Other days
100 YEARS AGO June 8, 1922
■ Forty graduates of Mount St. Mary’s Academy received diplomas at the graduation exercises last night at the Palace Theater. The presentation of diplomas and medals was made by the Rt. Rev. John B. Morris, who gave a short talk addressed to the members of the senior class. Bishop Morris called attention to the need of preserving certain basic standards of society and said that the preservation of the home is the greatest need of the day… An excellent musical program was given, and Miss Mary Jones gave a delightful commencement reading.
50 YEARS AGO June 8, 1972
■ Governor Bumpers today modified somewhat his earlier positions on two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sen George McGovern of South Dakota and Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama. He said that while McGovern’s views were not well known in the South, McGovern “might do very well” in the area “if he campaigns in the South.” And he admitted that Wallace’s popularity was still very strong in Arkansas, which Wallace carried in 1968, especially in certain geographical locations of the state. “Obviously, Governor Wallace is a very popular man in Arkansas,” Bumpers said.
25 YEARS AGO June 8, 1997
WASHINGTON — By Congress’ standards, the resolution is incredibly concise — just 54 words. But the implications of the one-page proposal introduced last week by freshman Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., could ripple from Bentonville to Beijing. As the world marked the eighth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square democracy uprising, Hutchinson and an odd political coalition started a drive to block renewal of China’s status as a most-favored nation under U.S. trade rules. Hutchinson’s emergence at the forefront of the national issue puts him directly at odds with some of Arkansas’ economic titans. If successful, his measure could impose new tariffs on Chinese products and create other trade modifications, potentially costing home-state companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc. millions of dollars. Hutchinson, from Bentonville, concedes it is tough to buck such economic powerhouses in his own political back yard. But he believes removing China’s most-favored-nation trade status, commonly referred to as MFN, is the only way to reverse a human-rights record brimming with religious persecution and political crackdowns.
10 YEARS AGO June 8, 2012
WASHINGTON — The Senate began debate Thursday on widespread changes to agriculture policy that would end direct federal payments to farmers and make cuts to the foodstamp program for the poor. Both Arkansas senators oppose the bill. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, and John Boozman, a Republican, said the legislation pits the Southern rice and peanut farmers against grain farmers in the Midwest, who stand to gain more from the bill. “I cannot support a farm bill unless the Southern region of the country is taken care of in a fair way,” said Boozman, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who voted against the bill in committee.