For the Week in Clark County History, we combed through bound copies of the Daily Siftings Herald to choose some front-page news from editions dating 10, 20 and 30 years ago.

10 years ago this week (2013)

The Arkadelphia Board of Education approved bids to purchase $101,308 worth of new laptop computers — 168 units, to be exact — for its New Tech program.

Local authorities investigated a vehicle arson on Highway 67 south of the airport, where a truck that pumped waste from portable toilets was intentionally set ablaze.

Arkadelphia Animal Control was set to euthanize 14 dogs if they weren’t adopted within four days. Supervisor Donny Manning admitted that overcrowding wasn’t the issue but rather the dogs had overstayed their 10-day welcome, the time span a city ordinance allowed until animals were put to sleep.

20 years ago this week (2003)

Fearing a domestic strike by al-Qaida, Arkadelphia joined the rest of the nation being placed under a Cord Orange or “high” terrorism alert issued by the federal office of Homeland Security. 

The Clark County Office of Emergency Management was the recipient of an $87,355 grant to purchase “decontamination suits” for emergency crews called the the scene of hazardous material spills or bio-terrorism incidents. Each suit cost about $7,000.

The Arkadelphia Aquatic Park officially opened its doors to the public. About 500 people would visit the city park in a single day, some traveling from Hot Springs or Little Rock.

30 years ago this week (1993)

Margo Green of Warren was named superintendent of the Arkadelphia Human Development Center, a position she would hold for many years.

Representatives of the American Association of Retired Persons reminded Clark Countians that motorists and their passengers were “strongly encouraged” to wear a seat belt.

Natural disasters around the country in 1992, including two major hurricanes and a number of tornados, “put a dent” in the amount of supplies available at the Southwest Arkansas Food Bank in Arkadelphia.