Out of the past 6/19/02

10 years ago: June 19, 1992

Typical Cape Girardeau property owner will pay additional $50.55 in property taxes and city utility charges under new fees adopted this week as part of fiscal year 1992 city budget; new fiscal year begins July 1; in subsequent 12 months, typical household - with property valued at $70,000 and which uses average of 700 cubic feet of water per month - will pay total of $786.80 in property tax and sewer and solid-waste fees; that's 7 percent increase over last year's figure.

Visitors who stop to view newborns at Southeast Missouri Hospital's nursery may find place nearly empty; new "rooming-in" policy has begun at hospital, and almost all new mothers have chosen to keep their babies close by.

25 years ago: June 19, 1977

Ray G. Mirly, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Mirly, Route 1, was ordained at Hanover Lutheran Church last Sunday; preacher and ordinator for service was the Rev. Dr. Paul Spitz, pastor of Timothy Lutheran Church in St. Louis; liturgist was pastor of Hanover, the Rev. Robert Daniel.

Record crowds, estimated at nearly 6,000 people, attend final performances of Grassy Bluegrass Festival at Castor River yesterday and today; promoters say crowd was by far largest to date at site which is located about 15 miles west of Marble Hill; among most popular groups to perform was Ozark Renaissance of St. Louis, winners of Bluegrass Band Concert.

50 years ago: June 19, 1952

Drive to put municipal finance ordinances on strictly enforced basis to build up lagging revenue from licenses and gross receipts appears certain following yesterday's city council meeting; J.W. McBride, who doubles as finance and park commissioner, declares that city, which is scraping bottom of barrel for operating funds, is losing thousands of dollars annually because it hasn't rigidly enforced its finance ordinances; he estimates loss at $20,000.

The Missourian thermometer is back on job, telling temperatures to work-bound residents who have found blank space on Broadway building front since Friday, when instrument crashed to pavement at height of heat wave; thermometer was repaired and has resumed its service.

75 years ago: June 19, 1927

With advent of warmer weather, newly installed cooling system in First Baptist Church has been put into use and is appreciated by members; it establishes a continuous circulation, which removes warm air and replaces it with cool.

The Rev. Carleton D. Lathrop, assistant to rector of Church of the Ascension at St. Louis, has accepted call of vestry to become rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau; he visited here several weeks ago at request of bishop and has accepted the position; he will assume his new duties Sept. 1.

-- Sharon K. Sanders