Out of the past 9/30/01

10 years ago: Sept. 30, 1991

When it comes to National Public Radio, signal of KRCU, 90.0 FM, is coming in loud and clear, but only over relatively small area; that could change, as plans are under way to boost radio station's signal from 100 watts to about 2,300 watts.

Scopus - Three-year-old boy is killed in house fire early in morning, despite efforts by his father to rescue child; boy, Travis Proffer, and his father, Randy Proffer, are alone in house when blaze breaks out; boy's mother, Melinda, is working midnight shift at Procter & Gamble.

25 years ago: Sept. 30, 1976

Cape Girardeau County receives 3,430 doses of swine flu vaccine, first of total shipment of about 30,000 to accommodate county's 18- to 64-year-old age group; Missouri is one of 16 states to receive first shipments of vaccine.

Kelso - Msgr. Joseph Keusenkothen, man residents and parishioners affectionately referred to as "Father Joe" for past 51 years, dies at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau; he was 74 years old and had been patient at hospital for six months; Keusenkothen was born Jan. 15, 1902 at Oefte bei Kebbwig, Rheinland, Germany, and came to the United States with his family in 1912; he was ordained into priesthood in 1925 and year later he was called to St. Augustine Catholic Church to assist his ailing uncle, the Rev. John Muehlsiepen.

50 years ago: Sept. 30, 1951

Blomeyer - Charge from .410 gauge shotgun, fired when her husband is cleaning gun, fatally wounds Julia Turner, 72, in couple's two-room house on Leon Gosche farm, mile south of Blomeyer on Highway 55; shooting occurs shortly after 8:30 a.m., and Mrs. Turner dies almost instantly.

Sikeston - Jo White of Cape Girardeau was crowned queen of Sikeston Cotton Carnival yesterday; Joan Anderson of Poplar Bluff was runner-up; others competing for title were Mary Inman of Diehlstadt, Bobbie Smith of Chaffee, Joella Thurman of Charleston, Carolyn Crumpecker of Morehouse, Demetra Blalock of Gray Ridge, Joyce Nesler of Benton, Betty Cline of Blodgett and Shirley Seyer of Sikeston.

75 years ago: Sept. 30, 1926

Welcome, long-missing sun breaks through low clouds in morning, giving promise of favorable weather conditions for second day of annual Cape County Fair and sends crowds of excited people through turnstiles at Fairground Park; rain-soaked track dries quickly under warm rays of sun, and first races of fair beg under way in afternoon.

"Station-to-station" calls through local operator without calling long-distance operators is initiated in Cape Girardeau; service is expected to speed up long distance calls, especially for business houses, which frequently have the numbers of distant telephones available; "person-to-person" long-distance calls must still be placed with long-distance operator.

- Sharon K. Sanders