NEWSLINE: SNOW FORCES POSTPONED PUBLICATION

Because of heavy snow falling in the Southeast Missourian's circulation area and safety concerns for delivery crews, the newspaper did not publish a Tuesday edition.

"We feel it's better to put the paper in your hand on Wednesday than in the snow on Tuesday," said Publisher Gary Rust in announcing the decision Monday.

At the time the decision was made to postpone the Tuesday edition, 10 inches of snow had fallen on Cape Girardeau and 12-14 inches were forecast. Weather reports described conditions as "near blizzard." Cape Girardeau got 12.2 inches of snow from the storm.

Weekday editions of the Southeast Missourian are printed after midnight and delivered prior to 6 a.m.

The last time the Southeast Missourian missed a publication for a weather-related reason was in February 1979. A blizzard dropped 24 inches on Cape Girardeau on Feb. 25. The Monday, Feb. 26, 1979, paper was not published, and combined with the Tuesday edition.

Due to a ban on traffic in Cape Girardeau that year, the Monday/Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday editions were all delivered on Thursday in the city.