Out of the past: April 30

1999

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State Rep. Mary Kasten says she will retire when her term ends next year: “I won’t change my mind. My thought was we need to give somebody else a chance”; Kasten, a 70-year-old Republican from Cape Girardeau, was first elected to the House in 1982; she represents the 158th District, which encompasses Cape Girardeau.

When Main Street Levee District personnel closed the Themis Street floodgate, it was the first sign that the Mississippi River was on the rise; the giant gate was closed more than a week ago when the river reached 35.5 feet on the Cape Girardeau gauge; it’s expected to hit 37.1 tomorrow and to crest at 39 feet Monday; the rise will necessitate closing of the Broadway floodgate; the river here would have to reach about 40 feet before any significant flooding occurs.

1974

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A bill enabling Cape Girardeau and other Missouri cities on navigable streams to establish and operate port authorities is awaiting the governor’s signature; Gov. Christopher S. “Kit” Bond receives the bill in the morning following final passage by the Senate; Sen. Albert M. Spradling Jr., D-Cape Girardeau, is confident the governor will sign the measure, saying, “It will mean millions of dollars to our community.”

Associate Judge Edwin W. Sander of Jackson told other members of the County Court yesterday that a $1.5 million bond issue proposal for construction of a new county jail ­— which has met with stiff opposition — would be approved by voters more readily than would a like proposal for construction of new county bridges; Sander, who has opposed construction of the law enforcement complex on the County Farm in Cape Girardeau, made the comments during a discussion on legal aspects of proposing to county voters a bond issue to replace 40 outdated and unsafe bridges within Cape County Road District’s boundaries.

1949

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A State College sophomore lost his life, another was hospitalized and two others suffered minor injuries yesterday afternoon on Highway 19 between Steelville and Cuba, when their car, forced into loose gravel, skidded and overturned; killed almost instantly was Glenn D. Rasche, 19, son of Alfred Rasche of Cape Girardeau; hospitalized with shock and head lacerations is Robert C. Bingenheimer, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.O. Bingenheimer of Cape Girardeau; Ann Buckner, 20, daughter of Mrs. W.A. Buckner of Cape Girardeau, and Don Hamilton, 21, of Lovington, Illinois, suffered minor injuries.

Mrs. Vernon Sander of Cape Girardeau sustained a fracture of the right ankle yesterday afternoon, when she stepped on a bat while playing softball with the children of Washington Elementary School, where she is physical education instructor; she is a patient at Southeast Hospital.

1924

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Cape Girardeans are to be given a voice in the selection of a name for the hospital addition, in the west end of the city; the executive board of the hospital committee announces a $10 prize for the best name submitted for the new residential addition, which will also be the name of a 70-foot-wide boulevard, which will extend north and south through the entire hospital property.

Hundreds of Cape Girardeans are mourning the passing of Federal Court Judge David P. Dyer, who died at his home in St. Louis yesterday; in the 17 years he served the federal court system in eastern Missouri, Dyer came to Cape Girardeau each year until 1919, when he retired from active duty as judge except in emergency cases; in his many visits he made scores of friends here; Dyer perhaps is best remembered by Southeast Missourians for his vigorous prosecution as district attorney in 1906 of the famous peonage cases.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.