Other days

100 YEARS AGO

Nov. 18, 1922

EL DORADO — Duck hunting is good in the oil fields north of here. Large droves of ducks brought here by the few days of wet weather flying low are blinded by the intense light of the big burning well outside of Smackover. Deceived by the appearance of the large pits of oil under the glare of the light, they land in them. Soon their feathers are saturated with the thick, heavy crude and they are helpless. A small stick is all that is needed to get a duck for dinner. Many are being picked up by oil field workers.

50 YEARS AGO

Nov. 18, 1972

■ State Representative Roscoe Brown of Jonesboro Friday suggested that part of the surplus of state funds be used to raise Arkansas public school teachers’ salaries up to the regional average for teachers. Brown, a teacher, said in a news release he had made the suggestion to Governor Bumpers in a letter. He said the surplus provided “a golden opportunity for the state to pay its public school teachers a wage comparable to the salaries of teachers in adjoining states.” … Most of the suggestions for using the surplus have concerned capital improvements rather than recurring expenditures such as salaries.

25 YEARS AGO

Nov. 18, 1997

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., and a colleague have blocked the confirmation of President Clinton’s nominee for an ambassadorship, saying the openly homosexual candidate has been an outspoken advocate for gay rights. A month ago, Clinton nominated James Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg. … If confirmed by the Senate, Hormel, 64, would be the first openly gay envoy for the United States. … Hormel has declined to comment, but the White House and gay-rights groups said the move is discriminatory. … “The president recently endorsed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” which would prohibit bias against gays in the work place, said White House press secretary Michael McCurry. “It looks like we may need to apply it in the United States Senate.”

10 YEARS AGO

Nov. 18, 2012

BENTONVILLE — Benton County will go back to paper ballots if the chairman of the county Election Commission has his way. … John Brown Jr., commission chairman, revealed his preferences during a meeting called to certify results of the Nov. 6 general election. The county’s Election Day voting process was plagued with long lines and malfunctioning voting machines that delayed the preliminary counting of Election Day and early voting ballots from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9. … If the county wanted to switch to electronic voting machines, it could only afford to buy used machines, Brown said. His preference is to go to paper ballots, he said, with electronic voting machines being kept for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. He said the county could buy a new, larger machine to count the paper ballots, although the $125,000 price tag could be a hindrance. … The commission took no action Friday on Brown’s suggestions.