History

In 1920, a grotto in honor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was dedicated in Perryville, Missouri, after two years of construction amid a World War and worldwide illness. Next month, the 100th anniversary celebration will take place on the grounds...

The third annual Reformation Fest is held in the afternoon at Old Hanover Lutheran Church; Dr. Charles T. Knippel, professor emeritus of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, is guest preacher; hymns are played on the old-fashioned reed pump organ in the church; Old Hanover School, a museum of Lutheranism, is open after the service, and a coffee and punch reception also follows the service...

Historic architecture in Jackson is about to get surveyed. Unlike traditional surveys, which measure property and locate property boundaries, this survey is a visual evaluation to determine the number of historically significant buildings and properties in the uptown area, according to a city news release...

A member of the Scott City Board of Education unexpectedly resigned from his position last month, saying, "I decided there weren't enough hours in the day"; the school board accepted Tom Anderson's resignation at last week's meeting. A train engineer was slightly injured and a load of soybeans destroyed yesterday after a truck owned by B&J Trucking was hit by a Burlington-Northern train; the train was traveling north about 9:15 a.m. ...

An agreement allowing Cape Girardeau County to house jail inmates at The Gibson Recovery Center is nearly final; inmates could be moved to the center at 1112 Linden in Cape Girardeau as early as mid-November; a contract with Gibson would alleviate overcrowding at the jail in Jackson; jail capacity is 65, and when the number of inmates reaches into the low 70s, they must be housed elsewhere...

Reductions in the size of the U.S. military have paid a dividend for regional law enforcement; taking advantage of a program to get rid of surplus equipment, the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department recently picked up two military helicopters free of charge; the department becomes the only law enforcement agency in Southeast Missouri to have its own aircraft...

Cape Girardeau's historic African-American faith communities organized around two traditions: African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and Baptist. Both congregations held regular revival meetings to renew the spiritual journey of the faithful and to attract new believers. ...

A public hearing next month could prompt the federal government to steer clear of historic homes in choosing a site for a U.S. courthouse in downtown Cape Girardeau; significant opposition from property owners and residents would lead the federal government to look at alternative sites downtown, says Jim Ogden of the General Services Administration's regional office in Kansas City; Ogden also says federal budget cuts could halt the project; however, an aide to U.S. ...

After more than 30 years of helping the community, Les Crump has been recognized for his volunteer work; Crump was one of 10 people who received the Governor's Adult Leadership Award at the Missouri Community Betterment Conference; he was nominated by the Scott City Community Betterment Club...

A sales tax case involving the Southeast Missourian will be heard by the Missouri Supreme Court next month and could have a major impact on the state's newspaper industry; the case, Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian and Concord Publishing House vs. Director of Revenue, involves an appeal of a sales tax ruling; it will be argued Nov. 2 in the Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City...

A painting by American artist Jacob Lawrence that has not been seen in public for 60 years has been found and will soon take its designated place in a 30-piece exhibit of Lawrence's work, officials at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts said Thursday...

Dr. George W. Westlake Jr. is the guest speaker at First Assembly of God Church as part of the church's 75th anniversary; Westlake was pastor at First Assembly from 1964 to the early 1970s; under his direction, the congregation relocated from South Sprigg Street to 750 Mount Auburn Road...

Allied Waste Management has been given the OK by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to close the former Jackson landfill and open a transfer station in town; DNR approved the closure of the landfill last week, clearing the way for Allied and Jackson to finalize a real estate deal that will enable the proposed transfer station to be built near the Jackson Industrial Park...

Some things may get better with age, but not school buildings; replacing Cape Girardeau's aging elementary schools and constructing new buildings were top priorities at a Vision Planning meeting last night; about 30 people attended the meeting at the Junior High School; it was the sixth community meeting conducted by the Vision Planning Committee...

Disobeying immoral laws -- if you can pay the price -- is Americans' duty, Dr. Walter Williams tells audiences at Southeast Missouri State University; Williams, an economist and syndicated columnist, tells two audiences -- a classroom and public lecture at Academic Hall -- that if he had his way, government would have an extremely limited role in society; Williams serves as chairman of the economics department at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and writes a weekly column published in 125 newspapers; he also has authored several books.. ...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A second excavation begins today at a cemetery in an effort to find and identify victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and shed light on violence that left hundreds dead and decimated an area that was once a cultural and economic mecca for African Americans...

The Cape Girardeau City Council balked last night at a Southeast Missouri State University plan to move the Henderson-New Madrid intersection project ahead of others on the transportation tax plan; the council tabled the issue at its study session after councilmen Melvin Gateley and Richard Eggimann said such a move would violate the city's promise to voters, who approved the transportation tax in an election in August...

In February 1944, news arrived in Cape Girardeau that Harris Field would be discontinued by the Army Air Corps as a training facility for pilots the following month. With nearly 60-acres of real estate soon to be in the hands of the lessee, Defense Plant Corp., city officials acted quickly to see if the federal government might temporarily lease the field to them for a year. ...

Michael G. Miller hasn't had much time to think about his new job as Cape Girardeau city manager; he begins his duties today and will attend the City Council meeting tonight; he and his wife, Janice, just bought a home in the Northfield area and moved in the first week of October...

A farewell reception for the Stuart Cavcey family is held Sunday in the morning at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1820 Perryville Road; Karen Cavcey and children, Amanda and Morgan, will be joining her husband in Barbados, where he is a recreation center supervisor...

Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University give away 400 wire-mesh compost bins to encourage residents to compost leaves and other yard waste; residents also receive a free composting wheel with step-by-step instructions on home composting; the bins are an effort to educate people about composting and encourage them to turn yard waste into mulch...

The soldiers spent months behind enemy lines, marching hundreds of miles through the tangled jungles and steep mountains of Burma as they battled hunger and disease between firefights with Japanese forces during their secret mission. In February 1944, the American jungle fighting unit nicknamed Merrill's Marauders set out to capture a Japanese-held airfield and open an Allied supply route between India and China. ...

The Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee is scheduled to decide next week whether to grant a request from Saint Francis Medical Center to purchase a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system; hospital officials have applied for a certificate of need to spend $1.65 million to replace the existing MRI unit; the lease on the current unit has expired...

A new concept in health care has been introduced in the Cape Girardeau area: Immediate Healthcare Inc., a walk-in doctor's clinic; the clinic opened yesterday at 1702 N. Kingshighway near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Mount Auburn Drive; Dr. Robb R. Hicks, an emergency room physician, staffs the new clinic...

Officials say action taken last week by the Missouri Highway Commission created a win-win situation for Jackson, Oak Ridge and Cape Girardeau County; thanks to a recommendation by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department, Jackson has been placed on the department's 15-year plan with Oak Ridge, a plan that could allow for interstate interchanges to be built near both towns after 1998...

The 1916 Presidential election was a nail-biter. Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic incumbent, faced a stiff challenge from Republican Evans Hughes. The early results on election night suggested that Hughes would pull off an upset. It wasn't until two days later that Wilson clinched the electoral college after winning California by only 3,773 votes...

A Federal Aviation Administration official has concluded that the control tower at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is "mission essential"; that conclusion leaves city officials and airport advisory board members optimistic that the FAA will continue to fund the airport tower; the city expects a final decision from the FAA this month...

The Royal N'Orleans Restaurant, at Broadway and Lorimier Street in downtown Cape Girardeau, is under new ownership; John and Jerrianne Wyman of Merriwether Investments Inc. started operating the restaurant Oct. 1; the Wymans are only the third owner of the Royal N'Orleans Restaurant, established in the historic Old Opera House in the mid-1950s by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barnhouse; Dennis Stockard acquired the property and restaurant in 1987...

The congregation of St. Andrew Lutheran Church celebrates the 38th anniversary of the church; at morning services, a quilt made by the Lutheran Women's Missionary League is used to illustrate "We are family -- the family of God." The Rev. Charles Dreyer, interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church, observes 35 years in the ministry; Dr. ...

Two photography contests will add to the celebration around an upcoming exhibition, the Smithsonian's Water/Ways, at the Kellerman Foundation's Heritage Hall, 102 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau. The exhibition will be up from Oct. 19 through Jan. 13, and dives into water as an essential component of life on our planet, environmentally, culturally and historically, according to the contest rules at kellermanfoundation.org/photo-contest...

Good Ol' Days are held in Jackson under a sunny sky; vendors turn out in droves and big crowds enjoy old-fashioned entertainment, such as pony rides, wool-spinning demonstrations and rail splitting; no one seems too disappointed that the most popular event on the program -- a fake robbery of Capital Bank -- doesn't materialize...

NEW YORK -- Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock's biggest groups, fueled the unmistakable fiery solo in Michael Jackson's hit "Beat It" and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He was 65...

About 35 Union Electric Co. utility employees, most dressed in blue jeans, T-shirts and baseball caps, left Cape Girardeau yesterday for Birmingham, Alabama; they will help that state recover from wind and storm damage sustained Wednesday, when Hurricane Opal hit the Florida Panhandle; several area crews volunteered for the trip, but will be paid for their work; they will be restoring power and utilities in the areas hit by Opal, primarily in Alabama, where about 935,000 people are without power.. ...

Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox said the $12 million new City Hall project along Lorimier Street is “going well” and believes current renovations will allow municipal operations to move there on schedule in the fall of 2021. On Nov. 4, the city approved a design-build agreement with Penzel Construction Co., in partnership with architectural firm TreanorHL, to make over the 165-year old Common Pleas Courthouse and adjacent Annex and construct a connecting addition at 44 N. Lorimier St. ...

In May of 1970, a genealogy society began in Cape Girardeau County, with a meeting of 25 people at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson. Earl Oldham, as an assistant librarian at Riverside, told the Southeast Missourian in 1970 that the society is open to anyone interested in the study of genealogy in the region, and that’s true today. ...

The Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation held an open house Friday at the Flag House in Cape Girardeau. Three speakers with local ties and military decorations made presentation: Max Lederer, publisher of the Stars and Stripes newspaper; Dale Dye, Cape Girardeau native, U.S. Marine veteran and Hollywood actor; and Jack Jackson, Vietnam veteran and former test pilot for Boeing in St. Louis...

An industry that made its appearance on the Cape Girardeau manufacturing scene a decade ago has been honored as the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's 1995 industry of the year; Spartech of St. Louis was recognized last night with the "Commitment to Excellence" award during the chamber's annual industrial appreciation dinner, held at the Show Me Center on the Southeast Missouri State University campus...

NEW YORK -- The virus pandemic won't stop Charlie Brown, Snoopy or the "Peanuts" gang from marking an important birthday and they're hoping to raise the spirits of sick kids while they celebrate. The beloved comic celebrated its 70th anniversary last week with new lesson plans, the announcement of a new TV show and a philanthropic push that includes donating "Peanuts" murals for children to paint in 70 children's hospitals around the globe, from Brooklyn to Brazil...

The Scott County Bicentennial Committee is actively seeking family histories to include in an upcoming family history book to celebrate the county's 200th anniversary. Committee chair Gail Crader said in a news release that publisher Acclaim Press of Sikeston, Missouri, is allowing the committee to continue receiving submissions until Nov. 20...

The first of 15 community meetings to help the Cape Girardeau Board of Education set a course for the next five years will be held tonight at Franklin Elementary School; the meetings are being conducted by the Vision Planning Committee, a newly formed group charged with collecting information from the community and school district staff about the direction the school district should take...

Schools, homes and businesses emptied yesterday afternoon as people hurried to positions on streets near Jackson High School and the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse; 19 school bands from around the area made the short trip around downtown for the 51st annual Jackson Band Festival; the Jackson Junior High Band started the festivities; other groups followed, playing everything from traditional marches to Simon and Garfunkel tunes; the Jackson Senior High Band ended the parade, playing its traditional "Everything's Coming Up Roses.". ...

"Don't criticize the young -- they are the future of the community; don't criticize the old -- they are its heritage." Thus, believed Leo "Lee" Albert, as written in his "Memories of Cape Girardeau and Old Man River." He died two weeks after completing his manuscript...

Clean up your mess, the Cape Girardeau City Council tells developers and contractors; the council unanimously votes to require them to clean the mud and dirt off of streets and control water runoff and erosion around their construction sites; violators could be fined from $100 to $500 per day...

NEW YORK -- The image is haunting, depicting a gaunt-faced man with a familiar beard, staring ahead lifelessly. The right eye is bulging and appears disfigured from an unseen wound. Some experts believe the man is Abraham Lincoln, captured hours after the nation's beloved 16th president succumbed to an assassin's bullet on April 15, 1865, a heretofore unknown photo of incalculable emotional and historic value...

The congregation of Christ Episcopal Church has purchased a five-acre tract northwest of Route W and Boutin Drive and plans to build a new facility; services were held at the site Sept. 17, followed by a picnic. The congregation of Third Street United Methodist Church celebrates Worldwide Communion Day with an outdoor service at Cape County Park South; a potluck dinner follows...

Prosecutors' offices in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties report a significant increase in the number of people making restitution on bad checks; the payments come after the results of a three-day sting operation were announced by Missouri's attorney general and the Cape Girardeau and Scott county sheriffs; many of the 101 people nabbed in the sting were wanted for passing bad checks...

A sting operation has led to the capture of 101 people who were being sought by law enforcement agencies in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties; the Cape Girardeau-based sting, dubbed Operation Lam Scam, was the fourth such sting operation in the state; the three-day operation involved a clandestine and elaborate scheme to lure people to an office on the pretense they would be given a check for $2,500...

A Cape Girardeau school district fund-raising foundation established in December 1993 has been revived with four former school board members at the helm; the four are Kathy Swan, Pat Ruopp, Lyle Davis and Ed Thompson; all either resigned from the school board or decided not to run for re-election this year; Steve Wright, a current school board member, also serves on the foundation board; board members will meet today to establish bylaws...

The Jackson Board of Education voted Tuesday night to unload its three-classroom school building in Burfordville, hopefully before the district has to pay winterizing expenses; the first classes met there in 1956, when three teachers instructed students in six grades; the class sizes slowly shrank and hit an all-time low last year, when one fifth-grade and one sixth-grade class met in Burfordville; this year, the rural building and its two acres are dormant...

Money is tight and its building is too small, but Southeast Missouri State University officials and state lawmakers have no intention of letting the Regional Crime Lab close; school officials met with state Reps. Mary Kasten, Joe Heckemeyer and Pat Naeger recently to discuss creative ways to pay for a new crime lab building; the lab serves about 45 law enforcement agencies in Southeast Missouri, including local offices of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, from an old house on the edge of the university campus.. ...