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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Northwest Arkansas, written by local reporters.

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Arkansas will receive $10 million for maternal health

Olivia Walton announced her nonprofit will give $10M to Arkansas and $10M to Kentucky.

Health

A nonprofit c0-founded by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art chairperson Olivia Walton <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="will give $10 million to improve maternal health" data-vars-click-url="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/01/3373371/0/en/healthy-moms-healthy-babies-america-hmhba-announces-20-million-in-state-grants-for-arkansas-and-kentucky.html" data-vars-content-id="20c41aab-28f5-4f69-a8d2-21ac5b67bf15" data-vars-headline="Arkansas will receive $10 million for maternal health" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/10/01/3373371/0/en/healthy-moms-healthy-babies-america-hmhba-announces-20-million-in-state-grants-for-arkansas-and-kentucky.html" target="_blank">will give $10 million to improve maternal health</a> in Arkansas.Why it matters: The state has some of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nation&#x27;s worst outcomes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/31/heartland-forward-targets-maternal-mortality-but-arkansas-lags" data-vars-content-id="20c41aab-28f5-4f69-a8d2-21ac5b67bf15" data-vars-headline="Arkansas will receive $10 million for maternal health" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/31/heartland-forward-targets-maternal-mortality-but-arkansas-lags" target="_self">nation&#x27;s worst outcomes</a>, including high mortality rates, for new moms and babies.

Monday Munchies: The Purple Cow

The burger was cooked well and had the flavor of a patty that was made in-house, not at some faraway food factory.

Things to Do

Purple milkshakes don&#x27;t come from cows on a steady diet of lavender.<ul><li>It&#x27;s simply food dye for a gimmick that dates back to 1989, when <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Purple Cow" data-vars-click-url="https://ilovepurplecow.com/" data-vars-content-id="9119f7ed-a190-49df-8ba4-ebaf63fcb93d" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: The Purple Cow" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ilovepurplecow.com/" target="_blank">The Purple Cow</a> first opened in Little Rock.</li></ul>The latest: The 1950s-style diner expanded in recent years — say, the last 20 or so — through central Arkansas and finally opened in Rogers this March.

Haunted houses, pop-up bars and Halloween events in NWA

NWA has plenty of events, haunted experiences and places to get a spooky drink.

Halloween is fast approaching, and NWA has plenty of events, haunted experiences and places to get a spooky drink.Here are some of our picks.

Walton-backed STEM university breaks ground

It will be called the Bentonville Institute of Technology.

Education

Bentonville&#x27;s planned private STEM university broke ground Friday on land that was formerly home to the Walmart headquarters.Why it matters: The Bentonville Institute of Technology is a major investment for the future of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and for development in the region.

Monday Munchies: AQ Chicken House

A beloved restaurant that went out of business is back under new ownership.

The good news/bad news situation: A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="beloved restaurant" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/07/24/springdale-aq-chicken-house-investors" data-vars-content-id="93866a36-d0df-4518-aea0-1b89dd9a2f2b" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: AQ Chicken House" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/07/24/springdale-aq-chicken-house-investors" target="_self">beloved restaurant</a> that went out of business is back under new ownership.<ul><li>But it&#x27;s only good if the new version of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AQ Chicken House" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aqchicken.com/" data-vars-content-id="93866a36-d0df-4518-aea0-1b89dd9a2f2b" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: AQ Chicken House" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aqchicken.com/" target="_blank">AQ Chicken House</a> is like the original, which <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dates back to 1947" data-vars-click-url="https://aymag.com/aq-chicken-house-new-chapter/" data-vars-content-id="93866a36-d0df-4518-aea0-1b89dd9a2f2b" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: AQ Chicken House" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://aymag.com/aq-chicken-house-new-chapter/" target="_blank">dates back to 1947</a>; it&#x27;s bad if they don&#x27;t pull it off. </li></ul>

Axios Social Club brings mystery dinners to Bentonville

Meet fellow locals over dinner at a restaurant we hand-picked.

Axios Social Club is bringing readers together for dinner to downtown Bentonville on Tuesday, Oct. 6.Why it matters: Northwest Arkansas is full of interesting people you haven&#x27;t met yet. We&#x27;re making it easier to change that.

Monday Munchies: Theatrical ramen

We went to one of the "stages" at Bentoville.

Food and Drink

One of Northwest Arkansas&#x27; most novel food experiences <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="opened" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/05/bentonville-food-theater-to-spotlight-diverse-cuisine" data-vars-content-id="c86ec3a9-9a8f-4d66-abbe-ffec5bfe5bf4" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Theatrical ramen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2026/03/05/bentonville-food-theater-to-spotlight-diverse-cuisine" target="_self">opened</a> this year, and I got a ticket for some ramen.🍱 Catch up quick: After <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="offering bento boxes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/07/bentoville-bento-boxes-bentonville" data-vars-content-id="c86ec3a9-9a8f-4d66-abbe-ffec5bfe5bf4" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Theatrical ramen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/12/07/bentoville-bento-boxes-bentonville" target="_self">offering bento boxes</a> without a brick-and-mortar restaurant for a few years, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bentoville Food Theater" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bentoville.com/" data-vars-content-id="c86ec3a9-9a8f-4d66-abbe-ffec5bfe5bf4" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Theatrical ramen" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bentoville.com/" target="_blank">Bentoville Food Theater</a> now shares a space with a newly expanded Onyx Coffee Lab in the spot formerly home to Pressroom in downtown Bentonville.

Monday Munchies: Top shelf tacos in Springdale

There is no official menu. Whoever hosts you at the door will recite what's on offer.

I don&#x27;t think it&#x27;s an exaggeration to say these are the best tacos I&#x27;ve ever eaten.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;So, I thought I might be overreacting the day we were there, but now I don&#x27;t think so,&quot; a buddy wrote to me in a text.<ul><li>&quot;My thought remains … there are lots of places that serve tacos. And there is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Los Cuatro Hermanos" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/los_cuatro_hermanosnwa/" data-vars-content-id="317dcd30-61ae-4889-8e41-a344e3efab58" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Top shelf tacos in Springdale" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/los_cuatro_hermanosnwa/" target="_blank">Los Cuatro Hermanos</a>. They serve TACOS.&quot;</li></ul>

Free training prepares restaurant workers

Grant-funded programs through Brightwater seek to prepare students for the workforce.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College&#x27;s culinary school is offering programs aimed at quickly training up people for restaurant jobs — for free.Why it matters: Northwest Arkansas has hundreds of available restaurant jobs at any given time, and these eight-week programs are designed to quickly train people for the workforce, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Brightwater" data-vars-click-url="https://brightwater.nwacc.edu/index.html" data-vars-content-id="209d3be8-f1aa-4ad3-9046-cd755d73df9e" data-vars-headline="Free training prepares restaurant workers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://brightwater.nwacc.edu/index.html" target="_blank">Brightwater</a> executive director Marshall Shafkowitz told Axios.

Monday Munchies: Cura Osteria left us wanting more

The spot serves tasty dishes, but the small portions come at a steep price.

Downtown Rogers has a newish spot serving contemporary Northern Italian cuisine.💸 State of play: I spent just under $150 on dinner for two at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cura Osteria" data-vars-click-url="https://www.curaosteria.com/" data-vars-content-id="b0bd2f45-a24c-4ca1-8c64-6353ed369543" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Cura Osteria left us wanting more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.curaosteria.com/" target="_blank">Cura Osteria</a> and still had to grab food elsewhere afterward because we were both still hungry.

Your weekend plans: Food fests, county fair

A Filipino food festival is coming to downtown Springdale.

NWA has you covered this weekend.🇵🇭 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Barrio Fiesta" data-vars-click-url="https://www.downtownspringdale.org/events#calendar-d1ef8e2e-51e3-46e4-bbd7-9b21baec2e28-event-22f1b90b-7d80-4836-bf7a-4a4772148912" data-vars-content-id="dd83b961-802b-44c9-b3ef-57fcb68f27a2" data-vars-headline="Your weekend plans: Food fests, county fair" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.downtownspringdale.org/events#calendar-d1ef8e2e-51e3-46e4-bbd7-9b21baec2e28-event-22f1b90b-7d80-4836-bf7a-4a4772148912" target="_blank">Barrio Fiesta</a> — This Filipino food festival also includes music and dance. 3-7pm Saturday at Shiloh Square in downtown Springdale.

 Monday Munchies: 1834 Tavern Lafayette 

A good steak should be a simple layup for any place with a decent grill and good meat; it was for 1834's staff.

Fayetteville&#x27;s new(ish) fine dining and date-nighting spot <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1834 Tavern Lafayette" data-vars-click-url="https://1834tavernlafayette.com/" data-vars-content-id="ee421488-b6df-4d42-82fc-2f7bd12aed22" data-vars-headline=" Monday Munchies: 1834 Tavern Lafayette " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://1834tavernlafayette.com/" target="_blank">1834 Tavern Lafayette</a> offers Belgian-inspired cuisine.<ul><li>The menu is focused on a few items but still manages to bridge gaps between varying appetites.</li></ul>

Monday Munchies: Must-try sandwich food truck

Songbirds Sandwiches is at 8th Street Market in Bentonville.

Congrats to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Songbirds Sandwiches" data-vars-click-url="https://songbirdssandwiches.com" data-vars-content-id="5998853f-1f36-46dc-8b96-2e0107ca0bb3" data-vars-headline="Monday Munchies: Must-try sandwich food truck" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://songbirdssandwiches.com" target="_blank">Songbirds Sandwiches</a>, which opened this spring and is already one of the best sandwich restaurants in Northwest Arkansas.🥪 State of play: This food truck at 8th Street Market in Bentonville is serving up hefty portions smushed between two slices of house-made focaccia.

Food and Drink 🍽

Monday Munchies: The Purple Cow

Monday Munchies: AQ Chicken House

Axios Social Club brings mystery dinners to Bentonville

Monday Munchies: Theatrical ramen

Monday Munchies: Top shelf tacos in Springdale