100 YEARS AGO Feb. 20, 1914
C. Spurling, formerly a member of the Little Rock police force, was fined $250 and costs by Justice of the Peace E. H. Sanders yesterday afternoon on a charge of disturbing the peace. The former policeman is alleged to have used insulting language to Mrs. Dora Belcher on the night of February 16. Spurling was discharged from the police force immediately after an investigation of the charge.
50 YEARS AGO Feb. 20, 1964
Several Arkansas legislators indicated today that there has been no change in the “hands-off” position on illegal gambling. Most legislators apparently neither want to legalize gambling nor to take steps to stop illegal gambling. Several today said they opposed legalized gambling, either on a statewide basis or under local option for specific areas of Arkansas. Nor did they see any need for the legislature to name an investigation commission - such as the 1951 Highway Audit Commission - to look into the situation at Hot Springs where federal agents are investigating to determine if any federal laws are being violated by gambling operations there.
25 YEARS AGO Feb. 20, 1989
The chairman of the state Job Training Coordinating Council says the board will take up a proposal at its Feb. 28 meeting to wrest control of some federal grant money away from the administration of Gov. Bill Clinton. Paul Berry, whom Clinton appointed to lead the council, said literacy councils around the state are having difficulty gaining access to the education funds, which are provided by the federal Job Training Partnership Act. When told of the move, state Rep. Jodie Mahony of El Dorado - a Clinton appointee to the Governor’s Commission on Adult Literacy and a leader on the issue - said, “It’s about time.” Mahony is a critic of what he feels are insufficient administration efforts to combat adult illiteracy.
10 YEARS AGO Feb. 20, 2004
A well-dressed man posing as a police officer has stolen more than $2,800 from victims in four east Arkansas towns. The man claims he is searching for prostitutes and asks people for proof of their identification, then he runs away with their wallets. Four robberies and an attempted robbery have occurred along interstates 40 and 55, prompting law enforcement officials to issue a warning to the public. “It’s really making it a problem for us, the real police,” said Sgt. David Huggs of the Lonoke Police Department.
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 02/20/2014