Other days

100 YEARS AGO

DEC. 19, 1922

PARAGOULD — Soda fountain operators in Paragould must pay a privilege tax. This was decided by a jury in Greene Circuit Court here when the case came up on appeal from a justice court. The City Council last summer passed an ordinance providing for a privilege tax. Several soda fountain proprietors refused to pay the tax, and this resulted in a lawsuit. The city won in the lower court, and the operators appealed to the Circuit Court, where they again lost. An appeal may be taken to the Arkansas Supreme Court, it is said.

50 YEARS AGO

DEC. 19, 1972

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eleven new recreation areas will be built on two Arkansas lakes at a cost of $3,918,500, the office of Senator John L. McClellan (D-Ark.) announced Friday. The Army Engineers Friday approved two contracts for the construction… The improvements will include roads, parking lots, picnic areas, boat launching facilities and comfort stations.

25 YEARS AGO

DEC. 19, 1997

MALVERN — The Arkansas Capital Corp. asked Thursday for an investment from the Arkansas Development Finance Authority in a new limited partnership that would provide venture capital to small companies around the state. C. Sam Walls, executive vice president of Arkansas Capital, told the finance authority’s board of directors that while there is already access to “traditional debt financing” through banks and other lenders, there is a lack of venture-capital resources for smaller companies… The new limited partnership — if it’s formed — will be called Diamond State Ventures. The partnership will make equity investments in companies ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, as well as provide “patient loans” of $250,000 to $2 million. The finance authority board voted Thursday to turn Arkansas Capital’s written proposal over to its two-member investment committee, which will report its findings and recommendations to the full board.

10 YEARS AGO

DEC. 19, 2012

■ Dozens of former world leaders meeting in Little Rock concluded two days of talks about the state of women around the globe Tuesday by pledging to turn their words into actions. Members of the Club de Madrid — an independent nonprofit group composed of 93 democratically elected former presidents and prime ministers from 62 countries — heard from social activists, business leaders and political peers in sessions that focused on women’s issues, including sexual assault, education, property ownership and technology. Walmart Foundation President Sylvia Burwell, a speaker at the event, encouraged members to circle Dec. 18, 2013, on their calendars. “You can look at that calendar a year from now and say I actually did something about this,” she said. … Tuesday’s discussions came after a full day of events Monday, when the Club de Madrid announced two partnerships. An agreement with the World Economic Forum, a group seeking to engage politicians and the business community, will seek to strengthen ties with Asia. Another seeks to tackle climate change.