Other days

100 YEARS AGO Dec. 16, 1913 NEWARK - The College of Agriculture of the University of Arkansas is holding a one-week school for farmers in Newark this week. The session opened this morning. The registration for the first day was more than 140, of whom more than 100 were matured farmers. The College of Agriculture has men on the ground who are capable of answering all questions in regard to all common work practice. Professor Martin Nelson, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Arkansas Experiment Station, heads the force of six instructors.

50 YEARS AGO Dec. 16, 1963

Gov. Faubus said today he will meet with Fort Smith at 10 a.m. Thursday to see if anything can be done about saving Ft. Chaffee, scheduled to be closed. Faubus said he was invited to meet with the group by R. A Young, a Fort Smith businessman, and one of his close supporters. Several days ago when the closing was announced, Faubus said that if it was a genuine attempt at economy then he was in favor of it. Today, he said that the Fort Smith group seems to have evidence that Ft. Chaffee is one of the better training sites and that it was being closed while less desirablecamps were being retained. 25 YEARS AGO Dec. 16, 1988

Arkansans renewing their motor vehicle licenses beginning April 1, 1989, will find the state is no longer the “Land of Opportunity.” Rep. Bobby Glover of Carlisle (Lonoke County) and Jim Pledger, state revenue commissioner, unveiled new license plate designs touting Arkansas as “The Natural State” in a ceremony Thursday at the state Capitol. State law gives Pledger authority to change the license plate, Glover said.

10 YEARS AGO Dec. 16, 2003

A bill backed by Gov. Mike Huckabee that would consolidate school districts with fewer than 500 students cleared the Senate Education Committee on Monday, but its prospects for Senate passage are unclear. “Moving this bill out of the Senate Education Committee is an important step forward,” Huckabee said in a prepared statement Monday. “But we’re still a long way from celebrating the fact that we put the kids of Arkansas first.” The Senate Education Committee voted 5-1 to endorse Senate Bill 28, which bases consolidation on enrollment. The action sends the bill by Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, to the Senate for further consideration.