POWER OUTAGE AFFECTS CABLE TV

A construction accident is being blamed for a power outage that left local cable television customers without service for up to 1 hours Tuesday afternoon.

The outage occurred about 1 p.m. when a backhoe accidentally tore down a Union Electric power line as a construction crew was putting in a water line for the city of Jackson along Highway 61 East, said Roger Harms, manager of the local cable system.

Harms said the power was out for about 45 minutes. Cable service in Jackson resumed when the power was restored.

But cable service to Cape Girardeau customers wasn't restored until about 2:30 p.m. That's because the power outage caused an electrical surge that burned up some of the cable system's electrical equipment, which had to be replaced, said Harms.