Out of the past 1/30/03

10 years ago: Jan. 30, 1993

Cape Girardeau City Council Monday will consider acquiring 51 acres of property at Mt. Auburn Road and Kingshighway - commencing $4 million project to expand city's parks and recreation facilities; council will consider first reading of ordinance to accept transfer of property from Heisler Development Corp. to city.

Neyland Clark, superintendent of Cape Girardeau Public Schools, has been named one of 110 top school executives in North America; Clark received designation in February issue of The Executive Educator, magazine for school professionals.

25 years ago: Jan. 30, 1978

Government and river industry authorities impose restrictions on Mississippi River travel as Ohio River, 15 feet higher than last year, and continued low temperatures have once again gripped Mississippi in icy stranglehold; Government-Industry River Advisory Committee issues request to all boat operators to not enter 25-mile stretch of Mississippi between Cape Girardeau and Cairo, Ill., because of heavy ice conditions.

Cape Girardeau Prosecuting Attorney Bradshaw Smith says his office has discontinued collections of bad checks because county court ordered reduction in his secretarial staff; service, not a required function of prosecutor's office, long had been a benefit to merchants who receive bad checks.

50 years ago: Jan. 30, 1953

Frisco Railroad main line reopened for use last night, 22 hours after 16 freight cars derailed and piled up at Cape Rock; both night passenger trains ran on schedule and mail service returned to normal; one mail train had been halted and three others detoured following derailment, which tore up 300 feet of main-line track.

Concerted campaign for $54,000 to close financial gap necessary to complete 5-year-old Wappapello 4-H Club Camp has been initiated in nine of 13 counties served by partially finished, yet operative, recreation site.

75 years ago: Jan. 30, 1928

More than half steel for main span of Cape Girardeau traffic bridge across Mississippi River has been erected; work on bridge continues, with light flow of ice in river, although it has been slightly hampered past two days by lower temperatures and resultantly larger volume of floating ice.

Lutesville -- Business and schools in Lutesville suspend in afternoon while entire community pays respect to memory of Eli Lutes, who more than 60 years ago founded town which bears his name; Lutes, who was 84 years old, died at Long Beach, Calif., last week; born in farmhouse on site of present town, Lutes was son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lutes, who migrated to Missouri from Carolinas when section was first opened to settlement.

-- Sharon K. Sanders