Other days

100 YEARS AGO March 8, 1920

BENTONVILLE — According to Orin Parker, director of the local United States Weather Bureau, Bentonville has missed by several inches the average winter snowfall, as computed during the 14 years that a weather station has been located here The average is 18 inches and during the present winter there was 8.7 inches in December, 2.9 inches in February, and about one inch in March. The temperature of 10 degrees above zero, recorded March 4, equals the low temperature record for March for the past 14 years, the same record having been made on March 2, 1913. Four degrees below zero is the average low temperature for the winter for the past 14 years, but the lowest temperature of the present winter was three above zero on December 10. The lowest record at the local weather station is 15 below, recorded January 12, 1918.

50 YEARS AGO March 8, 1970

■ Skies over all of Arkansas were leaden, blocking out any but occasional hazy diffused views of the sun during Saturday’s eclipse. The moon covered about 75 per cent of the sun’s area over Little Rock, but there was no discernible darkening as a result. As predicted, the best view of the eclipse for an Arkansan was on television.

25 YEARS AGO March 8, 1995

■ A 62-year-old North Little Rock woman remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday with burns she suffered Sunday as she tried to light a gas stove, police said. Bernice White of 409 Freeman Circle told medical personnel she was burned when she tried to light the stove with a butane lighter shortly before 7 p.m., North Little Rock police said. Police found several items of burned clothing in White’s bedroom and on a living room couch.

10 YEARS AGO March 8, 2010

■ Pine Bluff residents will see a 17 percent average increase on their monthly water bills if the Arkansas Public Service Commission approves a requested rate increase. Officials with United Water, the city’s privately held water utility, said the bump is largely needed to offset declining revenue due to the city’s dwindling population. The utility has lost about 1,500 customers over the past 10 years and seen revenue slide by about $800,000 since 2007, said Lester Melton, manager of United Water’s Pine Bluff operation. “It isn’t pleasant for me to ask people to pay more money,” Melton said. “But we just have to do that.” The commission isn’t expected to rule on the rate increase until later in the year. Melton said the soonest any increase could go into effect is next January.