Out of the past 12/17/02

10 years ago: Dec. 17, 1992

City officials still hope for February or March completion of Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport terminal building project; contractors took advantage of yesterday's warm temperatures and sunny skies to complete additional exterior work on $1 million renovation project.

Relief might be on way for motorists frustrated by gridlocked traffic on Route K, between Mount Auburn Road and Wal-Mart Supercenter; Missouri Highway and Transportation Department has begun engineering study to improve Route K-Interstate 55 interchange.

25 years ago: Dec. 17, 1977

Striking farmers over weekend establish picket lines at several Mississippi River grain elevators in Southeast Missouri, bakeries at Sikeston and feed mill at Dexter, according to area Farm Strike offices; in Cape Girardeau, Cape Grain Company is among elevators which are picketed along river from Caruthersville to Cape Girardeau; both Hart's and Bamby bread plants in Sikeston are hit by pickets.

Benton -- Federal government has given Scott County Court green light to award contract for construction of three new buildings for county road department; there had been some question as to whether county could proceed with federally funded project when it appeared that none of those submitting bids for work met all of economic development administration requirements.

50 years ago: Dec. 17, 1952

In resolution adopted last night, Traffic Advisory Committee asked City Plan Commission to join in survey to form basis for recommendation as to future street widths and setbacks for buildings constructed within city limits; committee discussed suggestions that definite widths be established for streets in new additions accepted in future by city, this being one way of getting wider thoroughfares for future.

H.H. Haas, former Cape Girardeau man who has built fortune in American and Canadian oil leases, is bidding for tremendous oil reserves in Iran; Haas is planning to fly to Tehran Jan. 12 to begin series of conferences with Premier Mohammed Mossadegh, ruler of that troubled country which took over British oil properties.

75 years ago: Dec. 17, 1927

Appointment of Victor Drumm and Coach Jerry Lewis of Central High School as athletic coaches at Teachers College next year, while F.J. Courleux is away on year's leave of absence, is announced by President Joseph A. Serena.

John J. Zimmerman, 68, bridge foreman for Frisco Railroad, dies in Cape Girardeau hospital from injuries sustained last night in head-on collision of two railway motor cars on Frisco railway track mile north of Morehouse; J.C. Lewis, Chester Chamberlain and Ray and Cecil Jefferies, who were with Zimmerman, escaped with only minor injuries.

-- Sharon K. Sanders