Out of the past: April 5

1993

Opponents of a proposed bond issue and building fund levy hike for Cape Girardeau public schools have organized a last-minute campaign against Tuesday's ballot measures.

Widening of Route K from two to five lanes from the west side of its Interstate 55 overpass to the westernmost entrance to the WalMart Supercenter is scheduled to begin this spring, said a Missouri Highway and Transportation Department official; the project is designed to relieve traffic congestion that has increased on Route K with the opening of the store last year.

1968

City Manager Paul F. Frederick said he is continuing to explore possibilities in response to a pay raise demand by virtually all of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, but declined to speculate if demands or an April 15 deadline can be met; meanwhile, the police officers' steering committee has released resignation procedures to be used at midnight the date of the deadline, if the demand isn't met or a sincere effort is not being made.

Locations have been established in Cape Girardeau and Jackson for the new Cape County Private Ambulance Service, which will take over at midnight April 14 the calls which have been made heretofore by county funeral homes; George F. Rouse of Jackson said three ambulances will be located in Cape Girardeau at 830 N. Kingshighway and one will be stationed at 1131 Corrine St., in Jackson.

1943

Unknown to nearly all 4,000 spectators at Sunday's baseball doubleheader at Fairground Park, the grandstand caught fire, evidently when a burning cigarette was dropped through a crack of the wooden floor; the fire was near the south end of the stand, but only a few dozen people knew about it; police officer Lee Roy Friday and some other men in the crowd extinguished it, with little damage done.

Draft deferment for men teachers and the matter of hiring teachers and fixing their pay for the coming year are among the topics discussed by the Cape Girardeau Board of Education in the evening; eight of the male teachers have been deferred once, and their status may change again when the school term ends.

1918

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of America's entrance into the world's struggle for freedom against the warlords of Prussia; for this occasion, every Cape Girardeau resident is urged to fly an American flag on his home and business; in addition, the campaign for the third Liberty Loan will start here.

The Jackson Board of Education met last night and organized by electing C.L. Grant chairman and Dr. G.D. Siebert vice chairman; F.W. Snider was retained as superintendent of the public schools with an increase in salary from $1,560 per annum to $1,800.

-- Sharon K. Sanders