Stories from Sunday, February 22, 1998

"To compel a man to pay for the propagation of views that are contrary to his own, this is the essence of tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson Thursday morning saw this writer presenting a bill to the Senate Labor Committee. Sen. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, is chairman of that committee. ...

The House began Floor work on bills that have passed out of various committees. Following is a brief description of some bills that the House has debated and given first-round approval. HB 1469 -- allows the State Board of Education to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a teaching certificate if a person pleads or is found guilty of a felony or crime of moral turpitude. ...

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21) Here is an interesting story I came across. ...

25 years ago, 1973 Edwin W. Sander, secretary of Cape Girardeau County Board of Education, reports that two candidates have filed for three-year board terms, both incumbents in their district; they are Earl Oldham from County Court District No. 1 and Glenn Sprenger from County Court District No. 2...

If the past seven years are any indication -- and they are -- 1998 and beyond bode well for continued construction of large subdivisions and housing units in the area. "I see steady growth continuing in the residential market, especially as long as interest rates stay down and there's an incentive to build," said Richard Murray, inspection services director for Cape Girardeau...

To the editor: My husband spent 20 years in the Air Force, at least eight years in Vietnam and Thailand. As you know, we lost over 55,000 young men in that war, some of whom were my friends. Because of the politicians' unwillingness to follow through and win the war or to pull out, this is the only war that the United States lost...

A telephone line running from Cape Girardeau to Jackson was established in 1877, just one year after the new invention was demonstrated at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. This was later changed to a telegraph line, because of the poor service the telephone line provided. In 1896, however, the Cape Girardeau Telephone Co. was formed and the first switchboard was installed on the second floor of the Sturdivant Bank building, at the corner of Main and Themis...

Lowell C. Peterson, formerly president of Mercantile Bank of Southeast Missouri-Mineral Area, is moving south. Peterson has been named president of Mercantile Bank of Southeast Missouri-Cape Girardeau. He started his new duties there last week. Peterson is replacing Craig Wells...

Thursday, May 24, 1923; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The Teachers College Education building, designated by the speaker as a monument to obstacles hindering its recent erection, was dedicated by Hiram Lloyd, lieutenant governor of Missouri, before a large audience in the auditorium of the building Wednesday evening. ...

At the turn of the century, Cape Girardeau became well known as having one of the best bicycle racing tracks in the Midwest. The wooden, quarter-mile track attracted some of the greatest bicycle racers of the day, who trained in Cape Girardeau for major races...

The Missouri General Assembly created the Southeast District Agricultural Society in 1855. The society held the first District Fair in a woods east of Pacific Street and south of Good Hope. Federal troops took over the site during the Civil War and the fair buildings were razed. ...

Friday, Nov. 2, 1973; page 2 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The next bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau is following, to a degree, the footsteps of a man he will succeed. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Bernard Francis Law, who will replace Archbishop William W. ...

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 1973; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian Construction of a $13.6 million shopping mall containing 617,000 square feet of gross leasable area on Cape Girardeau's west side was revealed today when principals of the proposed development announced a long term lease of a 70-acre tract...

To the editor: To me, the most remarkable lines ever uttered by Harry Caray were, "Here's the 3-2 pitch to Mosley. There go the runners. There's a drive, way back. It might be outta here. It could be -- it is a home run! Cardinals win! Cardinals win!. Cardinals win! Holy cow!"...

Get ready for another round of divisive wrangling over gambling issues across Missouri. A legislative panel that spent months studying gambling in Missouri has recommended removing Missouri's $500-per-cruise loss limit, which would mean that gamblers could lose any amount...

Legislation designed to deal with Missouri's two urban desegregation cases advanced this week in the Senate Education Committee. The latest version of Senate Bill 781 passed out of that panel on a 7-6 party-line vote, with Democrats backing it and the committee's six Republicans opposed. ...

Most well-informed citizens understand that public budgets, particularly those involving billions of tax dollars, are important, but they seldom appreciate just how important. As one example, when the Governor of Missouri unveils his proposals for state spending each January, about the most that can be hoped for is that the citizens whose money is being spent will have some idea where the dollars are going and be able to remember, at least in ballpark figures, the total amount the state will be spending in a 12-month period.. ...

As the 21st Century fast approaches, the Southeast Missourian newspaper took a look at the region with an eye on the past, present and future. The annual Progress edition, which appears as part of today's newspaper, includes six sections and 68 pages...

It seems Beanie Babies are here to stay. The soft animal toys have taken collectible shops by storm since they were first introduced by Ty Warner in the Chicago area in the summer of 1995. Beanie mania struck Cape Girardeau again Saturday when more than 100 people crowded outside Judith Anne's, 130 N. Main, for a chance to acquire the newest of the hot bean bag toys...

Thursday, Sept. 15, 1988; page 1 Reprinted from the Southeast Missourian. President Ronald Reagan received rave reviews from most who attended Wednesday's historic visit to Cape Girardeau. Whether standing along the motorcade route for a glimpse, seated in the Show Me Center for his speech, or one of the handful who actually met Reagan, everyone seemed excited about having the president of the United States in the city...

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1948; Pate 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian Houck Field House, long a center of community activity, was destroyed by fire of undetermined origin at 7 a.m. today. Six men, State College students living in the building, fled to safety through a window after one of their number smashed the glass...

100 years ago, 1898 The Salvation Army opened operations in the Morrison Building in January, with a large crowd in attendance for services. Main Street was in "horrible" condition in the winter of 1898. The Weekly Democrat newspaper declared, "There's no excuse for the main street in a city like Cape to look like a county road. There are holes in the middle of the street where a wagon will go down to the hubs."...

Ask Dan Cotner about Kenya, and he'll mention mud, ants, lions and rhinos. And pulling 105 teeth one day in a tiny village northeast of Nairobi, and 85 more when he returned to the village two weeks later. Dan Cotner, a Cape Girardeau dentist, and his wife, Polly, recently returned from a five-week medical mission to Rotary International's dental clinic in Kilimombogo, Kenya...

Thursday, May 24, 1923; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The "Cape Girardeau" -- new steamer being built by the Eagle Packet Co., for service on the Mississippi River -- was launched on the Ohio River at Louisville, Ky., at 6 o'clock Wednesday night, according to word to The Missourian today. The boat will be completed and ready for service within 60 days, it was stated...

Monday, March 12, 1973; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian What better birthday present for a 5-year-old boy than the father he has never seen? That is the present Earl Gardner Lewis III received today from strangers in a distant land -- North Vietnam...

There's nothing like a little toothpaste when it comes to cleaning teeth or redecorating your bathroom. Our youngest daughter, Bailey, has fallen in love with toothpaste. When you're 2, it's tough to resist toothpaste. With Bailey, it ranks right up there with her juice, buddy bear and pacifier...

Tuesday, May 29, 1923; page 8 The explosion which wrecked the gelatin house of the Hercules Powder Co. at Fayville, Ill., killing five men and injuring three others, was felt in Cape Girardeau early today. Windows rattled and there was a perceptible tremor...

Tuesday, May 29, 1923; page 1 Special to The Missourian FAYVILLE, Ill., May 29. -- Five men were killed and three others were seriously injured when a terrific explosion of nitro-glycerine in the gelatin house of the Hercules Powder Company here completely demolished the building at 7:30 a.m. today. The blast occurred 30 minutes before the night shift was to be replaced by the day workers, and was the second explosion here within three months...

Editor's note: Fayville was located across the Mississippi River from Commerce. The town no longer exists. Thursday, March 15, 1923; Page 1 Special to The Missourian FAYVILLE, Ill. March 15 -- A terrific explosion of nitro-glycerine, the highest explosive known, in a packing house of the Hercules Powder Company, near here, at 5:50 p.m. ...

Thursday, March 15, 1923; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The shock of the explosion was felt with such distinctness in Cape Girardeau and most other points of the district that many persons thought it was the tremor of an earthquake. In some instances the jar was just as noticeable as the quake shock felt here March 23, 1922. Many people reported that they had the same sensations and hundreds rushed from buildings fully convinced that an earthquake shock was being experienced...

Tuesday, May 31, 1988 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The deputy chief of the Cherokee nation will be the featured speaker during dedication ceremonies this weekend for the new visitor and interpretive center at Trail of Tears State Park, north of Cape Girardeau...

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1948; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. No building in town has so well served the whole community and southeast Missouri as well as did Houck Field House in the 21 years that it has been a part of Cape Girardeau. Besides its use by State College basketball teams and by ones of Central High School, College High School and the Sunday School League, it has been the scene of innumerable gatherings of a community and district nature. ...

Excerpts from The Cape Girardeau Weekly Democrat: Senator R.B. Oliver's house was at 740 N. Fountain. It was there that Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver designed and created the Missouri State Flag. Her banner was adopted as the state's official flag on March 22, 1913. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980...

Tuesday, April 13, 1948; page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. Miss May Greene, beloved teacher of thousands of the city's children in her 53 years of teaching in the community and a guiding light in public education from the time of the erection of the first public school, passed away at 12:10 a.m. today at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

Monday, Sept. 24, 1973 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. The mural which Jake Wells referred to as "some thoughts on a wall" was formally dedicated Sunday afternoon at Kent Library, officially opening SEMO State University's observance of its centennial year...

NOTE: In 1948, 425 parking meters were installed along Broadway, Main Street and Good Hope shopping areas. That number grew to about 950 meters in the early 1970s. In fiscal year 1957-58, parking meter collections hit their peak when receipts totaled $40,595.20. ...

Even though his team lost to powerful Murray State last Saturday night, it was no surprise that Southeast Missouri State University basketball coach Gary Garner came away feeling like the entire Indians' program was a winner. That's because the atmosphere and excitement created by a frenzied, season-high crowd of 6,593 at the Show Me Center was something to behold...

CHARLESTON Ill. -- Finally, Southeast Missouri State University basketball team got this overtime thing right. After having lost four Ohio Valley Conference game in overtime previously this season, the Indians broke that jinx Saturday night with a thrilling 84-77 road triumph over Eastern Illinois...

The Southeast Missouri State University baseball team opened its home season Saturday afternoon against Iowa State, playing as good, if not better than the weather in a doubleheader sweep of the Cyclones. With balmy winter weather and the sun shining brightly most of the first game at Capaha Field, Southeast senior Jason Swearingen went the distance on the mound for a 10-2 victory...

Wednesday, May 23, 1923; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian Education Building of Southeast Missouri Teachers College, just completed as one of the finest examples of modern school structures, was formally opened today for inspection by the public and for its dedication this evening as the seventh of the splendid group of college buildings. ...

COLUMBIA -- Two Jackson wrestlers earned all-state status at the Class 4A Tournament Saturday. Junior Lance Schlick earned his third all-state selection with a sixth-place finish at 125 pounds. Schlick lost by technical fall to Chris Reickard from Blue Springs South...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's Scott Tate won the men's 55-meter hurdles in 7.86 seconds Saturday in the Saluki/USA Open at the SIUC Rec Center. Also in the event, the Indians' Glenn Haley placed third (7.89 seconds) and Steve Hall was seventh (8.09)...

The strength of Southeast Missouri basketball may lie with the smaller schools this season, but several of the bigger schools in the area appear ready to make a run at Class 3A and 4A district tournament titles beginning Monday across the state. Three area teams -- Jackson's boys, Charleston's boys and Perryville's girls -- earned No. 1 seeds in their respective districts. But in nearly every area district, there appears no clear-cut favorite...

SEDALIA -- Notre Dame's boys basketball team survived a long bus ride after a Friday night overtime loss and defeated Kennedy 54-46 in the Sedalia Sacred Heart Classic Saturday. Trailing 20-18 after the first quarter, Notre Dame (7-14) outscored Kennedy 36-26 in the second half...

Saturday afternoon's game at Tiger Fieldhouse produced two distinctly different messages for Notre Dame High and Cape Girardeau Central. For Notre Dame, which won 46-41, it showed the Class 2A school that it can beat a quality Class 4A team that has won 17 games -- and therefore most 2A teams, also...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team ended the regular season by losing its last six OVC games. But thanks to Tennessee State the Otahkians - despite a 72-54 loss to Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon -- were able to back into the OVC Tournament...

Monday, May 23, 1988 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian The SEMO University Board of Regents today authorized university president, Dr. Bill W. Stacy, to proceed with a plan for the university to move from Division II to Division I in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and seek affiliation with a Division I conference...

For the majority of goose hunters in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois the 1997-98 hunting season has read like the words from a classic novel; "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". It was the "best of times" because waterfowl populations are at either record or near-record numbers for most species. ...

Gray's Point was named for Edmond Gray, a pioneer riverboat captain and landowner. Gray was born in Ohio but came to St. Louis as a boy. He entered the riverboat service under the tutelage of his father and older brothers, and earned his pilot's license before he was of age. ...

The Jackson Youth Baseball League will hold sign-ups on March 1 and March 7 in the community room at Jackson City Hall. Sign-up hours will be 1-5 p.m. on March 1 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 7. Registration is for youths ages 6 to 18. For more information, call 243-8895...

Thursday, March 1, 1923; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian Editor's note: The Central Hotel was located on West Main Street in the block now occupied by City Hall. JACKSON -- The most serious fire experienced in Jackson in 35 years swept the Central Hotel building this morning at 1 o'clock, completely gutting the second and third stories of the three-story brick building, and reducing to ashes practically all the hotel fixtures and furniture. ...

GULFPORT, Miss. -- Walter Edmund Parks Jr., 55, of Long Beach, Miss., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died as his home, Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998. He was born in Lufkin, Texas, son of Walter Edmund Parks Sr. and Johnellen R. Parks. He was married to Shelia Patterson. She survives...

PATTON -- Eula Besher, 81, of Patton died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at the family home. She was born May 23, 1916, near Bessville, daughter of Charles Edwards and Emma Patton Douglas. She married Bob Besher on Oct. 4, 1941. He survives. She was a member of the Post Oak Congregational Methodist Church near Patton...

SIKESTON -- Laura B. Pratt, 97, of Sikeston died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Dec. 13, 1900, in Sikeston, daughter of John Wilson and Sarah Bradford Walker. She married William "Bill" Pratt on Aug. 9, 1920. He died May 19, 1963...

Helen Thompson, 89, of Sikeston, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Sept. 1, 1908. She married Clarence L. Thompson. He died May 28, 1978. She was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral...

SCOTT CITY -- Ruby Ritchie, 89, of Scott City, died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 13, 1908, at Thebes, Ill., daughter of Frank Lampkins and Katherine Woods. She married Lawrence James Ritchie Nov. 9, 1929, at St. Louis. He died June 18, 1969...

ANNA, Ill. -- Catherine Marie Dillow, 81, of rural Cobden, died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at Union County Hospital in Anna. She was born Jan. 9, 1917, near Cobden, daughter of Dugan and Agnes Highland Tripp. She married Adolphus Lee Dillow on April 13, 1935, in Union County. He died Aug. 29, 1984...

ANNA, Ill. -- Fred Granay Hileman, 86, of Anna died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at the Jonesboro Health CareCenter in Jonesboro. He was born June 10, 1911, at Mount Pleasant, son of Gordon and Emma Granay Hileman. On Sept. 23, 1933, he married Annie Marie Penninger at Lick Creek...

PERRYVILLE -- Beatrice R. Emmendorfer, 96, of Perryville died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at PerryOaks Healthcare Center. She was born July 24, 1901, at Perryville, daughter of Joseph and Mary A. Duerr. She married Sylvester J. Emmendorfer on Nov. 23, 1926. He died May 12, 1966...

BLOOMFIELD -- Gene Dooley, 67, died Friday, Dec. 20, 1998, at Dexter Memorial Hospital in Dexter. He was born Dec. 22, 1930, in Oxford, Miss., son of Leslie and Ruby Cohea Dooley. On June 3, 1955, he married Rosalie Hester, who died March 30, 1992. On March 24, 1995, he married Sue Hinkle...

Hubert George Fisher, 78, of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 14, 1919, at Glennon, son of George and Mary Blanche Horrell Fisher. He married Albertine Martin on June 11, 1943, at Glennon. She survives...

Dr. George W. Ringland, 81, of 107 N. Sunset, died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at his daughter's home in Albuquerque, N.M. Born Jan. 20, 1917, in Watertown, N.Y., son of William and Stella Ringland. On March 26, 1944, he married Jennie Lou Blackwell. She survives in St. Louis...

PERRYVILLE -- Dr. A.E. McDermott, 69, of Perryville died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 28, 1928, at Robertsville, son of Thomas and Sylvia Grass McDermott. He married Patricia A. Finnegan on Sept. 18, 1954. She survives...

Alberta Garrett, 100, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998, at the Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was born March 11, 1897, at Marion, Ark., daughter of James Sanders and Julie Jackson Sanders. She married Robert Garrett Jr. Aug. 6, 1934, at Blytheville, Ark. He preceded her in death...

DEXTER -- Ruth Florine Wiggs, 79, of Dexter died Friday, Feb. 20, 1998, at her home. She was born April 27, 1918, in Bernie, daughter of James and Martha Stephens. On Dec. 31, 1933, she married Chalmer Wiggs. He died Nov. 25, 1997. She had been a resident of Dexter for many years. Prior to moving to Dexter, she lived in the Leora community as a homemaker. She later assisted her husband in the insurance business...

MARBLE HILL -- Lois Marie Brower, 86, of Marble Hill died Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998, at her winter home at Mesa, Ariz. She was born Sept. 29, 1911, at Elkhart, Ind., daughter of Charles Tobias and Florence Mable Tyler Billger. She married Paul Benjamin Brower Jan. 2, 1938. He died July 7, 1995...

Thursday, April 15, 1948; page 4 Editorial reprinted from The Southeast Missourian. While the end has come, as it must come to all, the impress that Miss May Greene left upon Cape Girardeau and upon those with whom she came into contact in the school room will live much longer. That is true of those who serve others as did Miss May; hers was a full life devoted to seeing that the better things it has in store comes to all...

Cape Girardeau's two hospitals are trying to concentrate on a pending permanent alliance while they carry on with business as usual. The hospitals announced last year they are studying the feasibility of affiliating. In the meantime, administrators say, both facilities have been busy with a variety of capital projects and regular maintenance...

When anyone asks Gerald Jones how things are going, he answers "Fantastic!" Jones, presiding commissioner for Cape Girardeau County says 1997 was perhaps the best year ever for the county and its two major cities Cape Girardeau and Jackson, and 1998 looks even better...

The local Cancer Society will celebrate "A Night on Broadway" during its annual benefit gala. The benefit will be held Saturday, March 7, at the Show Me Center. Money raised provides treatment for cancer patients in the area, cancer education and supports cancer research...

Fifteen years ago Eunice Scott was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the possibilities terrified her. But she was determined not to let the disease get the best of her. After extensive medical treatment, including surgery, Scott remained cancer-free until four years ago. The cancer suddenly reappeared and attacked her bones...

Jean Bell Mosley's new autobiography, "For Most of the Century," is only available in serialized form in the Southeast Missourian. Return each week for her continuing story. April 11, 1936 I arose early, bathed, ate breakfast, helped Mama with the refreshments which were to be served at our home after our marriage ceremony. I noticed some tears in Mama's eyes which she surreptitiously tried to wipe away. Her last child was moving out...

Monday, Feb. 19, 1973; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian St. Francis breaks ground for new medical center The spirit of cooperation demonstrated through six years of planning and waiting was again reflected Saturday afternoon in ground-breaking ceremonies for the new $13.5 million St. Francis Medical Center...

The building blocks to economic growth have to be set early and have to be maintained and expanded upon for a region to continue to keep pace with today's fast-paced economy. Perry County has done many things to continue growth in the area. Many tasks are still to be completed and to be realized, but growth is occurring in the county and it has a lot to do with past accomplishments, present projects and future hopes and needs...

Southeast Missouri State University is building for the future. It has a new business building and is moving ahead with improvements to the recreation fields, and plans to expand the Student Recreation Center. The university also wants to construct a new student center, a polytechnic institute and a fine and performing arts center, renovate or build new housing for Southeast's fraternities and sororities, renovate Academic Hall and expand the Towers complex...

Three arts residencies this month at Southeast Missouri State University focus attention on the cultural growth under way in the region. First was the just-completed two-week residency by the Katherine Dunham Dance Co. The black St. Louis-based troupe was founded by the woman who choreographed the classic film, "Stormy Weather."...

St. Francis Medical Center and Cape Area Safe Kids Coalition are providing the Cape Girardeau Fire Department with booklets needed to present the Life Safety Education Program to Cape Girardeau's second and fourth grade students this year. The booklets are distributed to students and cover topics including fire safety, bike safety, earthquake preparedness, poison prevention and more. The information also has puzzles and word games...

The lack of revenue in Scott County is, in the opinion of the county's presiding commissioner, the major obstacle to sustained growth and progress in the county. "We don't have a lot of progress down here. We don't have the money for progress," said Bob Kielhofner, presiding commissioner of the Scott County...

The Jacksonian Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association is offering a scholarship for the 1998 fall semester. Applicants must be residents of Cape Girardeau County. Applications are available from high school guidance offices and at Southeast Missouri State University...

MARBLE HILL -- Bollinger County officials view economic progress one store at a time. Increasing sales tax revenue is a major challenge in a county that has no shopping malls and few industries. Its largest city is the county seat of Marble Hill with a population of about 1,500...

The new sense of cooperation symbolized by the Jan. 26 joint meeting of the Cape Girardeau City Council and Jackson Board of Aldermen should continue no matter who is leading the cities the mayors who instigated the rapprochement say. "Once we've shown that both of us can coexist and cooperate, there's no reason why it shouldn't," says Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III...

Tuesday, May 1, 1973; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian The Mississippi River hovered at a record-breaking crest of nearly 46 feet here today, but the National Weather Service warned that a major storm which is blasting the Midwest with up to 4 inches of rain might send the flooded stream toward another crest next week...

Work on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, although halted for months, is back on track and construction work should resume in May, officials from Missouri's Department of Transportation said. Earlier this month, officials with the state agency and representatives of HNTB, the company which designed the new bridge, were in Cape Girardeau to answer questions about the status and progress of the bridge...

1998 burst upon Southeast Missouri when a mobile home exploded in the town of Bertrand in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. Preliminary investigations indicated the source of the explosion and subsequent fire was a makeshift methamphetamine laboratory in the bathroom. A man and a woman were arrested in connection with the manufacturing of the drug...

Managed care will continue to grow as providers feel more pressure to contain costs. James Sexton, president and CEO of St. Francis Medical Center, said he's sure more managed care companies will move into the region. "I can't tell you who 'cause we don't know, but I'm sure it will be somebody," he said...

New highways and a new bridge could pave the path to Cape Girardeau's future. The Missouri Department of Transportation is in the planning stages on several highway projects in the Cape Girardeau area that could be under construction shortly after the turn of the century...

Area trekkers will be able to tread a trail less traveled in 1998. Compared with active 1997, this year may seem a bit quiet at area parks departments, but the focus is clear: trails. Change abounded in 1997 for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department. The Osage Community Centre was completed and softball and soccer fields were built in Shawnee Park Sports Complex...

Wednesday, June 13, 1923; Page 1 Reprinted from The Southeast Missourian St. Vincent's Academy, for 85 years an educational institution of Cape Girardeau and one of the oldest schools of the Middle West, finished its career of usefulness and passed into history today with the final graduation exercise. The president of St. Vincent's College, Father (M.J.) LeSage, conducted the closing exercises which were of a religious character...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Pulaski County is home to two major construction projects and shares in a number of economic development projects in the Southern Illinois area. The $1.2 billion Olmsted Locks and Dams project, the largest ever undertaken by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, will require 10 more years for completion...

Neolithic people were the first to domesticate and breed wild plants and animals. Ten thousand years later farmers are still trying to perfect the field. The pursuit now involves technology such as computers and satellites and work in the laboratory. While computer-aided agriculture was almost non-existent in Cape Girardeau County a couple of years ago, more progressive family farmers and large-scale operators have gone high-tech...

Superintendent Dr. Dan Tallent foresees a new era of modernized facilities and fiscal fitness for Cape Girardeau public schools in the next 20 years. All-around improvements are being made to facilities, programming and staff development, he said. Teachers are working to strengthen curriculum and build up weak test scores and dropout rates that are higher than average...

Aug. 4, 1993; Page 1A Reprinted from the Southeast Missourian The few voters who went to the polls in Cape Girardeau Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed a measure that will enable the city to move from at-large to ward city council elections in April. With only about 10 percent of registered voters casting ballots Tuesday, the ward election issue passed 1,462-415, or by a margin of 77-22 percent...

Whether we like it or not, the days of the one-factory town are gone, and with it the simple choice of whether to go to college or work in the mill like dad. Job training and a solid workforce are essential to economic development. As the country begins to participate in a global economy, America's labor market is becoming increasingly more specialized and technology-oriented. With that change comes the demand for a trained, versatile workforce...

The city manager form of government was adopted by Cape Girardeau in 1965. At least three efforts were made by supporters of the change to win its approval before it was adopted on July 20, 1965, by a vote of 2,595 for and 2,321 against. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1948; page 1...

Manufacturing employment has taken off in Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri over the past decade. During this period of time, more counties added manufacturing jobs than lost them in the Federal Reserve Bank System's Eighth District, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis...

"Where do you want to go today?" computer colossus Microsoft queries us. Ask area technology connoisseurs to enumerate what's in store for this year, and you're likely to hear something similar. "We could spend about 30 minutes talking about that," John Selby, president of Stereo One Inc. in Cape Girardeau, said with a laugh...

June 9, 1993; Page 1A Reprinted from the Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau voters Tuesday rejected riverboat gambling by a margin of 53-47 percent. The ballot measure, which passed in only four of the city's 16 voting precincts, was defeated 5,506 votes to 4,940...

March 15, 1988; Page 1A Reprinted from the Southeast Missourian Missouri school children have been asked to help raise funds to preserve the state's original flag. The 75-year-old silk and hand-painted flag was designed by Marie Elizabeth Oliver of Cape Girardeau. Oliver worked with Mary Kochtitzky, also of Cape Girardeau, to stitch the flag from silk fabric and paint the state seal on the flag...

Although more and more battles are being won on the streets and in the courtroom, law enforcement officials have warned that the war against crime in Southeast Missouri is far from over. Cape Girardeau Police Chief Rick Hetzel warned that citizens should not become complacent just because of recent victories against crime...

Cape Girardeau is in the midst of a spiritual growth spurt and it's a benefit for the community, area pastors say. "As a Christian, I think it's a positive thing that churches are growing in the community," said the Rev. Ron Watts, pastor of LaCroix United Methodist Church and president of the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance...