Out of the past 12/19/08

25 years ago: Dec. 19, 1983

The weather in Cape Girardeau has turned bitterly cold, and it's snowing, with a prediction for more of the same the rest of the week; the temperature drops to a scant 2 degrees above zero at the municipal airport in the morning, with a windchill of around minus 30.

Acting Mayor Mike Miller and former Scott City Police Board chairman Herbert "Alvie" Modglin are the most recent people to file for Scott City mayor; they join former Scott City police chief Ralph Hayes and former Scott City mayor Clifford Campbell.

50 years ago: Dec. 19, 1958

Holiday mail handling has built up to the point where a large truck, relaying parcels and letters to Cape Girardeau from St. Louis, is required to return there at once for another mail cargo after dropping its shipment here.

Four tires were burned off, the side of the vehicle damaged and a 30,000-pound cargo of hams threatened when a trailer caught fire last night on U.S. 61 near Memorial Park Cemetery; the fire started when a tire went flat on the Frigidways Line truck.

75 years ago: Dec. 19, 1933

Giving shoppers more time to do their buying, stores in Cape Girardeau will remain open until 9 p.m. this week; despite the rain last night, a large crowd was in the downtown shopping district.

A citizens' committee, which collected 1,704 names on a petition opposing the city of Cape Girardeau's application for a loan to construct a city-operated power plant here, has forwarded the petition to the state Public Works Administration committee.

100 years ago: Dec. 19, 1908

John E. Tiedeman, who for several years has been on the editorial staff of the St. Louis Republic newspaper, has been appointed secretary of the Down-Town Lighting Association of St. Louis; Tiedeman was reared in Cape Girardeau County.

L.T. Homes of near Rockview, Mo., with his two sons, yesterday drove up to the Roth Tobacco factory in Cape Girardeau with a big load of tobacco tied up in the old-style lugs; it has been a number of years since tobacco was raised in this area; the tobacco was of extra good quality and commanded a price of 10 3/4 cents a pound.

— Sharon K. Sanders