Other days

100 YEARS AGO

Jan. 24, 1920

RUSSELLVILLE — The farm implement and tractor school held here yesterday and today was a great success despite unfavorable weather. More than 700 persons stood out in the rain to attend yesterday’s demonstrations which were held on the agricultural school campus.

50 YEARS AGO

Jan. 24, 1970

FAYETTEVILLE — Dozens of students from the University of Arkansas Law School will fan out across the state in March to explain to Arkansans “as objectively as possible” what the proposed new state constitution contains. The Constitutional Convention is in its last session, ironing out the document it will present to replace the 96-year-old Constitution under which Arkansas now operates. The new constitution will be voted on in the November general election.

25 YEARS AGO

Jan. 24, 1995

A bill that would allow Arkansans to carry concealed handguns was approved Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 157 by Sen. Bill Walters, R-Greenwood, is similar to legislation Gov. Jim Guy Tucker vetoed in 1993. Walters sponsored the 1993 measure. This year, Walters worked with the governor’s office and the Arkansas State Police to make changes in the legislation. It would require an Arkansan to pay a registration fee, complete a training course and prove he was proficient with a handgun before a permit could be issued. Walters said the most controversial change is the requirement that handguns be registered. The 1993 legislation would have allowed a person to obtain a license to carry any handgun.

10 YEARS AGO

Jan. 24, 2010

Checking out books and movies from the local library will be faster for patrons this year with the installment of self-checkout stations at Central Arkansas Library System branches. But the convenience comes at a cost — temporary closings. Throughout the year, branches will close to the public for a few days to a week at a time so the library staff can implant a chip into every item that leaves the building. “We have to touch every item we own,” said Carol Coffey, head of library services development. That’s roughly 1 million items. The radio frequency identification chip, often referred to as an RFID chip, allows patrons to place a stack of books in front of a scanner that “reads” all the chips at one time. The $1.4 million conversion project, which is being paid for with bond money, will also help librarians find stray books faster with a single electronic scan of a shelf.