Out of the past 5/8/11

25 years ago: May 8, 1986

The Capahas will be able to play baseball as usual in Capaha Park this year; the Cape Girardeau City Council last night voted to waive a requirement that the club carry liability insurance; Jess Bolen, manager of the team, said purchase of the insurance would cause a financial hardship on the Caps.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission approves a joint operation among the county and cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson that calls for Cape Girardeau firefighters to provide emergency extrication service throughout the county beginning June 1.

50 years ago: May 8, 1961

A strong gust of wind strikes Jackson at 7:55 a.m., ripping off part of the roofing of the old Jackson Hotel building; the large section of composition roofing sails across the street and lands against a telephone pole at the sidewalk and near the bandstand on the courthouse yard.

COMMERCE, Mo. -- A possible tornado cuts a two-block swath through Commerce at 8:45 a.m., damaging roofs and toppling trees; moving out of the southwest, the storm first hits just a short distance east of the public school and then continues on to the Mississippi River.

75 years ago: May 8, 1936

Approximately 1,000 people saw the opening games in the Girls Softball League last night at Houck Field Stadium; preceding the game, a parade was staged from Courthouse Park to the stadium, led by the Municipal Band and Girl Scouts; in the opening game, the Broadway team defeated the 75 Club, 3-0; Virginia Becker got all three hits for the winners.

The State College Board of Regents authorizes a request to the state legislature for two much-needed new buildings -- a large library structure and a men's dormitory.

100 years ago: May 8, 1911

Many Cape Girardeans and many from around the county are making plans to go to Little Rock, Ark., for the Confederate reunion May 16 to 18; the exceedingly low rates offered by the railroads and the beautiful booklets issued by the Missouri-Pacific system have aroused interest in the reunion.

Cape Girardeau won't get a postal savings bank June 1 as was expected; St. Charles, Mo., is to have the next bank established in this state; Cape will get its later.

-- Sharon K. Sanders