100 years ago
Dec. 12, 1919
FORT SMITH -- All locals of the local United Mine Workers received telegraphic orders today to return to work tomorrow or as soon as possible. At most of the mines, particularly the larger mines, preparations were made to resume operations tomorrow. The engineers, pumpers and firemen remained at work during the shutdown to prevent flooding and the mines are ready to operate.
50 years ago
Dec. 12, 1969
MALVERN -- Deborah Vantrease, 20, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John R. Vantrease of Malvern, has been named one of 20 finalists in the National Maid of Cotton contest, the National Cotton Council at Memphis announced Thursday. She is a junior at State College of Arkansas at Conway, where she is an elementary education major, feature twirler for the SCA Band and a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. She was second runner-up to Miss Arkansas last summer and is former Hot Spring County Fair Queen and Miss Malvern.
25 years ago
Dec. 12, 1994
• Natural gas prices have fallen steadily as 1994 nears a close. Arkansas energy watchers last week blamed a mild summer and nearly full gas storage capacity as among the culprits. "Nobody expected prices to be nearly as weak as they are right now. They're under a tremendous downward pressure," said Richard P. Straley, senior energy analyst for Stephens Inc. in Little Rock. Gas is measured in thousands of cubic feet, or Mcf. "In December 1993 prices were north of $2 per Mcf and last January they were around $2.15," he said. "Now, we're seeing prices in the field of $1.40 or $1.50 for December and not much better for January." Nationally, the summer of 1994 was relatively mild. "And more nuclear plants were up and working, so less gas was required," Straley added. As of early last week, there were more than 3 trillion cubic feet of gas in storage nationally, "although they are starting to pull down on that storage," said Jim Bruning, president of Freedom Energy, an independent gas production firm active in western Arkansas. Straley also said falling gas prices have contributed to declines in stock prices of publicly held energy companies of interest to Arkansans.
10 years ago
Dec. 12, 2009
BRYANT -- Bryant School District Superintendent Richard Abernathy is leaving the position to become executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. Abernathy is in his seventh year as the head of the growing school district in Saline County, which has seen enrollment rise from just shy of 6,000 in 2003 to 7,667 during his tenure. He will replace Tom Kimbrell, who left the association earlier this year to become the commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education.
Metro on 12/12/2019