Out of the Past

Cape Girardeau County has spent $46,946 so far fighting the flooding Mississippi River, while the city has spent another $39,664; and as the river water recedes, the costs will likely go up; a crew from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is touring Cape Girardeau, Scott and Mississippi counties to assess flood damages; these counties weren't included in the first round of federal disaster declarations...

Saying goodbye is always hard, but many Girardeans will find it especially difficult when Capt. Elmer Trapp leaves town; the head of the Cape Girardeau Salvation Army since 1988 will be transferred to Jefferson City at the end of June; Trapp and his wife, Sandra, have become attached to Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area; they were also instrumental in seeing a new Army building constructed here...

Thanks to a small, gravel levee and a big highway department pump working around the clock, Highway 25 is open at Dutchtown; but Highway A from Dutchtown west to Whitewater and Highway 74 from Dutchtown east to Interstate 55 remain closed because of flooding...

State and local officials broke ground Friday on a housing complex at Linden and West End Boulevard planned for senior citizens with low and moderate incomes; Missouri's secretary of state and treasurer were on hand with Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III and officials from MACO Construction Co., the firm that will build the 44-unit apartment complex made possible because of the 1993 flood...

COMMERCE, Mo. -- Roy Jones says he's probably the most powerful mayor in America, certainly the most powerful along the Mississippi River; Jones, mayor of Commerce, refuses to give the U.S. Coast Guard permission to resume river traffic past his town of 173 persons 16 miles south of Cape Girardeau; Jones wants assurances townspeople and their homes won't be hurt by the wake of passing boats or that a buyout offer is in the works...

After at first declining to be involved in the selection process, the Cape Girardeau County Commission has unofficially decided to rank possible Interstate 55 interchanges at Oak Ridge and Jackson; it will submit its findings to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission; highway commissioners are hoping to learn which project would be best for the area's economy...

The last three families staying at the emergency shelter at Cape Girardeau Central High School moved out Tuesday night as the American Red Cross closed the shelter and turned the page from emergency to recovery services; the Mississippi River is expected to begin falling today at Cape Girardeau; the stage yesterday was 45.3 feet and steady...

Until the Federal Emergency Management gets word from the president, the extent of federal assistance to flood victims in Missouri and Illinois remains undecided; Friday, Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan requested President Clinton issue federal declarations of both individual and public assistance because of the flooding, tornadoes and storms that have hit Southeast Missouri -- including Cape Girardeau and Scott counties -- recently...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mississippi County, Missouri, officials say they are having record flooding because the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are both above flood stage; Sheriff Larry Turley explains this is worse than in 1993, because that flood year "the Ohio wasn't backing up water like it is this year."...

More than 480 flags, each placed in memory of a deceased veteran, lined the drive at North County Park yesterday, fluttering in a strong, almost chilly breeze; a large Memorial Day crowd gathered at the park to consider the price of freedom; the Joint Veterans' Council used the holiday ceremony to admonish those who allow the Stars and Stripes to be dishonored...

Thunderstorms continued to dump rain throughout the region yesterday, keeping flood watchers and workers on alert; high winds and rain swept through the area from Delta northeast to Gordonville, scattering tree limbs and debris, as well as downing power lines; flood watchers were on edge near Dutchtown as the storm apparently damaged the sandbag levee that shields the town from the flooded Diversion Channel...

VisionAire Corp. is looking to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport as a possible site for a plant to manufacture its proposed new VisionAire Vantage single-engine business jet; Cape Girardeau is among a number of communities the firm is considering...

The Mississippi River dropped to 45.5 feet yesterday after reaching a crest Wednesday of 46.7 feet, 14.7 feet above flood stage; the National Weather Service says, if the weather pattern holds the next two weeks, the river will drop to 30 feet by Riverfest weekend, June 9 and 10; however, if the forecast for flash flooding during Memorial Day weekend proves accurate, the flooding situation could change overnight...

The Mississippi River, which crested yesterday at 46.7 feet yesterday, has pushed about five feet of water into the Cape LaCroix Creek by Bloomfield Road, leaving less room for flash flood water to run through the flood-control channel; the threat of flash floods this weekend has Cape Girardeau city officials on alert for a potentially dangerous situation in the Town Plaza area; threatened flash floods would also force the evacuation of approximately 100 residents in Allenville...

The National Weather Service's prediction of 2 to 5 inches of rain north of Cape Girardeau in the next two days could wreak havoc with today's scheduled Mississippi River crest of 47 feet; the forecast is calling for rainfall in Southeast Missouri by tomorrow night with flash flooding over the weekend; that would be bad news for those in the Dutchtown and Commerce, Missouri, areas, where residents are either spending the day evacuating their homes or hoping their levee won't break...

Cape Girardeau tomorrow will witness its second-highest Mississippi River crest on record; the National Weather Service has revised the crest upward, calling for the Mississippi to reach 47 feet on the Cape Girardeau gauge; the record here is 48.49 feet, set Aug. 8, 1993...

COMMERCE, Mo. -- A levee south of Commerce breaks in the morning, sending the rampaging Mississippi River across thousands of acres of cropland, while holding rising floodwater in temporary abeyance in this flood-weary Scott County community. Cape Girardeau is getting ready for its 18th annual Riverfest celebration, scheduled for June 9 and 10; a variety of musical entertainment will include the rock band Rare Earth, along with country luminaries Lynn White and Daron Norwood; organizers are watching the flooded Mississippi River, hoping the stream drops below flood level soon.. ...

The Rev. Cecil Barham, pastor of Bethel Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau, delivers the baccalaureate sermon to Cape Girardeau Central High School seniors in the evening at the Holiday Inn, in an event sponsored by the local ministerial alliance; delivering the address takes on added importance for Barham, whose son, Aaron, is one of the seniors...

With the Mississippi River climbing, the Cape Girardeau County Commission declared a curfew for the flooded areas of the county, effective at 6 p.m. yesterday; those going around barricaded roadways are subject to arrest; at Dutchtown, dump trucks coordinated by the Corps of Engineers, are pouring rock and gravel onto Highway 74 for a makeshift levee...

Battering an already battered area, a tornado roared through a rural stretch of southern Cape Girardeau County and northern Scott County yesterday afternoon, damaging barns and a home; no injuries were reported; while Cape Girardeau was pounded with rain and hail for a second straight day, it avoided being hit by the tornado, which instead struck south of Chaffee, Missouri, destroying the barn and ripping through the David Landewee family farm...

Residents are picking up the pieces after a line of thunderstorms, with winds up to 74 mph, raced through the Cape Girardeau area early yesterday, downing power lines, uprooting trees and damaging homes; the storm struck Cape Girardeau around 6 a.m.; hardest hit was the Brookwood and Dennis Scivally parks areas just off Cape Rock Drive, where 70- to 100-foot-tall trees were toppled, their roots holding giant balls of rain-soaked soil...

Cape Girardeau's proposed $54.9 million budget for fiscal 1996 includes a merit pay hike of 2.5 to 3% for most city employees but no across-the-board raises; rank-and-file police officers had requested a 10% hike, but city officials insist there isn't sufficient money to give employees a more substantial raise...

Dark skies, heavy rains mixed with hail, lightning and strong winds swept over a wide area of Southeast Missouri yesterday morning; no serious damage was reported, but the storms did cause minor flooding in streets; the rain also results in a slightly higher Mississippi River crest for Cape Girardeau: 38.5 feet on Saturday...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- A lot of new traffic is downtown these days, but the influx of more than 2,000 visitors a day to this Bootheel city of 7,500 isn't creating traffic flow problems; "Everything is moving smoothly," says Don Lloyd, city economic developer, in reference to the traffic increase created by the opening of Aztar Casino aboard the City of Caruthersville riverboat...

The Mississippi River is still on the rise; it's expected to crest Tuesday evening at Cape Girardeau at 38 feet, 6 feet above flood stage; so far, no flooding has been reported in the city's low-lying area; but that may change if the severe thunderstorms weather forecasters are predicting cause flash floods overnight...

BENTON, Mo. -- A huge pile of discarded tires near Benton has raised concern among Scott County officials; county commissioners have contacted the Department of Natural Resources office in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to see what can be done about what they call an eyesore and potential health hazard; John Stephenson, owner of SEMO Waste Management on Highway 77, two miles east of Interstate 55, says he's trying to get rid of the waste tires by developing some markets and uses...

Cape Girardeau Municipal Court isn't the moneymaker it used to be; revenue declined significantly this fiscal year and will likely finish the year about $116,000 behind last year's total; city officials, including Municipal Judge Edward Calvin, blame the revenue slide on police writing fewer traffic tickets...

Cape Girardeau's revenue from property taxes has nearly doubled over the past 10 years because of levy hikes and an ever-growing assessed valuation; property taxes brought in $685,000 in 1985-86; in 1993-94, they brought in $1.25 million; this fiscal year, property taxes will generate an estimated $1.3 million, a 6% increase...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's membership surpassed the 1,200 mark following a one-day recruitment blitz that netted more than 80 members; the new numbers shoved the local chamber into the No. 3 position in membership in Missouri, with 1,231 members...

Cape Girardeau Central High School seniors must fulfill all graduation requirements to participate in the May 26 commencement; the Board of Education made it official last night by adopting a formal policy that had been in the works since the start of the school year...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, with a membership of 1,150, ranks fourth among the chambers in the state; by 4 p.m. tomorrow, after it holds its membership blitz, chamber officials are hoping to be No. 3. Blimpie International Inc., the nation's second-largest submarine-sandwich chain, is scheduled to open in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday; the restaurant, at the intersection of Broadway and Harmony, is located in the structure that previously housed Pete's Pumps...

Joe Jackson, former defensive end with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, is the guest speaker at Abundant Life Church in Gordonville; Jackson now ministers in evangelism, music, high school assemblies and prison outreach. A V-E commemorative ceremony is held in the afternoon at the Missouri Veterans Home; the event marks the 50-year anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe May 8, 1945; Maj. ...

Nancy Bray received the annual Cobblestone Award, recognizing community service, yesterday; the presentation was made by Dutch Estes during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. Missouri Secretary of State Bekki Cook's address is short and to the point; "I am the only thing that stands between you and your diploma," she tells the graduates at Southeast Missouri State University's spring commencement; 730 undergraduates and graduate students receive their diplomas in front of a packed house of about 7,000 parents, friends and relatives at the Show Me Center.. ...

Carolyn Goodin was recently installed as president of the Otahki Girl Scout Council, which serves more than 2,400 girls in 11 area counties; other new officers are Rick Etherington and Joyce Miller, vice presidents; Grace Hoover, secretary; and Tom Martin, treasurer...

City prosecutors say they plan to file charges against Regina's House of Dolls for allegedly violating a new ordinance regulating adult businesses; the plan is to prosecute Regina's in Municipal Court; the ordinance took effect April 13, and police entered the strip-tease establishment at 805 Enterprise St. ...

Cape Girardeau public schools have earned accreditation for grades kindergarten through 12 from the North Central Association; this is the first year the district's elementary schools have been accredited; Central High School has been accredited since 1922...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, housed at 601 N. Kingshighway more than 20 years, may move west; the chamber's facilities committee has recommended a site along North Mount Auburn Road for a new chamber building. Speaking at a news conference at noon, NAACP President Dawn Evans says the local branch will "most definitely" put forward candidates for Cape Girardeau Board of Education in the next election; Evans calls the appointment by the Cape County Commission of Harry Rediger, Bob Blank and Dr. ...

State militias have been under increased government and media scrutiny in the 12 days since the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City; now, local officials are keeping their eye on a Missouri militia group interested in organizing in Cape Girardeau; a St. Louis-area militia, 1st Missouri Volunteers, is recruiting men and women for a Cape Girardeau company...

Few people registering to vote under the state's motor voter law voted in the April election, a survey of election reports from area counties shows; the survey shows in Cape Girardeau County, 11 of the 600 persons registered under the new law actually voted, a 1.5% turnout...

With a few quick signatures in a lawyer's office and a $600,000 loan from the seller, the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation yesterday took title to St. Vincent's College; the action completed a transaction that began in January with a $50,000 down payment on the $700,000 purchase price; the foundation plans to turn the historic, 20-acre site into a museum and Civil War interpretive center...

With Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones smiling like a proud father, Cape Girardeau's newly appointed school board members -- Harry Rediger, Bob Blank and Dr. C. John Ritter -- received congratulations yesterday; the three are sworn in today at a noon meeting at the school board conference room...

A study released at the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents meeting yesterday shows the university pumps more than $53 million directly into the regional economy annually; indirectly, the impact tops $405 million, the study shows. CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- At noon, the City of Caruthersville inaugurates its first official gambling cruise on the Mississippi River; the Missouri Gambling Commission approved Casino Aztar's $500 million floating casino project Wednesday...

Twenty-three of the 31 people who are interested in being a Cape Girardeau Board of Education member appeared before the Cape Girardeau County Commission yesterday to interview for the job; after more than five hours of talks, the commissioners decided their job had become much more difficult because of the high quality of people seeking the three posts...

The field of candidates for Cape Girardeau Board of Education widened to 31; four additional names were released Monday: Harry Rediger, Howard Tooke, Cleo Mabrey and Jim Limbaugh; the four had asked that their names not be made public prior to the selection; but County Commissioner Joe Gambill contacted each man, telling him to "get in or get out" of the selection process, and all four opted to stay in...

Crowded jails in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties have the sheriffs and county commissions trying to find solutions; Cape County Sheriff John Jordan has approached Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell about solutions to their mutual problem; the answer in the long run may be a regional jail, operated by a private company or through a joint agreement of the counties involved...

A federal civil rights team will visit Cape Girardeau public schools this week to investigate a complaint students are being discriminated against on the basis of race and disability; the complaint was filed in February by members of the Cape Girardeau National Association for the Advancement of Colored People...

Twenty-nine people have now turned in resumes expressing interest in serving on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; adding their names to the list of hopefuls Thursday and Friday were Robert Blank, Pamela Sheets Spradling, Calvin Chapman, Jacqueline Sessoms, Louis Haynes, Marie Walker, Janet Rueseler, Charles Herbst III, Shaunna McGhie, Morris Osborn, Dr. James Fletcher Jr., Debra Ann Tracy, Sheldon Tyler, John Jenkins and two people who asked the commissioners not to release their names...

The pool of potential Cape Girardeau school board candidates, which reached 13 yesterday, is expected to grow even larger before today's 4:30 p.m. deadline; in addition to those already announced, Richard Rolfing, Ruth Ann Simon, Wilfred Hoeslscher, Bob Komorech, Dr. C. John Ritter and Steve Robertson have added their names to the list...

Dr. Harold Hager, Al Pannier and Brenda Dohogne have added their names to the list of potential appointees to the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; they join David Goncher, Jenny Strickland, David Rosener and Jaynee Browning, who previously announced they want to serve on the board...

Public transportation, widening Broadway, marking streets and traffic light safety are identified as several needs of residents at the first Vision 2000 transportation meeting; Mount Auburn, Bloomfield and Hopper roads follow as the most urgent projects that deserve attention; directing the series of transportation meetings is City Councilman Melvin Gateley...

Cape Girardeau's county commissioners have heard from 45 people interested in serving on the city's school board; four people have sent in their official letter and resume asking to be considered: David Goncher, Jeanette "Jenny" Strickland, David Rosener and Jaynee Browning; Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones expects several more resumes before Friday's deadline...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- An alderman in this small town is blaming a weekend vandalism spree on the city's recent decision to fire all three members of the police force; vandals knocked over more than a dozen road signs and littered the town with beer bottles and other trash Saturday night...

Easter Sunday. Several local churches hold sunrise services; Lynwood Baptist Church holds its Easter sunrise worship under Shelter No. 1 at Cherokee Park, and the Rev. Mark Anderson speaks on "The Cross of Cape LaCroix." Faith Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church celebrates Easter Sunday with two special services; during the morning service, a special Easter egg hunt is held for the children; in the evening, a slide presentation is given of a recent trip to the Holy Land by Pastor Doyle Randol...

Brooks & Dunn, David Ball and the Tractors honky-tonked, road-housed and rocked the world at the sold-out Show Me Center last night; a youthful audience of 6,149 attended the 3 1/2-hour concert. Cape Girardeau's newest radio talk show host is a motorcycle-riding, 30-year-old father of almost four with a taste for bone-breaking sports, conservative philosophers and rock 'n' roll; Southeast Missourian's news editor Jay Eastlick will begin his new duties Monday morning on radio station KAPE...

Less than 24 hours after Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones realized he would play a part in Cape Girardeau's unfolding school board controversy, six people had called to tell him they want to be school board members; under a rarely, if ever, used state law, the County Commission will appoint three members of the board, after three resignations from that bond...

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones couldn't imagine why people kept calling him yesterday morning hinting Kathy Swan and Pat Ruopp would resign from the Cape Girardeau School Board; under a rarely used state law, the Cape Girardeau County Commission will appoint three members to the school board; John Campbell resigned April 7, and Ruopp and Swan resigned Wednesday...

Cape Girardeau residents won't be saddled with a two-bag limit on weekly trash pickups this year; the city staff, with the blessing of the City Council, plans to postpone implementing the two-bag limit and volume-based trash billing for another year...

Bob Fox yesterday was elected president of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education in the first contested race for the post in years; Steve Wright was elected vice president; board member Kathy Swan, the former vice president, had been in line to become board president, since the vice president traditionally assumes that post...

Cmdr. Larry A. Hamel is the new commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Center in Cape Girardeau; Lt. Cmdr. Donald R. Taylor relinquished command to Hamel on Saturday in a change of command ceremony at the Naval Reserve Center, 2530 Maria Louise Lane...

Churches in Cape Girardeau celebrate Palm Sunday; at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, the theme for morning services is "Progression from Exultation to Servanthood." The Cape Girardeau City Council says it won't let voters create an ethics commission because it could lead to a witch hunt; the council, however, will allow voters to decide the fate of term limits; the city's Charter Review Committee had recommended 10 amendments to the city's governing document, including creation of an ethics commission and limiting council and mayoral terms; at its retreat at Black Forest this weekend, the council informally revised some of the recommendations and suggested it would place five of the items on a future ballot.. ...

The Heartland Writers Conference, an annual confab attracting 150 writers and would-be writers from across the Midwest and a number of editors and agents from New York, will move from Cape Girardeau to Sikeston, Missouri, this year; the conference, which has been held here the past five years, is scheduled for Aug. 3 to 5 at the Coach House Inn in Sikeston...