Out of the past 8/2/06

25 years ago: Aug. 2, 1981

New building construction in Cape Girardeau during July, while far from a single month record, did show a surge; city building inspector Mason Sachse reports an aggregate cost of $716,602 in building permits, the bulk of this allotted to commercial projects; the most expensive projects for which permits were issued were Otahki Council of Girl Scouts center, Pagoda Gardens, Horky's Gun Shop and Shooting Range, the Plumbing Shop, a six-unit apartment at 3010 Aspen Drive and Burger Chef restaurant.

Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.'s amended rate increase proposal before the Missouri Public Service Commission would raise the basic residential telephone line service in Cape Girardeau about 50 cents more than the company initially proposed in July.

50 years ago: Aug. 2, 1956

A proposal for the setting up of four additional reorganized school districts in Cape Girardeau County will be submitted to voters in the affected districts Aug. 28; the state Department of Education has approved plans for the new districts, two of which would be elementary schools and would be two high school units.

Prompted by the Puxico, Mo., tragedy, fire chief Carl Lewis says the state Board of Health has asked that he inspect all local nursing homes as part of the general inspection required for them to secure state licenses to operate.

75 years ago: Aug. 2, 1931

The first union worship service of the summer for Cape Girardeau is held in the evening at Courthouse Park; the Rev. A.H. Beardsley, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, delivers the sermon, speaking on "The Kingdom of God in the Machine Age."

The Rev. F.H. Melzer, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, leaves in the afternoon for a vacation through the month of August; in his absence, Ronald Goetsch, a student at Concordia Seminary, the Lutheran synodical college in St. Louis, will have charge of the services.

100 years ago: Aug. 2, 1906

After a struggle of several years trying to bolster the Democratic party, the Progress newspaper of Cape Girardeau has folded; C.D. Tresenriter, its publisher, has finally been prevailed upon by the leading Democrats to enter the race for the legislature against Fred Kies.

J.C. Snider, a blacksmith of Millersville, is in Cape Girardeau looking for a house and location for a shop.

-- Sharon K. Sanders