Out of the past: April 13

1997

Greg Rommel has accepted the post as minister of family and congregational life at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel in Cape Girardeau; he was installed at both morning worship services today; Rommel was minister of Christian growth at Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Humble, Texas, the past 14 years.

Comedy legend Bill Cosby performed at the Show Me Center last night in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 people; his nearly two-hour performance was the culmination of the inauguration celebration for Southeast Missouri State University President Dale Nitzschke.

1972

The Delta Queen, last of the touring paddle wheelers to ply the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, was scheduled to dock here in the morning with 178 members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation as its special passengers, but fog heavy fog forces cancellation of the plans; during a three-hour morning tour, the group was scheduled various spots of interest here, with special focus on the Glenn House.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Charles R. Williams, the first Black mayor of a Missouri city with a majority white population, says things in Charleston are moving in the right direction and foresees no real problems during his coming year in office; Williams, 31, serving his third year on the Charleston City Council, was elected by the council to the one-year term as mayor Tuesday night.

1947

The Mississippi River stage at Cape Girardeau was 34.9 feet in the morning and 35.1 feet in the afternoon; the pace of the rise seems to be slowing; Water Street is closed to traffic, the river having covered the block between Independence and Themis streets, as well as a small portion of the block between Themis and Broadway.

After a recent hearing, the Cape Girardeau City Board of Adjustment denied an application of the General Sign Co. to erect two advertising sign boards on Broadway; a petition opposing the proposals had been signed by 32 property owners; the boards would have been at Broadway and Sunset Boulevard, where strong winds blew down a similar sign last week, and at Broadway and Cordelia Avenue, two blocks west.

1922

The Mississippi River is continuing its rapid rise, attaining a mark of 36 feet on the gauge at Cape Girardeau; hundreds of people visited the riverfront yesterday and today; the river, smooth, except for a fast current toward the center, presents a placid appearance, in contrast to the rough "rollers" of previous days when waves 10 feet high smashed over the bank.

Charges against Joseph Baumgartner, proprietor of the Cape Sheet Metal Co., in Federal Court were dismissed earlier this week, Judge C.B. Faris ruling that the prosecutor failed to prove Baumgartner was in possession of articles to be used in the manufacture of stills; this being the case, Baumgartner has applied to the Internal Revenue Department for the return of $141.56, paid as a tax assessment for the alleged manufacture of stills.

-- Sharon K. Sanders