Out of the past 8/10/04

10 years ago: Aug. 10, 1994

Finding motel room in Cape Girardeau could be difficult this weekend; all 800 motel rooms in city could be filled because of Black Family Reunion and state baseball tournament in Cape Girardeau, Sikeston Bootheel Rodeo and Jour de Fete celebration in Ste. Genevieve.

Five Southeast Missouri State University alumni and a Southeast professor will receive school's annual alumni and faculty merit awards; Alumni Merit awards will go to Thomas H. Cushman, Robert F. Shuck III, Karen S. Hendrickson and Paul Wessell.

25 years ago: Aug. 10, 1979

Electronic voting machines, electronic scanner vote tallying system and punch-card voting may be wave of future, but right now none of these systems is economically feasible for Cape Girardeau County, says Rodney Miller, county clerk.

Dog days of summer are here, and air conditioners are humming along at record pace; customers with Central Illinois Public Service Company system in Southern Illinois have broken records for electrical demand twice in past week.

50 years ago: Aug. 10, 1954

Word has been received that Sgt. Ernest Macke, who has been stationed at Munich, Germany, was critically injured recently in collision of jeep in which he was riding and civilian truck.

Reports of earthquake or tremor around 4 p.m. buzz around Cape Girardeau, but can't be verified; there is no unusual activity at Marquette Cement Manufacturing Co., which could explain reports.

75 years ago: Aug. 10, 1929

Paving eight blocks of Lorimier Street, from Morgan Oak to North Park streets, cost property owners along street $19,023.11, according to report of city engineer E.L. Sailer.

C.W. Stehr, merchant in Cape Girardeau for past 40 years, has sold his stock of goods to Risco merchant, who is building new store there; Stehr won't take up new business interests at present time, planning to rest from active business for several months; he started in general merchandise business with his father-in-law in firm of Nussbaum and Stehr, 613 Good Hope St., 40 years ago.

-- Sharon K. Sanders