Out of the past 3/17/08

25 years ago: March 17, 1983

St. Patrick's Day brings some "green" to Cape Girardeau Public Schools — a check for $66,081.75, the district's first payment under the newly enacted Proposition C.

Cape Girardeau County Court has approved a project to eliminate overhead electric lines at Common Pleas Courthouse Park by installing the lines underground; the project will be handled by Missouri Utilities Co. at a cost of $8,172.

50 years ago: March 17, 1958

Richard A. Behrens of Cape Girardeau has been appointed sales tax auditor for Cape Girardeau County; he succeeds C.J. Neal, who retired Jan. 1 after 23 years.

Heavy snow falls in Cape Girardeau in the morning, coming down for hours; it remains on the ground, but melts on streets and highways; the snow brings trouble to telephone lines in the Poplar Bluff-Sikeston, Mo., sector, with partial interruption to service.

75 years ago: March 17, 1933

COLUMBIA — Southeast Missouri's entries in the state high school basketball tournament here are ready for competition in semifinal games tonight; as the result of victories today, Jackson will play St. James of the Rolla district, and Desloge will clash with Christian Brothers of St. Louis; Desloge advances by trimming the Cape Girardeau High team, 22-20.

Elam Vangilder of Cape Girardeau leaves by train for Montgomery, Ala., to join the hurling staff of the Minneapolis baseball club of the American Association in spring training there; this will be Vangilder's second season with the club.

100 years ago: March 17, 1908

Acting upon the request made by L.J. Albert Jr., a member of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education, the board orders the buildings committee to have the doors in the various school buildings that open to the inside made so that they will swing outward; it also orders the committee to make any other repairs that will make the buildings safe.

A notice is posted in the shops of the Cape & Chester Railroad informing employees that the shops will be closed until April; while the passenger service has been maintaining itself well, the freight business has fallen off; it was necessary to curtail expenses.

— Sharon K. Sanders