Out of the past 1/15/11

25 years ago: Jan. 15, 1986

Cape Girardeau's two hospitals announce plans to write off any out-of-pocket expenses Medicare patients might incur; the announcements by Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center are made separately in news conferences held an hour apart; Southeast also announces a $10 per day cut in room rates across the board.

The "flu bug" has hit area schools with a vengeance this week; hardest hit has been the Nell Holcomb School District north of Cape Girardeau, where 178 of its 290 elementary students missed school yesterday.

50 years ago: Jan. 15, 1961

An annual Winter Conference of the Cape Girardeau Zone of the Walter League is held in the afternoon at Trinity Lutheran Church of Egypt Mills; guest speaker for vespers is the Rev. Harold Belsheim of Sikeston, Mo.

Jay Nations, formerly juvenile officer for Cape Girardeau, Mississippi and Scott counties, has been appointed juvenile officer of the new 32nd Judicial Circuit of Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties.

75 years ago: Jan. 15, 1936

A 13-year-old Kennett, Mo., boy, Harvey Carrol, hitchhiked the 100 miles to Cape Girardeau to see the latest Shirley Temple motion picture, "The Littlest Rebel," playing at the Broadway Theater; he spent the night at the home of Police Chief E.W. Hirsch, before being transported back to his family.

The Macke-Wilson-Howard furniture and undertaking establishment will have its formal opening in Jackson Saturday; the business was started in the Milde Building in December, but formal opening was delayed; partners in the business are Deputy U.S. Marshal Charles G. Macke, Glenn Wilson and Hunter Howard.

100 years ago: Jan. 15, 1911

A meeting was held yesterday at Dutchtown to discuss the drainage scheme; property holders of the district heard Louis Houck speak in opposition to the plan; R.B. Oliver Jr., and Capt. G.E. Alt spoke in favor of drainage.

H.H. Washburn Jr., and family have moved to Cape Girardeau from Poplar Bluff, Mo.; Washburn is one of the conductors on the local freight trains, which will run out of this city in the future instead of from Chaffee, Mo.

-- Sharon K. Sanders