Northwest Arkansas’ population is booming, and it’s not too hard to tell some days when we’re stuck in traffic. 

• Road work: As an update to the Congestion Management Process, which will no longer be up for public comment after today, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is conducting a new study to look at the most congested areas and how to fix them. 
• In the plan: Some of the work we’ll see completed in the next five to ten years is the airport access road, segments of the 612 bypass, and the highway 112 corridor 18 miles from Fayetteville to Bentonville. 

Click HERE to view the study’s draft. 

This event needed its own spot in the newsletter, because coffee!! The Northwest Arkansas Caffeine Crawl is tomorrow, May 21, and there are still tickets available. They’re limited though, so get them fast!

• Beautiful backdrop: NWA Caffeine Crawls have a reputation for being some of the most scenic events around. The crawl tomorrow includes local businesses from Bentonville to Fayetteville and has four different routes, all pretty different from each other.
• The stops: The caffeine crawl is family-friendly and educational. There are 13 participating locations — 11 coffee shops, one tea shop, and one chocolate shop, all local. 

For more information and tickets, click HERE! 

The American Lung Association recently released its 23rd annual State of the Air report, and Washington County is listed as one of the cleanest U.S. counties. 

• Breathing easier: Washington County tied for 1st for the cleanest metro area in the country for short-term particle and ozone air pollution. The county also received A grades for zero high ozone or high particle pollution days in 2018-2020. 
• Going strong: This is NWA’s 11th consecutive year to be listed among the cleanest areas for short-term particle pollution and its sixth year to be listed for the ozone air pollution metric. A couple factors for the region’s clean air are good-quality upwind air and pollution sources not creating immensely difficult problems. 

See the full report HERE. 

Happy weekend! Here are some things going on this weekend you might enjoy:

• Roots: The FreshGrass festival begins today! Get your tickets and head out for a good time!
• On bikes: Go find the best places to watch the Joe Martin Stage Race this weekend! 
• The big big screen: Get cozy at the Drive-In in Fayetteville and prepare for some superhero madness this weekend. 
• Raise a glass: There is a beer festival and fundraiser tomorrow at The Grove in Lowell. 
• Kneepads: Bentonville Parks Mountain Bike Kids Camp is Saturday. 
• Heroes Ruck & Rally: A free 5k walk or 1-mile walk is taking place in Rogers tomorrow for national heroes. 
• Stretch and pose: Bring your mat and attend the free yoga series at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks on Saturday. 
• Tunes: If you’re near JJ’s Live in Fayetteville or the Railyard in Rogers this weekend, there are some great musicians you might want to hear. 

Have a blast and be safe! We'll see you Monday!