100 years ago
May 24, 1925
The boldest robbery committed in Little Rock in many months was reported at noon yesterday by Earl Patterson, 322 South Main Street, who told the police that two unmasked white men robbed him of $64 or $65. The robbery occurred at the end of the East Fourteenth street car line, at the entrance to Oakland cemetery. Mr. Patterson told the police he rode a street car to the cemetery to visit the grave of a niece. He was about to enter the burial grounds when the two men accosted him.
50 years ago
May 24, 1975
Citizens band radios are the “hottest items” sold at most electronic stores, several dealers report, and the police say thieves are cashing in on the popularity of the radios by stealing them at an unprecedented rate. … Police agencies said CB radios were being stolen out of vehicles in the Little Rock area at a rate of about eight or 10 a day. In addition, two electronic dealers reported burglaries in December and March of 123 citizens band radios plus accessories. The theft of CB radios surged about three months ago. The reason is not known. The thefts have occurred at all hours, and the majority of thefts occurred in parking lots.
25 years ago
May 24, 2000
A former top education official was sentenced Tuesday to three years on probation, including one year of home detention, for helping arrange illegal kickbacks from public school funds to then-Sen. Nick Wilson of Pocahontas. Tommy Roger Venters, 65, of Benton was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine as part of his sentence for a single count of mail fraud, a crime he pleaded guilty to in February. … His negotiated plea, made just days before a public corruption trial was to begin with nine defendants, prompted a series of other confessions that concluded with Wilson’s guilty plea to the charge of racketeering, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Johnson said Tuesday.
10 years ago
May 24, 2015
Mayor Joe Smith wants to transform North Little Rock’s vacant Argenta Plaza into a vibrant area for dining, shopping and the arts and is turning to Fort Worth’s popular Sundance Square as the model for success. The city-owned Argenta Plaza, now a 0.66-acre empty lot at 510 Main St., has for years been looked at as desirable for use as a “market square” for people to meet, shop, eat and just basically enjoy themselves. Smith has scheduled a presentation about his idea to the City Council at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, 30 minutes before the council’s regular meeting. … “I’ve looked at photographs of different plazas from all over the world, and I kept coming back to this one in Fort Worth because I could envision it here,” Smith said last week. “It’s something we could have that looks real classy, but also something we could do for a reasonable cost. I see this as a place to meet, to relax and to enjoy the (included) water feature, but also a place to have festivals and functions,” he added.
