History

Early businesses in territorial Missouri appear in lists of taxes and license fees. The Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser, dating from 1808 in St. Louis, was the newspaper of record for the area until the Jackson Independent began in 1820. The Gazette printed lists of public monies received for the counties south of St. Louis. A tax and licensure system for Missouri Territory began in 1814, and the list of businesses discussed below was from 1816 and 1817...

Jail sentences for some lawbreakers have been delayed because of overcrowding in the Cape Girardeau County jail; people sentenced to shock time or other short jail sentences have been asked to wait a month before serving their time. Students in Scott City's public schools had a surprise inspection yesterday by Grande, a drug-sniffing dog from the Mississippi County Sheriff's Department; the German shepherd didn't find any drugs, but school superintendent Douglas Berry says he plans to check again; the search was unannounced, even to the district's principals.. ...

NEW YORK -- Jim Lehrer, longtime host of the nightly PBS "NewsHour," whose serious, sober demeanor made him the choice to moderate 11 presidential debates between 1988 and 2012, has died, PBS said Thursday. He was 85. Lehrer died "peacefully in his sleep," according to PBS. He had suffered a heart attack in 1983 and more recently, had undergone heart-valve surgery in April 2008...

It's getting harder and harder to find a place to light up; West Park Mall has announced it will ban smoking in its public areas on Feb. 1, joining a growing number of malls nationwide that have gone smoke free. The final numbers are in, and boardings at the Cape Girardeau were up for 1994; boardings for the year, 6,330, rose 27.8% from 1993 boardings; included in the boardings are Trans World Express, Procter & Gamble Shuttle and the fixed-base operator's charter flights...

A project to preserve a vital piece of Cape Girardeau’s history may be completed as early as Memorial Day weekend, according to Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation director Julia Thompson. Fort D has been exposed to the elements since its roof collapsed years ago. The landmark is the State of Missouri’s only surviving V-shaped, Civil War-era earthworks, and the site was named to the National Register of Historic Places on Aug. 1...

BATTENVILLE, N.Y. -- New York state is planning to do restoration work on the early childhood home of Susan B. Anthony. The house Anthony's father built in 1833 in the Washington County hamlet of Battenville is water-damaged and in rough shape. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation bought the foreclosed property in 2006 but has done little to preserve it...

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity observance in Jackson concludes with a worship celebration in the afternoon at First Presbyterian Church; Wayne Maupin, superintendent of public schools in Jackson, is recognized for his cooperative leadership in the community; keynote speaker is the Rev. Otto Steinhouse...

PATTERSON, Mo. -- More than 600 people showed up at a rally last night to seek changes in the way Lake Wappapello is operated by the Corps of Engineers; the rally was also a show of support for a man who was sentenced last month to 46 months in federal prison without parole on charges of felonious assault of two Corps rangers...

A storm that paralyzed Central Missouri with heavy snow began losing its punch last night, but strong winds continued to drive the snow and made many roads impassable; Southeast Missouri escaped the brunt of the storm, which dumped almost 20 inches of snow on parts of the state...

The Cape Girardeau City Council last night granted a liquor license for a Regina's House of Dolls, a strip-tease bar set to open at 805 Enterprise; this in spite of the fact that more than 1,900 persons signed a petition opposing the move. Thorngate Ltd., one of the top five manufacturing employers in Southeast Missouri, needs more workers; company representatives will be in Puxico, Missouri, Thursday to discuss employment opportunities with former employees of Akbani Industries Inc., a division of American Athletic Apparel, an apparel-manufacturing company that closed last week.. ...

Dr. Howard Jones, superintendent of schools in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has been hired by the Jackson Board of Education to become that town's new school superintendent on July 1; Joneswill replace Wayne Maupin, who plans to retire in June after working 26 years in the Jackson schools system...

During the Civil War, Missouri's legislative decisions were made by a provisional State Convention. First convened in 1862 to consider secession from the Union (an action rejected), the State Convention convened several more times to wrestle with the question of slavery. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A mourning family's search for a missing dog ended yesterday when a Southeast Missourian newspaper carrier discovered the malamute-chow pup; the dog, 9-month-old Wheddo, had been missing since Dec. 27, when he sprang from the mangled wreckage of his owner's truck; his owner, Scott Craig, 38, of Doniphan, Missouri, was killed when he lost control of his truck on Highway 34 west of Burfordville...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston's best known restaurant has been nominated for Missouri's top tourism award; Lambert's Cafe, known nationwide as the "Home of the Throwed Rolls," is a nominee for the Missouri Travel and Tourism Hall of Fame Award. Violence and oppression against women weaken the nation, University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill tells a crowd of more than 800 at the Show Me Center; she is keynote speaker at the 10th annual Dr. ...

An agreement to purchase St. Vincent's College for $700,000 has been signed by the owners and the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation; the foundation, with plans to transform the former seminary into a museum and Civil War interpretive center, made a $50,000 down payment on the 20-acre property and must pay the remaining $650,000 by the closing date of March 31...

NEW YORK -- In this era of bottomless mimosas, craft beers and ever-present happy hours, it's striking to recall that 100 years ago the United States imposed a nationwide ban on the production and sale of all types of alcohol. The Prohibition Era, which lasted from Jan. 17, 1920, until December 1933, is now viewed as a failed experiment that glamorized illegal drinking, but there are several intriguing parallels in current times...

Reflecting on a time when "the awful price of freedom" was a more costly venture, Dr. Ronald L. Bobo delivered an impassioned speech at First Baptist Church last night as part of the fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration; also marking the occasion was a candlelight march dampened but not diminished by a downpour of rain...

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Neil Peart, the renowned drummer and lyricist from the influential Canadian band Rush, has died. He was 67. His representative, Elliot Mintz, said in a statement Friday that Peart died at his home Tuesday in Santa Monica. The band posted a message on Twitter also confirming the news...

Hate publications published in Texas have shown up in newspaper vending machines in Cape Girardeau and Jackson; last week, a 12-page publication called Jew Watch was found; Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle is ready to take legal action under a hate-crime law, if a suspect is caught...

Night Clubs Inc.'s owner and officers have passed a police background check in their quest to open a strip bar on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau; the company operates two Regina's House of Dolls in Paducah, Kentucky. Anita Hill is coming; Clarence Thomas is, too, but later than first announced; Hill, the Oklahoma law professor who sparked controversy with her sexual harassment allegations against Thomas during the Supreme Court nomination hearings, will speak Monday at the Dr. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Gov. Mel Carnahan has appointed Herbert E. Miller to fill a vacancy in the Perry County coroner's office; the coroner's office became vacant when Patrick Naeger began his duties in the Missouri House of Representatives; Miller and his wife, Kathleen, have owned the Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville the past five years...

The Anti-Saloon League of America was founded in Ohio in 1895. The organization quickly spread nationally. The purpose of the group was to end the sale and distribution of liquor in the United States. State chapters popped up throughout the nation. Missouri's chapter was organized in 1890. ...

Fire destroys batteries, lacquer thinner and insulation at the Auto Tire and Parts warehouse at Christine and Good Hope streets, but there isn't significant structural damage. Taking control of the water system from Union Electric some 2 1/2 years ago has enabled the City of Cape Girardeau to embark on a growth pattern that has yet to slow; the growth in the last few years has prompted the planning and zoning commission to designate eight areas for possible annexation in the next five years...

TOMBSTONE, Ariz. -- "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" And several more "bangs!" -- the gunshots in this reenacted shootout happened so quickly I couldn't keep count. "That was it," said the actor playing lawman Doc Holliday at the OK Corral's several-times-a-day show about what may be the most famous gun battle in the Old West. "Over before it even started."...

Cape Girardeau Central High's relatively infant soccer program has made a point of breaking new ground nearly every season, and the Tigers succeeded again in 1994 with sweeper Chris Lee named honorable mention all state; Lee, the team's captain his senior year, is the first Tiger soccer player ever to receive any post-season recognition at the state level...

A farewell service and reception for the Rev. Dale Trimberger is held in the afternoon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel; Trimberger, director of Lutheran Family and Children's Services, has accepted a call to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Columbus, Indiana, where he will serve as director of pastoral care...

Instead of waking yesterday to a serene blanket of snow, many area residents faced their worst nightmare: Ice and freezing rain; most area schools canceled classes because of the ice and dangerous driving conditions; Southeast Missouri State University delayed opening its offices because of the weather...

ST. LOUIS -- A memorial to soldiers in downtown St. Louis has been damaged by vandalism, including a spray-painted message of "No war." The vandalism was discovered Sunday morning. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was in response to the airstrike that killed a top Iranian official, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an attack that's drastically raised tensions between Tehran and Washington...

Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown Sr. and author/filmmaker William Matson will be in Cape Girardeau on Jan. 16 and 17 to discuss and sign their book, “Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior’s Life and Legacy,” an exploration of the family’s oral history, and anticipation is high — the event outgrew its original space at the public library, and will instead be held at the Osage Centre...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Cristy Baker-Neel discharged an assistant prosecutor and a clerk yesterday to confront what she calls inefficiencies in her office; a new assistant prosecutor and an administrative clerk will begin work Monday...

Dr. Herman Herbert Piper arrived in Jackson as a veterinary surgeon, but his real passion was inventing. He racked up a total of 10 U.S. patents for a variety of useful contraptions during his lifetime (1865-1937). Although this pales in comparison to Thomas Edison, who accumulated 1,093 patents, Dr. Piper was nonetheless one of the more prolific inventors in our region...

Anita Hill, the law professor who raised the issue of sexual harassment at the nomination hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, will speak in Cape Girardeau Jan. 16; she will deliver the keynote address at the 10th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast...

The filing period for the Cape Girardeau Board of Education opens and will continue through Jan. 31; board president Ed Thompson says he plans to seek a third term on the board; terms of Thompson and Lyle Davis expire in April, and Davis has said he is undecided about seeking another term...

Construction debris in an otherwise empty field at 2815 S. Sprigg St. in Cape Girardeau is all that remains of a building with a rich history: the former Marquette School, later the Pike Lodge. The building had been on the Cape Girardeau endangered buildings list since 2015, described in city documents as a two-room brick building, featuring a hipped roof and a projecting pavilion. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- After 24 school days, the Cairo teachers strike ends, and for the first time since Nov. 17, students in the district will have to get up for classes tomorrow morning; 67 of the 73 striking teachers vote in the evening to approve a tentative settlement reached earlier in the day by administration and teacher representatives...

David Dwain Brown, son of Donnie and Sherry Brown of New Madrid, Missouri, is the first baby born in Cape Girardeau in 1995; he arrives at Southeast Hospital at 2:19 a.m. Steve Francis is returning to a staff position at Southside Baptist Church; he was previously at Southside, but has been at Calvary Baptist Church at Dexter, Missouri, since February 1992; Francis will be associate pastor/minister of music...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- At midnight, Bill Hopkins' 20-year career as Bollinger County associate judge will end; but thanks to Gov. Mel Carnahan, he will begin a new career as county prosecuting attorney; Hopkins was advised of the appointment Friday morning in a phone call from Carnahan...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Water here will soon be more sparkling and pleasant for the palate; administrative assistant David Jackson says city crews hope to begin work on a new pre-treatment water system in the spring; it is hoped residents' complaints about odors and discolorations will soon be a thing of the past...

As photojournalists, we witness firsthand the joy, and sometimes the heartache, of those in the communities we cover. This year was no exception. These camera-yielding journalists have a responsibility of being there and being ready to capture moments as they happen. People trust us with their stories and allow us to be present for these glimpses of their lives as they unfold...

We all need an occasional break from the hard news of the day. Thankfully, 2019 provided its share of lighter moments. A few of them: If your heart doesn’t warm to an otherwise normal, happy little furball with a tail growing out of its forehead, neither we nor Narwhal can help you. ...

Law enforcement officers from several agencies converge on the Student Recreation Center at Southeast Missouri State University to participate in "Hoopin' with 5-0 at SEMO"; for the second year, the Cape Girardeau Police Department coordinates a basketball camp for boys between ages 11 and 16...

During the Christmas season, it was indeed a pleasure to visit one of Cape Girardeau's oldest and most historic homes. As I approached the original 8-foot door decorated with festive wreathe and greenery, it was opened by the present owner, Charles Kent. Obviously very interested in the home's preservation, he ushered me throughout, pointing out features going back throughout its illustrious history...

Thursday's review of some of 2019's top stories focused on water, major projects and unfortunate deaths. Today's finale will be a bit more upbeat, if a little wonkier: In November 2018, the state's voters approved medical marijuana use, and unlike in some states, Missouri officials wasted little time getting the pot ball rolling...

Retiring Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Gene Huckstep praised his colleagues, other county officials and employees for their dedication yesterday as he delivered his final budget address; Huckstep, the county's chief budget officer, read a three-page message at a public hearing on the budget before joining Commissioners E.C. Younghouse and Larry Bock in giving unanimous approval to the document...

As 2019 draws to a close, it's time to look back at the headlines that shaped the area's business and economic climate this year. The following is a review of some of the business news covered on the pages of the Southeast Missourian between January and early December, prior to the deadline for this issue of B Magazine...

The final ledger may well identify 2019 as a year of contrasts. Water -- everywhere and nowhere. New beginnings -- underway and kinda still stuck in bureaucratic mud. Community-touching tragedies -- accidental and otherwise. And much, much more. As 2020 approaches, we take a two-part look back at some of the stories covered in the Southeast Missourian during 2019...

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. -- Thousands turned out Wednesday to watch the annual reenactment of George Washington's daring Christmas Day crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 -- the first time the crossing was completed in three years. The event was scrapped because of bad weather the last two years, but historical interpreter Nancy O'Leary said at Washington Crossing Historical Park that the conditions this year "couldn't be better."...

Faced with disposing of live Christmas trees, Cape Girardeans can no longer leave the yuletide symbol at the curb for the city to collect; Senate Bill 530 has banished Christmas trees from the city dump; instead, Cape Girardeau will open a special site in Arena Park, where residents may drop off trees; they will be "recycled" -- used for fish habitats in area ponds and lakes, or ground into landscaping mulch...

A former Cape Girardeau resident was among the guests invited to the White House recently for the Pageant of Pace Reception, where Christmas decorations for 1994 were unveiled; Jack Komis, who now lives in Washington, D.C., helped design some of this year's White House decorations...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Thirty-one Perry County property owners have decided to accept a government buyout of residences flooded last year in the Bois Brule Bottoms east of Perryville; four other property owners have buyout offers, but haven't yet made a decision about them...