The Student Athlete Publicity Rights Act, a proposed Arkansas bill that would allow college athletes be paid, is gaining traction and Razorback Football Head Coach Sam Pittman says its approval will be vital for future athlete recruitment.

• It's not what is looks like - the bill is not calling for student athletes to be paid for their athletic participation at the university. Arkansas Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek said the bill would allow the athletes the same rights to their name, image, and likeness that any student on campus has.

• Six other states have passed Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) laws and Florida will will be the first to become active on July 1. As for Sam Pittman, if Arkansas doesn't pass this bill, he and the entire athletic department will be at a recruiting disadvantage

• If the bill is not approved by April, Arkansas schools could be walking into next season empty-handed. "If nothing is passed and nothing happens, then Arkansas and all of the student-athletes at every higher educational institution, including the two of us here, will now be at a disadvantage," Bowen said. -KNWA/Fox24

You can listen to the full story HERE

Earlier this week, we reported on a recent study funded by the Walton Family Foundation that found there is a disparity of uncertified teachers in Arkansas.

• In summary: Missing Out: Arkansas' Teacher Shortage and How to Fix it reported that 4% of teachers in Arkansas are uncertified, which is more than double the national average of 1.7%. In Benton and Washington County alone, the average is between 0-2%.

• There were three causes identified: The report points to three causes for the certified teacher shortages.
• 1) The lack of area adults having the bachelor's degrees that lead to certification.
• 2) The inadequacy of incentive programs, with which many prospective teachers are unfamiliar.
• 3) Teacher compensation - Arkansas has the fourth lowest average teacher salary in the 16-state region, according to the Southern Regional Education Board. -Talk Business & Politics

• In response, a team of U of A educators will use a $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation to boost secondary math and science teachers and prepare them to teach in high-need school districts. -KUAF

You can listen to the full report featuring the U of A HERE

Despite many barriers, cumulative sales tax revenue for the month of January in the NWA region rose to $6.707M - this is the strongest for the month of January on record.

• Working our way north to south, Bentonville's sales tax revenue in January was $1.614M. This is $500k more than last January's which hit $1.095M. Over the last 90 days of reports (Nov 20 - Jan 21), Bentonville reported revenue of $5.211M. This is a gain of more than $1.13M over the same period last year. Talk Business & Politics

• Rogers, although still growing, had the narrowest increase of sales tax revenue reported for January 2021. January revenue rose 4.04% from the previous year to $1.656M. Mayor Hines and the City had positive thoughts and said the "City is in strong financial shape despite" the pandemic.

• Springdale continues to see strong growth as the City's revenue grew 21.013% from the previous January totaling $1.461M. Mayor Sprouse claims the revenue increase is connected with residents spending money locally. #supportlocal

• Finally, Fayetteville reported $1.973M in revenue for January 2021, the second largest jump in the region with a 10.82% increase in revenue from the year before. Students returning to school typically boost this number each year.

You can read the full Talk Business & Politics report HERE

As we draw near the end of Women's History Month, we wanted to take this time to spotlight some of the incredible female-owned businesses in NWA, with a little help from our friends at Leisurlist. Here are a few of our favorites and some you may not have heard of!

Bentonville

• For fitness in Bentonville: Yoga Story and FreeRide Studio

• For food and drink we recommend Ramo d'Olivo or Sweet Freedom Cheese

• For a sweet treat we recommend visiting Markham & Fitz

• Shopping: Our favorite store is Hillfolk located at 8th Street Market, and newly opened Bear Hollow Kids

Fayetteville

• Fitness recommendations: ELXR Yoga Lounge or Fayetteville Pilates & Barre

• Food & Drink we couldn't decide.. they're all too good: Cafe Rue Orleans, Mamaka Bowls, Pink House Alchemy.

• Spa, Beauty, Shopping: The Wordsmith Salon + Spa, and for shopping always checkout Riffraff on the square

Rogers

• For a workout, we recommend Nooma. It will kick your butt.

• Food & Drink: Reverie Coffee & Tea and Jaclyn's Kitchen are super tasty

• Shopping in Rogers: Honeycomb Kitchen Shop and All Things Kindred

Springdale

• We like the these fitness options: Burn Boot Camp and StraightUp Pilates

• Food & Drink: Confident Coffee Roasters (Johnson) and Bites and Bowls for sure!

• Spa & Beauty: About You Salon & Spa, Mirage Hair Salon

• Shopping in Springdale: Euna Mae's or Whimsy Woo

And these are just a few of our favotire women owned business. The full list of women owned business across the region can be seen HERE

Get ready for a Spring & Summer FULL of mountain bike programming!

Coler Mountain Bike Preserve is partnering with 37 North to bring you some diverse programming with all skill levels in mind. Programs cover everything from yoga to bikepacking, there's something for everyone! Click here to learn more and view the calendar of events. There will be four programs each month, running April through June.

Full program list:

• Mountain Bike First Touch
• Bike Mechanics Seminar
• Yoga for Cyclists
• Family Adventure Race on Bikes
• Nutrition for Cyclists
• Spanish Speaking Mountain Bike First Touch
• Family Bike Mechanics Seminar
• 2 Day Gravel Camp
• Gravel Ride First Touch
• Women's Mountain Bike First Touch
• Bikepacking 101
• Family Fun Mountain Bike Camp

Thanks to Crossland Construction and Phat Tire Bike Shop for sponsoring and supporting these community programs.

The Peel Compton Foundation connects the community through nature, education, recreation, and preservation