Out of the past 4/25/02

10 years ago: April 25, 1992

Cape Girardeau Postmaster Michael Keefe tells visitors at open house for new mail processing center that center's efficiency continues to improve; new Regional Mail Processing Center, located at Cape West Business Park, opened last fall but didn't expand to full operation until February; today's open house is opportunity for public to see new facility.

Shots fired from vehicle early Friday morning in 400 block of Good Hope led to critical wounding of Cape Girardeau man; as many as three different guns were fired from vehicle, say police.

25 years ago: April 25, 1977

Oran - About 530 families are left with only drinking water after breakdown in Oran's main water supply forced switch to city's smaller reserve well; repairmen from Memphis company are en route to repair pumps at city's main well; meanwhile, all customers using city water supply are asked to curtail their use to drinking water and emergencies only.

Southeast Missouri Hospital has acquired new piece of sophisticated medical equipment; it's called large field of view scintillation camera, or LFOV; system, used to detect radioactive materials injected into patients, replaces 7-year-old system at hospital; LFOV, which cost $120,000, speeds up process of radioactive scanning and increases comfort of patients.

50 years ago: April 25, 1952

Capacity crowd is anticipated for Southeast Missouri Choral Festival presentation at Houck Field House this evening, first event in series of weekend activities in Cape Girardeau; there is no admission charge for six-part program by boys and girls choruses, mixed chorus and grand finale by all participants; between numbers will be baritone solos by Mike Burris of Puxico, who sings as well as he plays basketball, and piano solo by Jerry D. Byrd of Kennett.

Mississippi River continues to inch upward, registering 34.8 feet in morning, rise of four-tenths of foot in past 24 hours; water, pumping through sewers, covers portions of Independence Street intersection of Water Street and laps at edge of Smelterville.

75 years ago: April 25, 1927

After slight rise last night, caused by high stage of Missouri River, Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is practically stationary at stage of 39.5 feet, drop of over six inches from crest of last week; employees of International Shoe Co. plant return to work after week's suspension due to high water; water surrounds east side of plant, but it is being pumped out of engine room so that machines may be kept in operation.

H.L. Hinchliffe, engineer representing Metropolitan Coach & Cab Corp. of Cleveland, is in Cape Girardeau to meet with Chamber of Commerce relative to proposed location of factory of that company here; company manufactures electric and gasoline-operated busses and taxicabs.

- Sharon K. Sanders