Out of the past 3/15/07

25 years ago: March 15, 1982

For only the second time ever, Division III of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, convenes in Cape Girardeau to hear a number of case appeals over a two-day session ranging from child custody to appeals filed by the city of Cape Girardeau in its attempt to annex parcels of land to the south and northwest of town.

The Cape Girardeau County Court approves a plan under which farm structures will be exempted from a county building permit program.

50 years ago: March 15, 1957

The highest January-February building total in Cape Girardeau's history is recorded; 45 permits having a builders' declared value of $482,175 were written during the first two months of the year.

Members from 53 chapters in the Southeast Missouri district of the Future Homemakers of America will be in Cape Girardeau tomorrow for an all-day meeting in the auditorium of State College; more than 1,000 delegates are expected to attend.

75 years ago: March 15, 1932

Engineer R.E. Duffy of the Public Service Commission inspects the new storage reservoir erected north of Teachers College by the Missouri Utilities Co.; it is expected that the commission will soon give permission for the new water plant at Cape Rock, and its auxiliary equipment is to be placed in service.

Preliminary work on the post office addition is started by Gerhardt Construction Co., sod being moved, some shrubbery taken out and surveying started.

100 years ago: March 15, 1907

The Cape Girardeau City Council meets in special session in the morning at the request of Thomas Alexander, division engineer of the Frisco; they proceed to the levee in a body to view alterations the railroad desires to make; the railroad wants to raise the tracks along the riverfront, some as much as 17 inches; property owners along the levee declare that to raise the tracks will kill the steamboat business here.

Herman Bock has at last got his fine air-suction engine going and has turned it loose on the Terminal Hotel; a hose runs through the front door with the engine attached; wherever the end of the hose is pushed, dust and dirt disappear as if under a spell.

-- Sharon K. Sanders