Region digest 01/09/05

Cape prepares for street closures if river rises

Cape Girardeau plans to close some city streets to traffic if Mississippi River floodwaters continue to rise, city emergency operations coordinator Mark Hasheider said Friday. The river stood at 35.8 feet on the gauge Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Hasheider said the river was forecast to crest today in Cape Girardeau at 38.5 feet, or more than 6 feet above flood stage. The Main Street Levee District has closed the Themis Street and Broadway floodgates. When the river reaches 37.7 feet on the gauge, the 1100 block of North Water Street will be closed between Second and Third streets, along with the 500 block of LaCruz Street east of Third Street, Hasheider said. At 38.2 feet, Water Street will be closed from First Street to Third Street. At 39.57 feet, Main Street up to Second Street will be closed to traffic. Also North End Boulevard, the 1400 block of North Rand Street and East Cape Rock Drive at the pumping station will be closed, Hasheider said.

Civil rights leader to be topic of KRCU show

Dr. Ivy Locke and Debra Mitchell Braxton, co-chairs of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, will be featured today on KRCU's "Going Public" radio show. They will discuss the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast and other local events designed to celebrate the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader. The panel discussion will be broadcast at 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM, the region's Public Radio affiliate station.