Out of the past 4/21/03

10 years ago: April 21, 1993

Organizers of Citizens Against Riverboat Gambling call issue "indecent proposal" for city of Cape Girardeau; Dr. Richard Martin and the Rev. Charles Grant are two of five men spearheading group, which is working to defeat June 8 city ballot measure on riverboat gambling.

Mississippi River crested at Cape Girardeau Tuesday at 40.6 feet, 8.6 feet above flood stage; it was third crest here in less than month; National Weather Service says rain Monday night over Missouri and Iowa could prolong high-water level and result in fourth flood crest.

25 years ago: April 21, 1978

Acting supervisor of Southeast Missouri District of Missouri Division of Liquor Control, John C. Clifton, has been assigned permanently to that position; Clifton was named to post last November following transfer of then district supervisor Jimmie C. Moore to central liquor control offices in Jefferson City as administrative assistant to state supervisor.

Benton, Mo. -- Unless there is run by Scott County political hopefuls in next few days to county clerk's office, there won't be much of campaign this year; Scott, traditionally a one-party county, has only three seats being contested, all by Democrats; there have been no Republican filings for any of 11 county jobs on ballot this year.

50 years ago: April 21, 1953

According to Associated Press dispatch, no federal appropriation to keep out high water of Mississippi River from low-lying sections of Cape Girardeau is included in budget drawn for such expenditure by government in Washington.

Frank Penny of Daisy brings to Jackson mother wolf and seven cubs; Penny first shot wolf and then put his old hunting dog on trail, and cubs were found in brush pile not far away; county will pay bounty of $30 for adult wolf and $5 for cubs.

75 years ago: April 21, 1928

About 200 farmers from throughout Cape Girardeau County gather in Jackson for 15th annual meeting of Cape County Farm Bureau; despite heavy rains which made some roads nearly impassable, members of organization arrive early; elected to executive committee are William Eddleman, Mrs. Sarah Howard, A.F. Keller, Joe Siemers, Adolph Zeller, L.E. Proffer, Louis Gerecke, H.R. Stevenson, George Howard, and H.A. Luebbers.

Rain, which began falling early Friday afternoon and continued through this morning, converts area creeks into raging torrents, causes heavy damage to fields and rural roads, and threatens to suspend traffic over parts of main state highways in Southeast Missouri.

-- Sharon K. Sanders