Out of the past: April 3

1991

Proponents of a 5-cent property tax levy to fund services to the elderly say they are elated Cape Girardeau County voters yesterday approved the measure, 3,514 to 3,233; the tax will generate about $220,000 annually.

Voters yesterday chose incumbent Patrick Ruopp for a fourth term on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; others elected to the board were Gwen Bennett and Lyle Davis.

1966

Sharon Sievers of Jackson reigned last night as queen of the annual Sagamore Ball, described by a State College official as "the most elegant function of the school year"; she was nominated by the Sigma Chi fraternity and was escorted to the ball by John Godwin, a Sigma Chi member.

A Missouri Pacific Railroad freight train, being operated by railroad officials rather than a normal crew, blocked traffic between Illmo and Scott City for more than 1 1/2 hours last night; the train was being operated by railroad officials because of the railroad strike; the stalled train halted traffic between the two towns by blocking streets connecting the communities.

1941

For the first year in the history of the Southeast Missouri High School Meet, Central High pupils aren't competing in the big array of music events, in which they have always played an important part; Central's big enrollment has moved it from competing in Class B of the music events to Class A; the school could take its competition direct to the coming state meet at Columbia, Missouri, where it would compete with the state's larger schools, but no plans have been made for this.

An estimated 3,000 Girardeans took a free ride yesterday on one of the three new motor buses the Cape Transit Corp. put into service; some had to be turned away, as the vehicles at times moved along the routes packed full; regular service is instituted this morning.

1916

The marking of King's Highway from St. Louis to Caruthersville, Missouri, by the Daughters of the American Revolution will be completed next week when Mrs. Salisbury, state regent, and Mrs. John Kochtitzky of Cape Girardeau, local regent, will leave for the southern towns to officiate at the setting of boulders that will mark the highway; those markers will be in Cape Girardeau, Benton, Caruthersville and New Madrid, Missouri.

New glass windows are being installed in the new, temporary Buckner-Ragsdale store to replace the ones that were cracked during the recent fire.

-- Sharon K. Sanders