Out of the past 4/7/03

10 years ago: April 7, 1993

Voters in three area school districts approved bond issues Tuesday, but voters in Cape Girardeau School District rejected bond issue and building fund levy hike.

Jackson voters elected their first mayor in 22 years yesterday, as Ward 1 Alderman Paul Sander easily defeated 22-year incumbent mayor Carlton "Cotton" Meyer; Sander will take over as mayor in early May.

25 years ago: April 7, 1978

Apparent drug manufacturing laboratory seized by police at apartment on North Boulevard last night capped two days of drug-related searches that led police to five residences and resulted in arrests of 11 people; discovery of unassembled drug laboratory, apparently designed to produce methamphetamines, came as surprise to detectives searching apartment in 300 block of North Boulevard.

Chaffee, Mo. -- Criticism over manner in which state license bureau was set up here has been voiced by Mayor Robert H. Capshaw; action by Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale in establishing bureau is "gutter politics," says mayor.

50 years ago: April 7, 1953

Resolution asserting no "legitimate or satisfactory purpose" would be served by city manager election at this time and expressing opposition to such election was passed and signed by four members of city council yesterday; Mayor Manning P. Greer, Commissioners Philip Steck, Roy Smith and Louis Brune, voted for and signed resolution; Commissioner J.W. McBride voted against it.

Funds for construction of new National Guard armory at Jackson and for others already approved have been released by Department of Defense, it was revealed during hearing before Senate appropriations committee at Jefferson City yesterday; such funds had been frozen by orders of defense department for new check of federal budget.

75 years ago: April 7, 1928

Workers of U.G.I. Contracting Co., employed on Pier 3 of Cape Girardeau traffic bridge across Mississippi River, early in morning end fight against river; unexpected four-foot rise of river yesterday threatened to flood cofferdam and interrupt pouring of concrete of pier shafts, which would have resulted in long delay or loss of thousands of dollars to contractor.

All efforts to raise Frisco freight locomotive, which crashed through Diversion Channel bridge 10 days ago, have proven futile; large group of railroad engineers and workers hoped to raise 160-ton locomotive to tracks yesterday, but huge cranes called into service were unable to perform task.

-- Sharon K. Sanders