Out of the past 3/20/03

10 years ago: March 20, 1993

Cape Girardeau County Salary Commission will hold its first meeting in several years Monday to discuss request from public administrator for pay increase and to consider possible pay increases for county elected officials; Public Administrator John Ferguson is requesting that his basic salary be increased from $4,000 to $10,000, in accordance with legislation passed recently.

American Superstores will open new facility in Cape Girardeau market in near future; Marion Tibbs, general manager of Poplar Bluff company, announces that firm has leased 45,000-square-foot building that formerly housed Storey's Food Giant in Cape Girardeau Centre, 201 S. Broadview.

25 years ago: March 20, 1978

Site preparation work gets under way for giant new Marquette Co. processing plant to be constructed on company property off South Sprigg Street; Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson and R.B. Potashnick Construction Co. of Cape Girardeau have contract for earth work.

St. Francis Medical Center accepts delivery of its new Computerized Axial Tomograph (CAT) Scanner, which is one of most sophisticated diagnostic tools in medicine today; $600,000 scanner will be housed in addition constructed for that purpose.

50 years ago: March 20, 1952

Fire destroys three buildings in same block at Allenville, causing damage which may surpass $50,000; burned are: Large brick building housing Joe H. Brennecke store and post office; frame building formerly a store and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Surface, and Charles Jones frame residence; all mail and equipment in post office are saved.

J.R. Mabrey, mayor of Jackson, has announced his candidacy for re-election; City Marshal Pink Wills also declared himself; Harry Seabaugh has filed as fifth candidate for office of city collector; candidates for aldermen are Al J. Massa, Walter A. Kasten, and Larry A. Nowak; H.R. Meier has announced to succeed himself as police judge.

75 years ago: March 20, 1928

In biennial primary election, Girardeans select four candidates to compete for offices of city commissioner, eliminating 11 others, and ballot on two candidates for mayor, neither of whom is eliminated; selected to appear on April 3 ballot are A.P. Behrens, Martin Krueger, Louis Wittmor and Philip Steck.

Considerable interest has been aroused in vicinity of Gray's Point, near Illmo, over appearance there of crews of men drilling into rock and different places; work has been going on several weeks, and men doing work give no information about reason for exercise.

-- Sharon K. Sanders