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Saturday, February 2, 2013

— 100 YEARS AGO Feb. 2, 1913

Because of the prevalence of smallpox in Oklahoma, across the boundary line from Ashdown, Ark., Gov. Joe T. Robinson yesterday ordered Dr. Morgan Smith, secretary of the State Board of Health, to that place, with instructions to institute a quarantine if necessary to prevent the disease from gaining a foothold in Little River county. Smallpox has been prevalent in Oklahoma for some time and the presence of the two cases in Ashdown caused the governor and other state officials to take action.

50 YEARS AGO Feb. 2, 1963

Gov. Faubus confirmed yesterday that the reorganization of the Arkansas National Guard will cost Jonesboro, Stuttgart and some other smaller cities their units. The governor met with key commanders of the Guard in his office yesterday afternoon and advised them that the reductions were the best this state could hope to achieve under the reorganization. A heavy engineer construction battalion, apparently the 875th Engineers at Jonesboro and Stuttgart, will be disbanded.

25 YEARS AGOFeb. 2, 1988

BEEBE - Three of the four students expelled last semester for drinking before a football game returned Monday to Beebe High School. The fourth student, James Barnes, has decided to finish his senior year at Jacksonville High School, his parents said. The students could not comment on their first day back in Beebe because their attorney advised them not to speak with the press.

10 YEARS AGO Feb. 2, 2003

The state Department of Health will begin providing smallpox vaccinations to designated health-care workers Feb. 19, but at least one Little Rock hospital system won’t participate.As many as 10,108 Arkansas health-care workers could be vaccinated in the initial phase of the federal smallpox plan. They would be the first to respond if a smallpox case were detected in Arkansas. But St. Vincent Health System, which operates four hospitals in Little Rock, Sherwood and Morrilton, said the possibility of accidentally infecting patients is too great. “We believe it - the voluntary vaccination program - is a greater risk than benefit,” said Margaret Preston, a St. Vincent spokesman.

Arkansas, Pages 14 on 02/02/2013