The 479 Show

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 Boa...

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 hop...

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 pa...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This week in the 479 saw the Fayetteville City Council endure a marathon session with two appeals in the spotlight, the Springdale City Council Finance Committee moving forward with a federal grant acceptance for elimination of an at-grade railroad crossing, the Rogers Board of Education setting in motion a study on block scheduling, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission getting read...

On a packed episode, the City of Greenland was closer to becoming a first-class city, the City of Centerton was closer to having a library, the Bentonville City Council was back to full strength, the Springdale City Council created a new deputy animal services director position and the University of Arkansas tennis programs received a stay of execution after supporters raised funds to support it....

The first week of May in the 479 saw the Springdale City Council adopt changes to its downtown form-based code, the Fayetteville City Council adopt increased water and sewer rates, the Washington County Quorum Court County Services Committee deal with a Fayetteville business that had been operating without permits for years, and commencement exercises at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. Th...

The end of April was busy as Highfill officials proposed the idea of an Industrial Development Authority, while the city councils in Bella Vista, Bentonville and Rogers met. The Washington County Planning Board closed out the month with a conditional use permit for a residential treatment center near Prairie Grove to house sixteen girls, and the Arkansas General Assembly wrapped up its fiscal sess...

School boards took the spotlight during the week with Bentonville and Fayetteville boards hearing about facilities improvements, Fayetteville and Rogers approving salary schedules for the coming year and Gravette considering a real estate offer. On the government side, Fayetteville approved the expansion of its Farmer's Market, Prairie Grove moved forward with its downtown street work, Springdale...

We have another busy week in the region as the Bentonville City Council updated its Plan Bentonville comprehensive plan update, the Springdale School District started work on Westwood Elementary School and the Washington County Quorum Court adopted an ordinance subjecting most resolutions to committee hearings before being introduced in the full body. Our Comment from the Capitol describes the wee...

The first full week of April featured the Fayetteville City Council discussing the expansion of the Farmers Market, while the Arkansas General Assembly convened its fiscal session and the Arkansas Department of Transportation presented its plans for the Western North-South Connector Road. Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack spoke with the operator of the Oz Bike Trail and Chair Life in Bel...

The week featured a recap of the March 31 runoff elections in Arkansas along with the introduction of a new north-south connector road west of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport and the dedication of the Bella Vista Bypass segment of Interstate 49 in honor of former Governor Asa Hutchinson. Our Benton County Extension report prepares homeowners for the canning season. And our trip off the bea...

The week of Spring Break saw light government action with the Bella Vista State of the City report, the presentation of plans for Ramay Junior High School and the filling of the vacant seat in the U.S. Senate with the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin to head the Department of Homeland Security.

School boards were the focus this week in Bentonville, Rogers and Fayetteville, while Fayetteville welcomed the arrival of a new commercial pilot training program to operate at Drake Field. We hear from Northwest Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack during his Comment from the Capitol. And our trip off the beaten path takes us to Ohio for the latest Trial of the Century.

During the second week of March. the Springdale and Centerton mayors presented their State of the City addresses while the Springdale School Board would explore repurposing Jones Elementary School.

This week includes a report on the March 3 primary elections. Other highlights include the Washington County Quorum Court tabling indefinitely the establishment of a Regional Industrial Development Authority and the Siloam Springs Board of Directors hearing a presentation on a waste-to-energy project.

The final week of February featured State of the City addresses in Bentonville and Rogers along with plans for the current Ramay Junior High School in Fayetteville to convert to a magnet high school. The Champions for Children Give-a-thon took place as the 479 Media Group hoped to raise funds towards the expansion of Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale.

The week in the 479 featured school board meetings in Bentonville and Rogers, the Fayetteville and Springdale city council meetings, the earnings report for Wal-Mart and the Washington County Quorum Court, Our extension report focuses on the new nutrition guidelines. And our trip off the beaten path features a canine appearance in an Olympic cross-country ski race.

The week featured an update of the COVID mitigation project that served as a de facto expansion of the Washington County Jail. Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn presented her "State of the City" address to highlight her first year in office. Decatur Mayor David Johnson spoke about the first month at the helm.

We recap the news from the first full week of February, which would include numerous planning commission meetings, the 96th Annual Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and a court battle involving a high school basketball player. Our spotlights feature an upcoming Field Day in Benton County this March and a return to Washington for the House of Representatives. Our trip off the beaten...

The major highlight from the week was the first winter storm, which cancelled school and impacted municipal services for almost a week. Our spotlight was on EverHope, which was the rebranding of the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter. We spoke with CEO Rebecca Mitchell about the mission.

Highlights for the week include the establishment of Fayetteville's first local historic district and the drop-in meeting for the final phase of the Springdale Northern Bypass.