100 YEARS AGO April 7, 1913

“The traveling men’s organizations in Arkansas were instrumental in the passage of several bills pertaining to the improvement of traveling conditions, at the recent session of the General Assembly, and will be eager to see that the provisions of each is fulfilled,” said H.S. Spivey, chairman of a joint committee from the Arkansaw Travelers’ Association, the United Commercial Travelers and the Travelers’ Protective Association, last night. “Our committee met many times with legislative committees and brought about the passage of every bill we recommended. We succeeded in passing a bill known as the Traveler’s Sanitary Act, after a fight which began six years ago. This new law requires Arkansas hotels to provide clean linen in rooms, to screen kitchens and dining rooms, to keep sanitary toilets and to provide fire escapes for their guests.” 50 YEARS AGO April 7, 1963

Come July 1, there will be no more game wardens in Arkansas. Not that enforcement will be neglected. Rather, it’s a case of a change in job title, announces the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The commission is changing the name identification of itsenforcement personnel from game warden to “wildlife officer.” The action was taken after a poll of the enforcement division.

25 YEARS AGO April 7, 1988

Three Pulaski County Special School District employees are suspected of allowing students to see a state-mandated competency test before taking it, state Department of Education officials said Wednesday. Bobby Lester, Pulaski County superintendent, will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. today on the incident. Gene Jones, associate director for instruction for the Education Department, said Wednesday that two teachers and a coordinator were being investigated by the district.

10 YEARS AGO April 7, 2003

Despite attempts to mute another outbreak, the West Nile virus will return to Arkansas this year, public health officials warn. How much the mosquito-borne virus plagues the state depends solely on the weather. A long, hot, and wet summer means more skeeters, which means more West Nile, which likely means more infections. “The conclusion is we’re at Mother Nature’s mercy,” said Sharon Williams, a public health veterinarian for the state Health Department.

Arkansas, Pages 21 on 04/07/2013