RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 6 No. 6 Thursday, Feb. 11, 1971
A burning house located three miles east of Pea Ridge on Arkansas Highway 72 was saved by Pea Ridge volunteer firemen Tuesday morning. The firemen braved zero temperatures to hack a hole in the side of the house in order to extinguish the flames burning around the chimney. The house was the home of the Lonzo Self family.
With a new date being observed for Washington’s birthday this year, readers are reminded that the Benton County Courthouse will be closed all day Monday, Feb. 15, in honor of the birthday of America’s first president.
A pack of dogs that has been roving over a farming area west of Pea Ridge is blamed with the killing of two turkeys, two roosters and a goose Saturday. In addition, a farmer reported that the dogs had pulled wool out of some sheep.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 15 No. 5 Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1981
Northeast Benton County, roughly that area from the Pea Ridge National Military Park east to the Carroll County line and north to the Missouri state line and south to Beaver Lake, has an active, working, training volunteer fire department. Known as NEBCO Fire Department, the volunteers who work there also back up the Avoca and Seligman, Mo., departments when necessary.
The Arkansas Department of Education has released its 1961 statistical reports covering all the school districts in the state. The average daily attendance for kindergarten through 12th grade was 583. Pea Ridge averaged 34 teachers through the year 1979-1980.
Benton County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln Day dinner as been set or March 21, Asa Hutchinson, chairman, announced. Fritz Steiger, Pea Ridge, will serve as the dinner chairman.
30 Years Ago Pea Ridge Country Times Vol. 25 No. 5 Thursday, Feb. 7, 1991
The president of the Arkansas U.S. Highway 62 Business Association said at least four municipalities will be asked to become involved in the association at least to the extent of promoting Hwy. 62 on billboards. “I’d like to see the four primary cities involved — Pea Ridge, Avoca, Garfield and Gateway — give some consideration to supporting the association in that their interests run parallel to ours,” Gary Campbell, association president, said.
The Pea Ridge High School Scott Hi-Q team didn’t win its first match last week and didn’t even come close, but coach Wade Kniseley was pleased, nonetheless.
Denise Patterson, a sophomore at Pea Ridge High School and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Patterson, was presented as Colors Day queen Friday preceding the junior varsity game.
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 35 No. 5 Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001
A teacher stood at the door and asked: “Do you have any speakers for my computer?” A student got up, went to a box, asked his teacher, “Does she use vertical or horizontal?” then, pulled out what the teacher wanted and she went away happy. Microcomputer Systems Technology I (MST I) began this year with a $21,000 grant from the Work Force Education Department, according to PRHS principal Gary Wayman.
Michael Brown replaced Melissa Brown as pharmacist at Collier Drugs in Pea Ridge. Michael Brown has big plans for the local store, located on North Curtis Avenue.
Lora Noschese opened Noschese Law Firm on Slack Street in January. Noschese grew up in Pea Ridge. She is the daughter of Murvin and Lona Goff.
Priscella Putzier was crowned Colors Day queen Friday by the 2000 Colors Day queen Mary Bell.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 1 No. 5 Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011
A proposed sewer rate increase will be presented at a public hearing Tuesday, March 15. The rate increase was necessitated by federal
Monday, Feb. 1
Medical, Kellie Drive
Tuesday, Feb. 2
Motor-vehicle collision, Walnut Valley Road
Wednesday, Feb. 3
Medical, Woods Lodge Road Grass fire, assist LFFD, Stratton Road/ North 13th Street
Thursday, Feb. 4
Medical, East Tucks Chapel Road Medical, Car Town Drive Grass fire, 571 Tucks Chapel Road
Friday, Feb. 5
Medical, Cloverdale Road
Sunday, Feb. 7
Medical, North Old Wire Road
LITTLE ROCK — The Senate has voted to exempt last year’s unemployment benefits from state income taxes, to help people who lost their jobs because of the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
Senate Bill 236 would apply to benefits paid in 2020 and 2021. The unemployment rate in Arkansas had been around 4% until the coronavirus pandemic caused widespread business closures, especially in hospitality, tourism and travel. The jobless rate spiked to around 10% before it began to improve.
Before the pandemic, about 44,000 people in Arkansas claimed unemployment in 2018 and 2019, a state revenue official told senators during a committee hearing on SB 236. Last year more than 281,000 people filed for unemployment, according to the
Department of Workforce Services.
SB 236 will save those people more than $51 million in state income taxes when they file this year, the revenue official said.
The next step is for the bill to be considered by a House committee, and if advanced out of committee, to be voted on by the entire House.
On a voice vote, the House Judiciary Committee failed to advance a Senate bill known as the Stand Your Ground bill. It would repeal a provision in current laws that obligates you to retreat from a confrontation if you can safely do so. The bill is SB 24.
Senate and House sponsors are confident that the entire House will approve SB 24 if they can get it out of committee. The bill has already passed in the Senate, by a vote of 27-to-7.
The Senate approved HB 1195 to require pregnant women who are seeking an abortion to first call a hotline and get counseling on the availability of resources to help if she decides to keep her child. The hotline would be a toll-free number.
Sponsors say that fewer women will choose an abortion if they are fully informed about their options.
The Senate passed HB 1151 to postpone for a year the giving of letter grades to schools when the state issues school report cards. The pandemic has disrupted the ability of students to take standardized tests, which are a key factor in assigning letter grades to schools. The postponement is for the 2020-2021 school year.
The bill has passed the House and now goes to the governor.
The Senate has passed and sent to the House a bill to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities who need an organ transplant. It is SB 155, also known as “Lila’s Law,” after a girl with Down syndrome who needed a heart transplant and was denied because of her disability.
Revenue Report
State tax revenue in January was collected at record rates. Tax rates have not gone up, therefore the increase is an indication that the Arkansas economy is rebounding from the negative impact caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
The state now has a surplus of about $400 million after the first seven months of the fiscal year. During the 2021 session legislators will decide how best to use the surplus. For example, the $51 million in income tax exemptions for unemployment benefits, written into SB 236, can be absorbed by the state because of the large surplus.
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