Out of the past 10/27/03

10 years ago: Oct. 27, 1993

With Halloween falling on Sunday this year, area police departments and news agencies throughout area have been receiving hundreds of phone calls from parents desperate to know when to set their little goblins and ghosts loose; to confuse issue further, municipalities of Delta and Advance have moved trick-or-treating to Saturday.

The Yes Group, committee formed to work for passage of riverboat gambling in Cape Girardeau Nov. 2, has raised three times as much money as Citizens Against Riverboat Gambling, committee formed to oppose issue; largest single donor to proponents is Downtown Merchants Association, which donated $11,000 on June 15.

25 years ago: Oct. 27, 1978

Undercover liquor agents this week compiled cases against five private clubs in Cape Girardeau, none of which has city or state liquor licenses; cases were made against Am Vets Club, Eagles Club, Knights of Columbus, Elks Club and Veterans of Foreign Wars; attendants at all five clubs allegedly sold liquor to agent in violation of state law.

Twenty-year-old Cape Girardeau man faces traffic charges and two felony weapons charges after driving his vehicle through several lawns in 1900 block of Briarwood, leaving scene and being apprehended by neighborhood resident who gave chase yesterday; man was charged with carrying concealed weapon and receiving stolen property.

50 years ago: Oct. 27, 1953

Leaders of Chamber of Commerce campaign for $80,000 to bolster city's industrial capacity deny report that part of fund is being set aside for a Minneapolis, Minn., box firm; workers say several people have asked about report that part of $80,000 being set aside to pay for sewers will be used instead to bring Flour City Wooden Box Inc. here.

Picketing of State College by A.F.L. electricians enters its third week; men carrying parasols of Local No. 1, A.F.L. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, have been walking in front of entrances to campus on Pacific Street and Henderson Avenue since Oct. 6; electricians support demands the college pay prevailing union wage scale for this area.

75 years ago: Oct. 27, 1928

Closing its annual session in Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Teachers Association adopts resolutions expressing sentiment of teachers on number of questions; among resolutions adopted was one favoring pension retirement system for teachers of state and another endorsing proposal for $75 million bond issue to complete road system in Missouri.

Cape Girardeans are facing shortage in kindling; reason for shortage is simple one: There are no mills that cut kindling as by-products; formerly there were many, and kindling was almost "dirt cheap."

-- Sharon K. Sanders