100 years ago
Oct. 9, 1921
• Heroism of James J. Johnson, aged 17 of Jacksonville, who displayed extraordinary courage on the night of September 21 when three soldiers attempted to rob the Remount gasoline station, of which he was in charge, has been recognized by the victims of the three highwaymen, whom he fought off. Like most heroes, Jimmy is very modest and will talk very little about his feat. However, he displays with great pleasure a gift from the victims of the highwaymen. Johnson was presented with a gold cased Elgin watch. On the inside of the back cover is engraved the following inscription: "James J. Johnson, Jacksonville, Ark., For Bravery, September 21, 1921."
50 years ago
Oct. 9, 1971
• HELENA -- The Arkansas Waterways Commission chairman charges Friday that the state Employment Security Division did not want to see the National River Academy succeed. Jim Walden of Helena, commission chairman and an academy board member, said officials in the ESD want to see the Helena facility "fall on its face." The ESD, with responsibility to send hardcore unemployed and veterans to the facility for training, has been derelict in its duty, Walden said. The Helena school has seven programs, but only two have been funded.
25 years ago
Oct. 9, 1996
• The state Medical Board sued the state Dental Examiners Board on Tuesday, escalating a turf war between the two professions. In its suit, the Medical Board asked a Pulaski County judge to force the dental board to recall all special licenses issued to dentists who perform oral and maxillofacial surgery. Thirty-five Arkansas dentists are licensed to practice oral and maxillofacial surgery, which includes face lifts, cleft lip and palate repairs and ear surgery. The Medical Board claims in its suit that these types of reconstructive surgeries require advanced specialized medical training and require a license from the state medical board. Dental board President Dr. Lester Barrett said he believes the rift is fueled by plastic surgeons who "felt nobody else ought to do what they are trained to do."
10 years ago
Oct. 9, 2011
• FORDYCE -- When a newspaper article reported that, according to the 2010 Census, Dallas County was one of five in Arkansas that had not a single centenarian, it irked Norma Jaynes on behalf of her friend, Frances Meador, who is 101 1/2 years old. "Well, I couldn't understand ... why they'd left her off, because I'd known her all my life," said Jaynes, 80. "There may be others." There certainly are many others -- thousands of people like Frances Meador nationwide -- who are missed by the census every 10 years. The missing don't usually stand out to local residents, particularly enough to warrant a call to the newspaper. Most people wouldn't know if one or two 35-year-olds were missing from the counts, even in Dallas County, population 8,116. (By the way, according to the census, there are 85 people that age in the county.)