Out of the past 7/29/11

25 years ago: July 29, 1986

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Voters in Marble Hill and Lutesville, Mo., will have one more opportunity to vote on the name of their newly consolidated town during the Aug. 5 special election; Lutesville-Marble Hill will be the name put before voters.

Lightning strikes not once but twice around noon, inflicting considerable damage at the county courthouse in Jackson; the two lightning bolts strike the county's radio tower and antenna complex outside the courthouse, traveling through coaxial cables to the basement and then to the rest of the building.

50 years ago: July 29, 1961

Apparently stirred by President Kennedy's request to boost military spending and call up 217,000 reserve fighting men to meet the Soviet threat to Berlin, local Civil Defense officials have received a number of inquiries about construction of fallout shelters.

The county court is in discussion with a physician concerning the position of county health officer to fulfill the requirements for continued inspection of milk and restaurants; the last county health officer appointed by the court was the late Dr. D.G. Seibert, who served until 1954.

75 years ago: July 29, 1936

W.F.D. Batjer, Chamber of Commerce secretary, has submitted his resignation as chairman of the Cape County Relief Committee to Wallace Crossley, the state chairman.

Three Southeast Missouri counties were hit by a rain and windstorm last night, the wind centering in Stoddard County, where heavy damage was done to buildings, shade trees and orchards; rainfall wasn't widespread; the wind swept Stoddard, Scott and New Madrid counties while Cape Girardeau saw little change from the lengthy siege of hot, dry weather.

100 years ago: July 29, 1911

Under the auspices of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, several members told last night why they are unmarried; there was rivalry in the telling and the reasons, and Bertha Haman won the prize, a gray kitten; others who competed were Grace Bohnert, Beula Frazier and Minnie Magill.

F.B. Call, who has been in charge of the Circle Theater in Haarig for two weeks, will be succeeded next week by another employee of the theatrical firm from St. Louis; Call will return to St. Louis this evening.

-- Sharon K. Sanders