Out of the past 5/3/04

10 years ago: May 3, 1994

Man wearing blue and white baseball cap, sport coat and sunglasses holds up First National Bank at 37 Doctors' Park shortly after noon; robber brandishes small handgun and demands money from tellers, escaping with undetermined amount of money.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Senate approves spending plan that includes $12 million for new College of Business building at Southeast Missouri State University.

25 years ago: May 3, 1979

No serious damage results from heavy thunderstorm activity that moves through Cape Girardeau in morning; 1.37 inches of rain falls at municipal airport, and wind speeds are clocked at 40 miles per hour.

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman says his department is ready to bring in gravel to fill dip in Illinois Highway 146 between East Cape Girardeau and Cape Girardeau bridge, if situation with seepwater worsens.

50 years ago: May 3, 1954

Heaviest and most sustained rain in months, apparently general over all of Southeast Missouri, brought varying amounts of rain to district, sent creeks out of their banks and filled ponds and bottom lands that had been dry or only partially filled since last summer's drought.

Request that zoning laws be applied to set minimum ceiling for residential construction in East Cape Rock Drive area meets with considerable discussion at city council meeting.

75 years ago: May 3, 1929

Closing third annual cooking and home-making school sponsored by The Southeast Missourian, more than 1,000 women from Cape Girardeau and district gather at Houck Field House for final session; crowd is by far largest of any attending previous three days of the event.

Surveys are being made by engineers of Burrell Engineering and Construction Co. of Chicago at Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. plant in South Cape Girardeau preliminary to construction program soon to begin.

-- Sharon K. Sanders