There have been very few Circuit Court jury trials held across Arkansas in the last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there have been brief windows of time when those types of in person proceeding were allowed, the Arkansas Supreme Court has suspended all felony jury trials through the end of April. The year long delay is having an impact on everyone involved in local judicial systems.

Michael Tilley, with our partner Talk Business and Politics, discusses an apparent reluctance of many firefighters in Fort Smith to accept a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, water bill adjustments following last month's winter storms, and the future of the former Fianna Hills Country Club and golf course.

Diana Al-Hadid: Ash in the Trade Winds debuts at The Momentary today. It joins two other exhibitions featuring works by Sarah Cain and Derrick Adams that opened in February. Admission is free to all three exhibits. Tickets are not required, but The Momentary is operating at reduced capacity.

Like so many other arts organizations, TheatreSquared has had to adapt to operating during a pandemic. Becca Martin-Brown, the features editor with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, tells us about how the new T2 season combines live and virtual theater.

Walmart heiress, Alice Walton, who established the Whole Health Institute in Bentonville in 2020, plans to open an independent non-profit degree-granting medical school in Northwest Arkansas, with a whole health emphasis.

Arkansas Archeology Month is an annual event designed to broaden the public’s interest and appreciation for Arkansas’s archeological resources and to encourage the public’s participation in conservation and preservation efforts. This year's theme is Research Across the State. 

After back to back winter storms two weeks ago dropped temperatures to as much as negative 20 degrees along with several inches of snow, Arkansans are now bracing for their upcoming utility bills. Energy company representatives told lawmakers in a hearing this week that high demand and short supply dramatically drove up the price of natural gas and all modes of energy production performed less than optimally during several days of brutal weather.

It’s been nearly a year since most Arkansas inmates have been permitted to have in-person visitation. That will change this weekend, as the Department of Corrections launches a modified visitation pilot program at four facilities including the Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center. It's the department’s second attempt at implementing the program, which it suspended Dec. 30 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.