History

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Dr. Rex Miller, 50, of Westphalia, Missouri, will become the new superintendent of the Perry County School District; during a closed meeting Friday night, the school board voted unanimously to hire Miller; a salary package was still in the works late yesterday...

The 82-year-old mortar holding bricks together at L.J. Schultz School crumbles like sand, prompting the Cape Girardeau Board of Education to seek advice from a structural engineer; on Thursday, a 60-foot section of the brick parapet of the school at 101 S. Pacific St., collapsed onto the roof; while no one was hurt, principal John Eck blames the collapse on the building's age...

Legislation to make English the official language of Missouri government is again making the rounds in the General Assembly; bills introduced in both houses of the legislature would mandate the use of English-only in all state documents. The Rev. William Bird, a longtime minister in Cape Girardeau, hopes to become a catalyst for change and reconciliation in he city; he has filed for a three-year term on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; he joins incumbents Bob Blank and Steve Wright in seeking three, three-year seats on the board.. ...

The Argus, Jan. 26, 1865: "Our sincere thanks to the citizens at large ... soldiers and officers of the post for subduing the fire in the St. Charles Hotel." Early efforts were made to establish a Cape Girardeau Fire Department in its early days. However, it was not until after the Civil War, 1866, the first formal fire department -- The Good Intent Fire Department -- was established under Mayor G.H. Cramer...

A variety of activities highlighting the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. begins at Southeast Missouri State University and will continue through Jan. 25; the 11th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast kicks off the observance; guest speaker is Mark L. Stransbury, interim president of Shelby State Community College in Memphis, Tennessee...

Dr. James Kalthoff of St. Louis is guest speaker at Hanover Lutheran Church; he teaches the adult Bible class at 9 a.m. and preaches during the worship service at 10; he is the first guest speaker of the church's 150th anniversary year observance. The value of new construction in Cape Girardeau last year topped $40 million for only the second time in history; two of the construction industry's main sectors here showed increases as permits were issued for more than $44.4 million, 14% above 1994 totals of $38.9 million; the 1995 total was only 8.4% below the record year of 1992, when two giant construction projects boosted the overall total to $47.9 million.. ...

Gov. Mel Carnahan has higher education officials smiling over a recommended $94.2 million increase in state spending for public colleges and universities; the governor Friday unveiled his budget recommendations for higher education, including $44.3 million in general operations and capital improvement funding for Southeast Missouri State University...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Seven adults have been arrested and two juveniles taken into custody in connection with a Perry County burglary ring, says Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf; half of the county's burglaries -- most of them businesses -- will be cleared with the arrests, Schaaf says...

Frank Nickell was asked by the Southeast Missourian to identify a few notable citizens of the state since Missouri attained statehood two centuries ago. Four names came immediately to mind for the venerable historian ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Ending a week-long impasse, the Missouri House yesterday elected Democratic Rep. Steve Gaw of Moberly as speaker, replacing Bob Griffin, who held the post a record 15 years; Republican members of the House are calling on Gaw to embrace changes they say his predecessor stubbornly opposed...

BENTON, Mo. -- The 14 members of the Scott County Democratic Central Committee chose one of their own last night to fill the vacant seat on the Scott County Commission; Wayne Petitt, a 27-year-old corporate administrator from Scott City, was elected to fill the unexpired term on the commission; the seat on the three-member board opened up last month when Associate Commissioner Joe Spalding, a Democrat, died after an extended illness; one year remains on Spalding's term...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The weather canceled classes yesterday at the Perryville School District, but it didn't stop the business of searching for a new superintendent; Dr. Dan Roe of Pittsburg, Kansas, was the first of three candidates for the superintendent's job to visit Perryville: he and his wife, Marla, spent the day with community leaders and board members at breakfast and lunch meetings...

One notable ocean survival story from World War II involved World War I ace, national hero and airline executive Eddie Rickenbacker and the crew of a B-17 that crashed in October 1942. Secretary of War Henry Stimson dispatched Rickenbacker on a mission to review living conditions and operations in the Pacific. He also delivered a message of rebuke to Gen. Douglas MacArthur...

Cape Girardeau Councilman Melvin Gateley withdraws his plan for a board of governors to foster economic development by looking at how to use excess motel and restaurant tax money; after being "enlightened" by other city officials that the Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board already advises the council on spending the money, Gateley says he doesn't believe a separate board is needed...

Weekend donations should push the Salvation Army's Tree of Lights campaign to its $150,000 goal, Capt. Robert Gauthier says; as of Thursday, the campaign had raised $148,551, an increase of approximately $23,500 from the previous year's campaign. Snow coated Southeast Missouri again yesterday with 2 to 5 inches of the white stuff in a repeat of last Tuesday and Wednesday; travelers throughout the region were slip-sliding along Saturday; there were so many snow-related accidents that Cape Girardeau police quit working the ones without injuries.. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Community and business leaders chronicle Harry Lee Blackwell's legacy to the Poplar Bluff community and the Southeast Missouri region as one of giving and creating a positive impact. Blackwell, 78, of Naylor, Missouri, died Christmas Day. He and his family owned The Harry Blackwell family of vehicle dealerships in Dexter and Malden, Missouri. He formerly co-owned a dealership in Poplar Bluff...

You may not be able to fight city hall, but the parishioners of New McKendree United Methodist Church bought it Friday; the church paid $206,000 for the old Jackson City Hall at public auction; the church property and that of the old city hall join each other on South High Street...

After two days in which the Missouri House of Representatives in Jefferson City spent less than 15 minutes in session, area Republicans headed home for the weekend, angry at the lack of progress in selecting a new speaker to replace outgoing Speaker Bob Griffin, D-Cameron; Rep. Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, says House GOP members are incensed at the actions of Griffin, who, for the second day in a row, quickly adjourned the House Thursday without taking action on the selection of his successor,...

As the area digs out from the year's first winter storm, forecasters already are calling for more light snow today and Friday; the National Weather Service in St. Louis says light snow is expected over Missouri and Illinois and sub-freezing temperatures will prevent much melting...

Hely's Stone Company was the first of many successive quarry operations two miles south of the city of Cape Girardeau. Drilling, blasting, crushing and shipping away the ancient geologic sedimentary rock of the eastern edge of the Ozark uplift was building America...

After serving eight months on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, Robert Blank is asking voters to put him on the board for three more years; Blank becomes the first candidate to file for the school board. All five incumbents and two other candidates file for five seats opening on the Jackson Board of Aldermen; aldermen David Ludwig, David Reiminger, Glenn Oldham and Fred Leimer all announce their candidacies for re-election, filing soon after City Hall opens; Kerry Hoffman, appointed to the seat vacated by Kevin Sawyer's resignation, says he would like to be re-elected and complete the year left on Sawyer's unexpired term; Larry Cunningham, who owns a Jackson appraisal service, files in Ward I and John Powers in Ward IV.. ...

Kala Renise Betts arrives at 6:31 a.m. at Southeast Hospital, the first baby born in Cape Girardeau in 1996; she is the daughter of Latricia Betts of Charleston, Missouri. Capital Bank becomes Union Planters Bank; Charles Daniel, president and chief executive officer of the new Union Planters operation here, and Benjamin W. ...

Controversy and crisis were at the center of many of the most notable, local news stories in 1995; it was a year of turmoil in the Cape Girardeau and Meadow Heights school districts, and the Mississippi River once again flooded homes and businesses; a strip-tease bar prompted an outcry from some citizens and led the city of Cape Girardeau to regulate adult businesses; the federal government searched for a site to build a new federal courthouse in downtown Cape; Southeast Missouri State University's president resigned to take the job of Missouri's higher education commissioner; and Southeast Hospital's LifeBeat helicopter crashed in Southern Illinois, but miraculously all of the crew survived.. ...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- It's 1966 and a thunderstorm illuminates the night sky in Memphis. Two Stax Records musicians, guitarist Steve Cropper and singer Eddie Floyd, sit in a room inside the Lorraine Motel, struggling to fashion a song about love and superstition...

Both the old and new city halls in Jackson were a shambles yesterday, as employees hauled box after box from one building to the other; by 10:30 a.m., the old building on South High Street was pretty much empty; the city collector's office, the only one open during moving day, was the sole room with any semblance of order; offices in the new building, formerly Boatmen's Bank, are roomy and feature modern colors and furniture; the Board of Aldermen's chambers are large and comfortable, with a beautiful view of Jackson businesses and homes.. ...

A few more big checks in the mail could put the Cape Girardeau Salvation Army over the top of its $150,000 1995 Tree of Lights goal; as of Thursday, the local group was $10,200 short of this year’s goal, which was $25,000 higher than last year’s; the Tree of Lights campaign, slated to end Dec. 31, will be extended a week into January in hopes of collecting the remainder. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- And then there were three; after months of collecting 30 resumes and cover letters, the Perry County School District board has narrowed its search for a new superintendent to three candidates: Dan Roe of Pittsburg, Kansas, Rex Miller of Westphalia, Missouri, and Dan Tallent of Cape Girardeau; Tallent, who is principal at Cape Girardeau Central High School, announced his resignation last month...

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Witz Village Bar-B-Que and Restaurant is closing this weekend; Betty Colyer and her husband, William M. "Witz" Colyer, opened the family restaurant in March 1982; during the past 13 years, the restaurant has become renowned for its home-style cooking...

At first, the Cape Girardeau Central High School Pompom Squad looks like any other -- 24 girls dancing on the court at halftime; then the observant fan looks a little closer: One of those girls is a guy, and he's really good; 15-year-old Neil Totton is Cape Central's first male pompom squad member, no small achievement for a black teen-ager attending a conservative, predominantly white school; but after 11 years of dance lessons, once-a-year recitals weren't enough; it was time to show off his talents.. ...

Brothers Alfred and Silas James Symons and their wives emigrated from England to Jackson in June 1889. They immigrated primarily because their brother, Frederick "Fred" Symons, was the local rail agent for the Missouri Pacific Railway Co. All the brothers had married and began the process of becoming naturalized citizens shortly after they arrived. ...

A drive through town today -- Christmas Day -- is a drive through a retail and service wasteland as commerce comes to a virtual standstill; however, there are a few scattered outposts at which the neon "open" signs remain on; Bessie's Restaurant and Smörgåsbord on Route K near Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau remains open, a fact not lost on -- or unappreciated by -- the throng of customers who keep the establishment packed all day long...

Numerous churches in the area hold Christmas Eve services; a candlelight service is held by Christ Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Health and Education Department at Saint Francis Medical Center; St. Andrew Lutheran Church holds a candlelight service at 11 p.m., which includes carols and songs by the adult choir; instrumentalists are Renee Robinson and Trygye Honaas on flute; Jan Gerald and Viola Henrickson on violin, and a quartet comprised of David and Clayton Hahs, Charles Holt and Dale Rauh.. ...

Officials at Southeast Missouri State University hope to be able to award honorary doctoral and professional degrees as early as next spring; Dr. Bill Atchley, university interim president, proposed the addition, which was approved this week by the Board of Regents...

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department will receive money for two new officers under the COPS Universal program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice; Sheriff John Jordan expects to hire the officers in early 1996; the $69,365 grant will pay 75% of officers' salaries the first year, 50% the second and 25% the third; after that, the county will pay all their salaries and expenses...

All that is left to do on the North Sprigg Street extension is to put down the actual road; however, it will be a while before conditions make that possible; the road is slated to be asphalt, and asphalt cannot be installed until the weather is more than 40 degrees; the extension continues Sprigg Street from where it previously dead-ended at Bertling Street and runs north for one-quarter of a mile, where it will meet the Lexington Street extension...

K's Merchandise is coming to Cape Girardeau; the Decatur, Illinois-based retail company purchased the former Central Hardware Building in Cape Girardeau; it will house the company's 14th store and the first in Missouri. The city of Cape Girardeau and the Federal Aviation Administration have finalized a deal to allow the city to operate the tower at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport; the city will assume operation of the air traffic control tower Jan. ...

(Editor's note: James Baughn recently died in a hiking accident. In coming weeks, we will republish some of his writings.) Originally published in his blog, "Pavement Ends," Dec. 28, 2012. Perhaps you have seen a cornerstone etched with the initials "J.L." and the date "1858." Do you know where this is?...

Here's another in a series titled "Profile" written by the late Southeast Missourian managing editor, Joni Adams. Published Nov. 1, 1994, in the Southeast Missourian: UP ON HIS LUCK CAPE COUNTY COLLECTOR DEALS WITH LIFE'S VALLEYS AND PEAKS WITH UPBEAT ATTITUDE...

Two weeks ago, the Cape Girardeau City Council voted to submit to voters a dozen proposed changes to the city charter; but City Manager Michael Miller wants the council to remove two of the amendments slated to be on the April 2 ballot; one amendment would prohibit the city from regulating trades; the other amendment would add cable television to the list of utility franchise agreements that require voter approval...

A living nativity pageant is presented by the Hanover Lutheran Youth Group and Men's Club; it is held on the church parking lot at 2949 Perryville Road and includes a donkey for Mary and camels for the Wise Men; the program also features music, carols and a narration of the Christmas story; refreshments are served in the parish hall...

Signs of gang activity are on the decline in Cape Girardeau, city police say; because of arrests and the incarceration of key figures who have promoted gang activity in the past, signs of gang activity such as graffiti and people wearing gang colors aren't been as prevalent here, police officer Charlie Herbst says...

TAMMS, Ill. -- The pilot of a Cessna 182K single-engine plane escaped injury Wednesday night when he crash-landed his plane on McDaniel School Road, about a mile north of the Grape Vine Trail Road; the plane, en route from Lexington, Kentucky, to Cape Girardeau, apparently "ran out of fuel," according to the Illinois State Police; the plane lost part of one wing and destroyed a power pole in the crash, but pilot Dean Welch was able to walk away afterward...

Cape Girardeau plans to tout its transportation tax projects with road signs similar to those the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department has used for its road work; the city's Public Awareness Advisory Board approved the sign design Tuesday; the "Roads to Success" logo shows a road curving through a line of green trees and hills; it also thanks the public, which approved the tax that will fund the work; there will be two, 3-by-4 signs erected for each project...

NEW YORK -- Charley Pride, one of country music's first Black superstars whose rich baritone on such hits as "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" helped sell millions of records and made him the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has died. He was 86...

The city of Jackson plans to sell its old City Hall at 225 S. High St., to the highest bidder on Jan. 5; city offices will move to their new location on Courthouse Square on Dec. 29; all offices except the collector's office will be closed that day so furniture, files and other supplies can be moved to the new site; all offices will open at the new location on Jan. 2...

Born in Bonne Terre, Missouri, young Frederick Groves, 19, moved to Cape Girardeau in 1911. He hit the ground running ... or rather driving, as he soon opened a new Ford dealership in the H & H Building showroom at Fountain Street on Broadway. A friend of Groves, Dr. F. D. Rhodes, helped him pick out the right name, Ford Groves...

As the Christmas shopping season wears on, retailers had hoped for record sales over the weekend; as many expected, the frigid weather and snow boosted holiday sales; shoppers returned to the stores Saturday and Sunday after a hiatus Friday when about 4 inches of snow blanketed Southeast Missouri...

A new doctor practicing with Dr. John Englehart in Marble Hill, Missouri, is Dr. Melody Armstrong of St. Francis, Kansas; she was born in Weisbaden, Germany, while her father was in the U.S. Army; Armstrong is part of the Cross Trails Medical Center, based out of Cape Girardeau, that purchased the Twin City Medical Clinic Oct. 2...

Dru Reeves, production manager at Horizon Screen Printing, filed yesterday for a Ward 3 seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council, guaranteeing a primary election in February; Reeves is the third candidate to file from Ward 3; Councilman Jack Rickard is seeking re-election in Ward 3; Jay Purcell, who works at Dana Corp., is also a candidate in that ward...