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10 YEARS AGO

Dec. 31, 1998 — An appeals court has reinstated murder indictments against three men accused of the October 1997 beating death of a Fairbanks teenager.

The decision handed down Wednesday by the Alaska Court of Appeals, gives district attorneys the green light to prosecute Eugene Vent, Kevin Pease and Marvin Roberts on charges that they sexually assaulted 15-year-old John Hartman and kicked him to death.

The indictments had previously been tossed out by Anchorage District Court Judge Sigurd Murphy. He ruled in February that Fairbanks prosecutors had failed to present alibi evidence to the grand jury.

Murphy allowed an indictment to stand against a fourth man accused in the slaying, saying the alibis did not pertain to that defendant. George Frese, 21, is scheduled to be tried in Anchorage in February.

25 YEARS AGO

Dec. 31, 1983 — Encouraged by mounting support for a comprehensive alcohol treatment facility in Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Native Association is hoping the Legislature will come up with nearly $4 million to build the center.

Funding for the proposed FNA comprehensive alcohol facility died in the waning hours of the 1983 Legislature.

But Banarsi Lal, director of FNA’s Regional center for Alcohol and Other Addictions, and other involved in the project are hopeful funding will come from legislators in 1984.

50 YEARS AGO

Dec. 31, 1958 — Alaska will formally become the 49th state at a White House ceremony Saturday.

This was announced in Gettysburg today by President Eisenhower’s aides.

Eisenhower, who has been relaxing at his farm here, will return to Washington briefly to sign the statehood proclamation and unveil the new 49-star flag.

The Gettysburg White House declined to release any information about the new flag until it is shown for the first time at noon Saturday.

75 YEARS AGO

Dec. 31, 1933 — Revival on an extensive scale of prospecting is expected in Alaska next year by Philip S. Smith Chief Alaskan Geologist of the United State Geological Survey and Civil Works Adminstrator for Alaska.

Dr. Smith was in Anchorage several days in connection with Civil Works activities. He left yesterday for Seldovia, Kodiak and Seward en route to his headquarters in Juneau. Civil works projects are underway in all these places.