Out of the past 4/30/04

10 years ago: April 30, 1994

St. Francis Medical Center is planning new "one-stop" facility, combining doctors' offices with medical laboratories and technology on medical center campus; hospital hopes to break ground for expansion this September and to see completion in November 1995.

Nearly weeklong bout of severe weather that has pounded much of region has given way to another problem: Flooding; Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is expected to be back above flood stage today, less than week after dropping below 32-foot flood stage on April 23.

25 years ago: April 30, 1979

Excitement of circus hits Cape Girardeau as hundreds of area residents pack Town Plaza parking lot to watch Big Top go up; aided by three elephants, 75 Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus workers raise tent amid cheers from children, aged 3 to 90; circus officially opens at 4 p.m.

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Illinois Highway 146 between East Cape Girardeau and Illinois Highway 3 were closed to automobile traffic yesterday as seep water continued to rise, even as Mississippi River continued to fall.

50 years ago: April 30, 1954

Petitions asking that their names be placed on ballot at special recall election May 11 are filed by Narvol A. Randol, who seeks office of mayor, and U.G. Pettigrew, candidate for commissioner; in election, Randol will oppose incumbent Manning P. Greer, while Pettigrew will be up against Roy Smith.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two manufacturers of bockwurst here have turned out 2,600 pounds of the meat for Bockwurst Day, to be celebrated tomorrow.

75 years ago: April 30, 1929

First applications for loans from $1 million farm credit fund provided for Southeast Missouri by Southeast Missouri Agricultural Credit Corp., will be considered by discount committee Friday at meetings in Sikeston and Dexter; Cape Girardeau offices of bank will be in suite on fifth floor of H.H. Building, formerly occupied by chamber of commerce.

At height of its present flood and with stage three feet below modern record set two years ago, Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau is stationary at 36.5 feet.

-- Sharon K. Sanders