100 years ago
Jan. 14, 1922
• Thieves, who Monday night stole a black and brown mare from the stable of T. J. Jackson, a large plantation owner living near Baucum, set fire to the stable to cover up the theft. Mr. Jackson said the horse was valued highly by him and he offered a reward of $300 for the animal. The fire had gained such headway when discovered that it was impossible to save anything. Nine mules, two horses, 30 tons of hay, other feed and many tools were lost. Mr. Jackson did not discover the theft until Thursday morning when he began removing the debris.
50 years ago
Jan. 14, 1972
BLYTHEVILLE -- A fire that destroyed a chemical supply company building here caused damages estimated at $200,000. Sam Larrimore, owner of Larrimore Crop Supply Company, said a neighbor spotted the blaze and contacted the fire department, which brought it under control four hours later. Flames were already 150 feet high when fire trucks arrived, according to Fire Chief Roy Head. Sparks from the fire ignited grass at an Arkansas-Missouri Power Company warehouse nearby. Firemen returned to the area to put out smaller fires in the smoking debris fanned by high winds.
25 years ago
Jan. 14, 1997
WILMOT -- Fire consumed Police Chief Glen Lawson's home and car shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, state police said. The blaze occurred a week after the Wilmot City Council voted not to fund the Police Department and hours after a prosecutor said a state police investigation of the department showed no evidence of wrongdoing. No one was in the house at the time of the fire, and the cause has not been determined, state police spokesman Wayne Jordan said. The fire, which also destroyed an outbuilding, is being investigated as arson, Jordan said. Earlier Monday, Prosecuting Attorney Joe Wray of Hamburg held a news conference to announce that he had reviewed information collected in the state police's one-year investigation of the department and found no reason to suspect wrongdoing by Lawson or his officers.
10 years ago
Jan. 14, 2012
LONOKE -- A Lonoke County farmer died Friday after falling into a grain silo, according to a Lonoke County sheriff's office report. Jacques Parker, 56, of Carlisle was pulled from the silo by rescue workers about 12:15 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene. Officers received a 911 call about 11 a.m. Friday, saying Parker was trying to unclog the silo off Miller Road in Lonoke when he was likely sucked into the structure. ... The last silo death reported in Arkansas was in December 2010, when a silo at the Tyson feed mill in Nashville collapsed, killing employee Johnny Needham, 48. Tyson was fined $70,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.