100 years ago
Jan. 20, 1921
EL DORADO -- All eyes in El Dorado, Arkansas's oil center, today were turned on the Quaker, White and Daniels wells, all three of which are located near the now famous Busey gusher. No information as to progress was forthcoming from the Quaker well, but oil men were expecting some developments at any hour, and the same is true of the White well, in which a test is being carried out. The experts, however, were giving considerable attention to the Daniels project, on the Bob Wood place, just east of the Busey well.
50 years ago
Jan. 20, 1971
• Governor Bumpers' proposal for governmental reorganization got a "do pass" recommendation Tuesday morning from the State Agencies Committee of the House of Representatives and sponsors of the bill (HB 2) successfully fought off proposed amendments on the House floor Tuesday afternoon. The sponsors plan to bring it to a vote today. The favorable Committee recommendation, by a vote of 14 to 1, came after a three-hour public hearing. The primary opposition to the bill as it is now written came from those who don't like the way it would affect the Education Department, the Library Commission and the Plant Board.
25 years ago
Jan. 20, 1996
• The winter chill that whipped through Central Arkansas the last two days broke water pipes but no records. It was a frigid Friday, but it was no threat to the record low for Jan. 19, set in 1940 when it dropped to zero degrees in Little Rock, according to the National Weather Service. Friday's early morning low was only 11 degrees, but 25 to 30 mph winds slapped the city with a 20-below wind chill factor. The bitter cold brought only a trace of snow. The real news was not how cold it got but how fast it got cold. Early Thursday shortly after midnight, it was 66 degrees in Little Rock and shortly before Thursday ended it was 15 degrees.
10 years ago
Jan. 20, 2011
• While the decision to move the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show hangs in the balance, Jacksonville is trying to purchase about 445 acres of private property in hopes that the fair will move to the city, Mayor Gary Fletcher said. "[The fair] doesn't need to be handicapped with restraints of space," Fletcher said. "We want them to have the biggest blank canvas to develop the greatest State Fair in the country." The City Council will vote tonight to set a public hearing Feb. 3 to discuss the possible purchase.