Out of the past 12/7/06

25 years ago: Dec. 7, 1981

Cape Girardeau City Manager Gary A. Eide reports he is "narrowing down" the list of candidates for the still vacant position of chief of the city's police force; in the last few weeks, two more names have been removed from the list, which now contains about six candidates.

About 60 Vietnam War veterans attend a meeting at Saint Francis Medical Center with Walter Bonner, director of the Veterans Administration Hospital at Poplar Bluff, Mo., to discuss their concerns about Agent Orange.

50 years ago: Dec. 7, 1956

Assistant Postmaster Archie Reid announces that the Cape Girardeau Post Office for the next three Saturdays will observe expanded hours because of the Christmas rush.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A mass meeting is held in the evening at the Knights of Columbus Hall for the purpose of acquainting voters with the operation of a municipally owned gas plant for which a $700,000 revenue bond issue will be voted upon Dec. 18.

75 years ago: Dec. 7, 1931

After hearing a petition from a delegation residing in the vicinity, the county court votes to ask the State Highway Department to proceed at once with preparing surveys and making deeds for the projected farm-to-market road from Delta west to Drum; spokesmen for the delegation say that all land needed for the road, with the exception of one parcel, will be secured without cost to the county.

The Highway Patrol in Southeast Missouri this week will confine itself chiefly to giving warnings to drivers of horse-drawn vehicles who travel the highways at night without lights or warning reflectors.

100 years ago: Dec. 7, 1906

A.J. Flentge, the Broadway butcher, yesterday was in Jackson and purchased the record hog of the season; the animal weighs 675 pounds and takes an extra Houck engine to pull it to Cape Girardeau; the big fellow brought John Savers, a farmer living two miles north of Jackson, about $35.

Frank Hawkins, who played fullback on this year's Normal School football team, has been elected captain of next year's squad.

-- Sharon K. Sanders