on this episode, the Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Trustees approved the location for its first on-campus housing while the Fayetteville Planning Commission added a couple of local historic districts.

The Springdale City Council would lose a member while its Board of Education returned to full strength, the Centerton City Council discussed the renovation to its Community Building on North Main Street that once housed its municipal offices but could soon include a library and the Washington County Quorum Court's Finance and Budget Committee would recommend adding to its employee insurance fund.

Highlands Oncology would break ground on its seventh location in Northwest Arkansas and third in Rogers, while the Walton STEM university would unveil designs for its Bentonville campus and the OZ Trails mountain bike trail park with a chairlift opened to the public.

Our Benton County Extension Report focuses on invasive nursery plants while our Comment from the Capitol recaps the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Long Island where a feline fan's welcome mat turned her home into a cat-astrophe.

Coming up on this episode, the Springdale City Council Finance Committee had a light session while the Fayetteville City Council and Siloam Springs Board of Directors were somewhat busier. The Planning Commissions in Bentonville and Springdale tackled major developments, with Bentonville approving a significant housing development and Springdale changing a zoning designation to ease the conversion of the former Cargill turkey plant to a Tyson chicken facility. Siloam Springs would be taken to court over its denial of a preliminary plat for a major housing subdivision next to the airport. Northwest Technical Insttitute would fill a time capsule to mark its fiftieth anniversary and the region was filled with Wal-Mart celebrating Associates Week.

The Benton and Washington County Farm Families of the Year were recognized as they compete for Northwest District honors later this month.

Congress would return to Washington as Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack presents his "Comment from the Capitol."

And our trip off the beaten path takes us to New York City, whose smiling mayor took a historic action guaranteed to enter his name in the minds of children in the Big Apple and could make him more popular than the Easter Bunny, if not Santa Claus.

Coming up on this episode, the week was compact with city council meetings in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Bella Vista and Cave Springs along with the Benton County Quorum Court and school district news from Pea Ridge, Fayetteville and Springdale.

Our trip off the beaten path takes us to Franklin, Tennessee, where it could be argued that some school administrators didn't know enough to come in out of the rain.