100 years ago
April 14, 1924
HOT SPRINGS -- Chief of Police Oscar Sullivan was shot five times and fatally wounded shortly after midnight when he entered a negro pool room on Central avenue. An Italian, said to be named Hubert Cokes, is alleged to have fired upon Chief Sullivan and made his escape in an automobile. Posses were formed to pursue the slayer, who sped out of town in the direction of Malvern.
50 years ago
April 14, 1974
Repeated incidents of violence against both students and teachers during the year at Central High School have been partially responsible for a new pilot program at the school that proposes several changes in disciplinary procedures. The program, which goes into effect Monday and will run for the remainder of this school year, is geared to be more rehabilitative in nature than punitive. The late Edwin Hawkins, Central's principal who died two weeks ago, had begun working on the pilot program with the idea of easing tensions at the school and making the atmosphere more relaxed for both students and teachers.
25 years ago
April 14, 1999
Downtown Little Rock lost power for the second time in 13 months Tuesday night after an underground fire forced Entergy Corp. to turn off the downtown power grid for a little more than two hours. Firefighters and Entergy Arkansas Inc. officials said they couldn't immediately determine what caused the fire in an underground power vault at Second and Center streets, just a block and a half west of the vault that caught fire March 7, 1998. Both times, electricity was shut off in a 42-block area from the Arkansas River to Eighth Street and Cumberland Street to Broadway. Downtown hotels and office buildings, along with two television stations and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette were without power. Using generators and equipment from satellite trucks, KARK-TV, Channel 4, and KATV, Channel 7, broadcast their 10 p.m. newscasts.
10 years ago
April 14, 2014
Although manslaughter charges were dropped last week against a former Little Rock police officer in the 2012 shooting death of a teen car burglary suspect, the city's police chief said he stands by his decision to fire the officer. Chief Stuart Thomas, who fired former officer Josh Hastings in October 2012 for violating several department policies, said that the April 7 decision by county authorities not to prosecute Hastings for manslaughter after two lengthy mistrials has no bearing on his decision to fire Hastings, who has indicated his intent to seek reinstatement. "The department took the appropriate action and we will defend it," Thomas said. ... Hastings filed an appeal to the city's Civil Service Commission on the day he was fired for violating two sections of the department's rules and regulations during an August 2012 car burglary call in which he committed three violations of the department's use of force policy that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Bobby Moore III.