History

Henry M. Sessoms Sr. is being remembered by former Southeast Missouri State University colleagues for his longtime steady chairmanship of the school's English department and for his enthusiasm. "He was in his element as department chair, was a good administrator and ran the department smoothly," said John Bierk, who taught modern American literature at SEMO in his 30-year tenure, adding a fast friendship developed between them once Sessoms arrived on campus to teach in the early 1960s...

One of the five barges that broke loose from a towboat Monday struck the Mississippi River bridge here; officials say the bridge wasn't damaged; the other four barges floated under the bridge before they were corralled; the Midwest Explorer, owned by Midwest Marine Management in St. Louis, hit a sandbar with its load of grain at about 1:15 p.m. while traveling south; that caused a cable holding five of its 20 barges to break loose...

"Education is still the best spaceship to your dreams," says Dr. Charles I. Rankin, keynote speaker at the 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast; the event is the first in a series of local events commemorating the King holiday; planning committee co-chairman Debra Mitchell-Braxton says approximately 500 Southeast Missouri State University personnel and others attended the breakfast...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- An Emmy-Award-winning documentary about Missouri's sharecropper protest of 1939 will be available for viewing later this month at Charleston High School. The community is invited to a free showing of the hour-long film, "Oh Freedom After While," at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Charleston High School's Clara Drinkwater Newnam Auditorium...

Ford Groves Motor Co. at Jackson is operating out of a new $350,000, 5,000-square-foot facility at 825 Highway 61 East; the building has a two-car showroom, two bays in the back, six salesmen's offices and two manager's offices; Ford Groves Motor of Cape Girardeau first opened a Jackson branch in 1986...

Fire destroyed a Cape Girardeau house yesterday, leaving a family of four without a place to live; firefighters and police responded to a call of a fire started by a furnace at about 1:30 p.m. at 418 S. Hanover; nearly 20 firefighters battled the blaze for over an hour in Friday's frigid weather; the fire destroyed the house and all the contents of Natria Taylor, who lived in the rental property with her three children...

Former Meadow Heights High School principal Rick Chastain, who was fired after blowing the whistle on financial improprieties in the school district, has filed a lawsuit asking for his job back and unspecified monetary damages; the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau, names the school district and former and current members of the school board as defendants and asks for a jury trial...

A lot can change during the span of 100 years, but Cape Girardeau Public Library has remained a constant for the community. The library will reach its 100th year of service June 15. To celebrate, the library will host centennial-themed programs and events for visitors throughout the year...

Prolonged cold has increased the amount of ice in the Mississippi River, prompting the Coast Guard to warn mariners and sightseers to be careful; there are reports of icing north of the St. Louis harbor, and predicted continued sub-freezing temperatures makes river watchers fear the situation will worsen...

Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois experienced their own "ice age" yesterday; a storm covered the region in sheets of ice, closing schools, government offices and some businesses, and interrupting electricity in some areas; more frigid air is on the way...

It's 1839. A clerk of the probate court is halfway through his day. It's July, so the heat is bearing down on him. No electricity, no fans, no air conditioning. His window is open. He's riffling through sheaves of paper related to a particular case, and some of those pages are especially related to each other, but the information won't all fit on a single sheet. What is he to do?...

School board races have developed in a number of districts in advance of today's filing deadline for the April election; Chaffee, Missouri, heads the list with six candidates on the ballot: Danny Finley, Kathy Kinsey, Debbie Patterson, Alvin Vandeven, Candace Witcher and Linda Wessel...

After more than a half century in pediatric medicine, 79-year-old Dr. James Kinder is switching gears; at a time when his contemporaries have long been settled into retirement, Kinder has become a full-time staff member at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center's Primary Care Clinic...

John Seabaugh of Millersville has been recognized for outstanding service to the Royal Rangers scouting ministry by the Southern Missouri District Assemblies of God. A service of dedication is held in the morning at Maple United Methodist Church, the third anniversary of the congregation's move to the current location at Cape Rock Drive and Jean Ann; the service is in celebration that the sanctuary, parsonage and land are debt-free...

Development on one of Cape Girardeau's historic theaters may soon be underway. On Monday, Cape Girardeau City Council members voted to terminate tax increment financing (TIF) for a redevelopment area designated for improvements to the former Esquire Theater building, 824 Broadway...

Strong northerly winds coupled with bitterly cold air turned the snow-covered Missouri into a big deep freeze yesterday, and little letup is expected; the National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory Friday, cautioning people against temperatures of zero or below Friday night; with gusty winds, the wind chill in the Cape Girardeau area made it feel like minus 15 to minus 30 degrees...

LOS ANGELES — Bob Saget, the actor-comedian known for his role as beloved single dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House” and as the wisecracking host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” has died, according to authorities in Florida. He was 65. ...

Some see the 6 inches of snow blanketing Cape Girardeau as an opportunity to earn some green; the heavy accumulation means there are people willing to pay to have their sidewalks and driveways shoveled; the rate one young entrepreneur charges is $10 to $15 per home, depending upon the size of the driveway...

Rex Dearmont Rust, co-president of Rust Communications, died Thursday evening after a yearlong battle with cancer. Rex, 52, was remembered for his community involvement, leadership, charitable work and positive, energetic personality. "It has been a difficult year grieving for a brother and sister-in-law as he struggled against cancer," said Jon K. ...

President Clinton may oppose construction of any federal courthouses or office buildings in fiscal 1998, according to a federal court official; such a move could delay efforts to construct a new courthouse in Cape Girardeau. A snowstorm swept through Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois yesterday, making driving hazardous by early evening; more than 2 inches of snow had fallen in Cape Girardeau by 10 p.m. Wednesday, with an accumulation of 4 to 8 inches expected before ending today...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A local pastor says an attempt to burn his church early Tuesday has only motivated him to try harder to improve his neighborhood; the Rev. Rickey M. Anderson was called out to the Prince of Peace Baptist Church about 9 a.m. after his secretary smelled smoke when she arrived for work; sometime during the night someone had scaled a 6-foot chain-link fence behind the predominantly Black church, kicked in two windows and threw what appeared to be motor oil into the building and set the oil on fire; the blaze did little more than consume two curtains; the church's cinder block and brick construction saved it from more serious damage.. ...

Now that the winter solstice is behind us, I begin to think of days getting longer, if only by seconds, and look forward to spring and summer. The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band and its outside concerts come to mind. ...

In the wake of unpopular programming changes, the Cape Girardeau City Council passed a resolution last night censuring the local cable television operator for failing to consult the public; "I certainly think this is in order, to show our displeasure of their handling of our city's customers and residents," Councilman Richard Eggimann said after the resolution passed unanimously; Denver, Colorado-based, Tele-Communications Inc. operates the cable television systems in Cape Girardeau and Jackson...

Peter Bogdanovich, the ascot-wearing cinephile and director of 1970s black-and-white classics like "The Last Picture Show" and "Paper Moon," has died. He was 82. Bogdanovich died early Thursday morning at this home in Los Angeles, said his daughter, Antonia Bogdanovich. She said he died of natural causes...

Cape Girardeau County led the region in crashes in 1995 but also in seat-belt usage; Cape Girardeau County ranked 11th in the state in speed-involved crashes and 14th in accidents involving drunk drivers; it ranked 10th in accidents involving drivers under 21 years of age and 11th in accidents involving drivers 55 years of age or older; Cape County had 3,158 accidents in 1995, more than any other Southeast Missouri county...

Temperatures tumbled to a chilly 5 degrees above zero Jan. 30, 1949, and a two-inch snowfall surprised many Girardeans. This photo was made in the 300 block of Broadway looking west. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

The congregation of Father's Arms Fellowship has moved to a new location at the corner of Main and Lincoln streets in Scott City. MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A grant of $15,000 from Conference Congregational Development funds has been awarded to First United Methodist Church in Marble Hill; the money will be used toward relocation and construction of a new facility; the congregation purchased an 11-acre site about two years ago and has raised $20,000 toward construction of a new building; groundbreaking is expected some time this year.. ...

Old Man Winter has been locked up in Canada for the majority of the past three weeks, but he is expected to get out today; meteorologists say the unseasonably warm weather the region has enjoyed this week will end with the arrival of more seasonal temperatures as early as this afternoon; record high temperatures have been set this week all across the Plains and parts of the Midwest and South...

House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who may be facing a reprimand and other sanctions, has the backing of two freshman Republican lawmakers with ties to the Cape Girardeau area; both U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau and Rep.-elect Kenny Hulshof of Columbia, Missouri, say they will vote to re-elect Gingrich as speaker when the new Congress convenes Tuesday; Hulshof was a public defender and then assistant prosecuting attorney in Cape Girardeau before becoming a special prosecutor for the Missouri Attorney General's office.. ...

Polar-bear conditions don't materialize for the Cape River Riders Jet Ski Club, but it is still cool sailing as members of the club perform on the Mississippi River downtown; the Ski Freeze, which includes trick skiing on jet ski crafts on the river by more than a dozen riders, including two women, is conducted to raise funds for the PTO of the Parkview State School for the Handicapped in Cape Girardeau; between 125 and 150 spectators crowd the riverfront for the more-than-two-hour show...

The room was filled mostly with faces familiar to county government as the winners of November’s county elections took their oaths of office Tuesday; of the seven people sworn in at the Cape Girardeau County Commission chambers by County Clerk Rodney Miller, only one — 2nd District County Commissioner Max Stovall — is a freshman officeholder; the returning incumbents to receive their commissions were 1st District Commissioner Larry Bock, Sheriff John Jordan, Assessor Jerry Reynolds, Treasurer Bill Reynolds, Public Administrator John Ferguson and Coroner John Carpenter. ...

In 1607, the Bahn family served as cartmen in the old country transporting wine east from Benshausen to the sea and bringing back corn, dried fish, salt and linen fabric. However, with the advent of the railroads their profession declined rapidly. Times became difficult in Germany in the early 1800s. ...

When area cable subscribers turn on their televisions tomorrow morning, KFVS will be there, and it should remain on TCI cable television for at least the next two months; officials from the cable company say a 60-day extension on a contract with Cape Girardeau's CBS affiliate has been approved verbally; the deadline to reach an agreement was to be midnight tonight...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County is starting a task its southern neighbor finished three years ago -- giving everyone in the county a new address; the updated addresses are necessary for the new Enhanced 911 system. Six members of the U.S. Naval Academy Men's Glee Club sing the National Anthem before the beginning of the Charleston/Delta basketball game in the University High School Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center; Cape Girardeau native Clayton Hahs, 21, son of David and Candy Hahs and president of the Glee Club, convinced six friends and fellow club members to leave Annapolis, Maryland, and visit his hometown over the holidays; the group will also sing the National Anthem at the St. ...

Former KFVS12 news director Mike Beecher, who led the television station's news team from 1984 to 2000, died Sunday at the age of 76 and is being remembered as a person "who lived and breathed news," according to his one-time colleagues. "He really cared about journalistic standards, making sure every newscast had content," said retired KFVS12 meteorologist Bob Reeves, who retired from the station in 2014 after 44 years and who worked under Beecher during the latter's entire 16-year tenure...

First General Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau will celebrate its 70th anniversary with activities throughout the month of January, a different theme marking each week of the celebration; former pastors have been invited to speak, and special music will be presented by different groups from the past; a reception is planned for the latter part of the month in the Common Pleas Courthouse -- in the same courtroom where the church was organized...

LAS VEGAS -- Harry Reid, the former U.S. Senate majority leader and Nevada's longest-serving member of Congress, has died. He was 82. Reid died Tuesday, "peacefully" and surrounded by friends at home in suburban Henderson, "following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer," according to family members and a statement from Landra Reid, his wife of 62 years...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Conservation experts in Virginia's capital Tuesday pulled books, money, ammunition, documents and other artifacts from a time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The lead conservator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Kate Ridgway, said the measurements and material of the box, copper, match historical accounts. ...

State Rep. Jamie Burger of Benton (R-148) doesn't like removing public monuments, even controversial ones, and wants to relieve local governments from the burden of having to make such decisions. Burger's "Right to Remember" bill was pre-filed in the Missouri House on Dec. 15, and it will be on the docket for consideration when the General Assembly begins to meet again Jan. 5...

Dr. C. John Ritter plans to quit his job so he can provide medical care where it is needed most -- in third-world countries; the 59-year-old internist plans to close his private practice at the end of the month; in a letter to his patients, Ritter said he will devote his time and energy "to the services of God and mankind in both foreign and domestic fields"; he wants to undertake more medical missions with the Doctors to the World charity; he also hopes to work with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center.. ...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Crews wrapping up the removal Monday of a giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond found what appeared to be a second and long-sought-after time capsule, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said. The governor tweeted photos of a box being removed from the site and said conservators were studying the artifact...

The trappings of Christmas disappear quickly; even the trees don't stay up long; area residents discarded Christmas trees at Arena Park yesterday in what has become an annual holiday ritual; each year, the city of Cape Girardeau provides a site in the southeast corner of the park for people to drop of their trees; the Missouri Conservation Department takes most of them and sinks them in area lakes as fish habitat...

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. -- Hundreds gathered on both sides of the Delaware River to watch an annual Christmas Day reenactment of George Washington's 1776 crossing, a year after pandemic restrictions forced viewers to watch it online. Reenactors in three boats completed the crossing in about an hour Saturday afternoon under overcast skies but in fairly mild temperatures, a spokesperson for Washington Crossing Historic Park said...

Santa delivered about 30 parcels and Express Mail in Cape Girardeau yesterday; mail carrier Jimmie Roberts of Chaffee, Missouri, donned the red suit, white beard and black gloves and boots to make the holiday deliveries. One minute it's sleeting, the next snowing, and the next raining; then it changes back to snow; it least it seems that way to Don Semancik of Midwest Weather Inc., as he observes the morning's rapidly changing precipitation; motorists slide on slick roads in Cape Girardeau after less than a quarter of an inch of sleet mixed with rain and snow falls early in the day; snow follows, but doesn't accumulate.. ...

Instead of "Up on the rooftop, click, click, click," on Christmas Eve at one Cape Girardeau restaurant, it was "In through the window, smash, crash, bash," as a confused deer got trapped in Bessie's Restaurant & Smorgasbord, 3254 William St.; when police officers arrived around 3:30 p.m., they found a smashed front window and a 250-pound doe cornered in a storage closet in the kitchen; officers managed to corral the animal, and it was released in a secluded area west of town...

Construction on Fort C occurred concurrent with the building of the other forts. Fears of attack in summer 1861 fueled a flurry of construction. Over 1,000 Union soldiers, enslaved men, local citizens and Confederate prisoners all labored on the fortifications through the late summer and early fall...

ST. LOUIS -- Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. and Roosevelt Financial Group, Inc., announced yesterday the organizations have signed a definitive merger agreement which will create the largest locally-managed and independently-owned financial services organization headquartered in the lower Midwest; Mercantile is headquartered in St. ...

Southeast Missouri State University and the Cape Girardeau School District want to help students and industry tap into new technology; the university plans to do it by building a technology center and the school district by constructing a new vocational-technical school; both facilities would house the kind of computerized, high-tech equipment that is an important cog in business and industry today; if funding is secured, both buildings could be constructed and opened by the spring of 1999...

Bishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese ordained Deacon Randy Tochtrop to the priesthood Nov. 29 at St. Mary's Cathedral; among those attending the Mass were his parents, Walter and Margaret Tochtrop; a sister, Rhonda, and more than 50 priests; Tochtrop is a native of Wentzville, Missouri; his first assignment will be as associate pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral, effective Dec. 30...