Other days
100 YEARS AGO
Dec. 4, 1921
BENTONVILLE — H.W. Gipple, former president of the Arkansas Horticultural Society and one of the leading fruit growers of this section, believes that conditions now are unusually favorable for the fruit grower. Fruit men generally agree with Mr. Gipple that indications are for a heavy fruit crop in the Ozarks next year. Orchards that have had the usual care in spraying, pruning, fertilizing, etc., are in splendid condition and point to an abundance of fruit buds for the coming crop.
50 YEARS AGO
Dec. 4, 1971
■ A fire Friday night in northwest Little Rock caused about $15,000 damage to the home of Dr. Donald E. Taylor. Firemen said the fire apparently started between the living room and kitchen. It destroyed the two rooms and caused heat and smoke damage to the rest of the house. The cause of the fire had not been determined late Friday. One of Dr. Taylor’s sons was in the house when the fire started, but he got out before firemen arrived. Firemen estimated the value of the house at $60,000. Firemen from three fire trucks fought the fire for about three hours.
25 YEARS AGO
Dec. 4, 1996
■ A lawsuit filed Tuesday contends that state officials knew a Little Rock day care center’s mattresses were defective more than five months before one of the defects caused a child’s death. According to the suit, the state ordered the day-care center, Grigsby Academy, three times to bring the mattresses into compliance with standards. But each time the day care failed to fix the problem by the deadline, the state again cited the violation and set a new deadline, the suit said. On May 22 — about six weeks after the third deadline of April 5 had passed with no action and with the day care still allowed to operate — 2-month-old Kytanyia Reed was found dead in a crib at Grigsby when her mother arrived to pick her up. The state medical examiner’s office determined the infant suffocated because of “positional asphyxia” — being placed on her stomach with her head in a foamy depression in the torn mattress so that she couldn’t breathe.
10 YEARS AGO
Dec. 4, 2011
■ Rock Town Distillery opened its doors to supporters of Women and Children First by offering free tours and samples. Distillery owner Phil Brandon and his wife, Diana, gave three free tours to supporters. In exchange, Women and Children First boosters brought gifts for the organization, including household and personal products. The organization offers shelter and support to survivors of domestic violence and their children. Rock Town is Arkansas’ first legal distillery since Prohibition. After the tour, Phil Brandon poured sips of his products — vodka, gin and bourbon — for guests to sample.