Out of the past: April 7

1995

Missouri's 15-year plan for highway construction was scrapped in favor of shorter-duration planning at yesterday's meeting of the Missouri Highway Commission; also given tacit approval was issuing bonds to propel highway construction in the state; a shortfall of federal money to the state combined with planning mistakes by the Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation contributed to the decision to drop the 15-year plan, says Highway Commissioner John Oliver Jr. of Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau Board of Education member John Campbell resigned yesterday, saying "a multitude of factors" led to his decision; the resignation, which is effective immediately, came as a surprise to some other board members and the two newly elected board members, R. Ferrell Ervin and Terry Taylor.

1970

The shipment of freight by truck to Cape Girardeau was drastically reduced yesterday as trucking by major Cape-based firms came to a near standstill and local industries began realizing a lack of manufacturing materials and no means of shipping finished products; the transportation problems here apparently stem from a walkout by members of St. Louis Teamsters Local 600 who are in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois seeking support in their demands for higher wages.

Census field supervisor Ralph Mouser says last night's special count of transient persons in Cape Girardeau "went well," but didn't produce the anticipated number of transients; squads of census takers and crew leaders covered jails, hotels, parks and transportation terminals in Cape Girardeau on Monday night in an effort to include persons not reported elsewhere in the 1970 census.

1945

Edward W. Barenkamp, 39, a boatswain's mate first class in the Navy Seabees, has been killed in action, evidently on Iwo Jima, according to a message received by his wife, Geraldine Leckey Barenkamp of St. Louis; he was the son of Joseph Barenkamp of Cape Girardeau and, before the war, held various responsible positions with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, including chief of police.

Cape Girardeau is over the top with its record Red Cross war quota of $36,000, with $36,079.15 actually collected; some contributions have yet to come in.

1920

By a large majority, the voters of Cape Girardeau yesterday re-elected Mayor H.H. Haas over Oscar A. Knehans, 1,082 to 647; Louis Wittmor was re-elected a city commissioner and C.E. Schuchert came in second among the three candidates to take the other open commission seat; elected to the school board were Leo L. Bowman, C. Stehr and W.G. Bartles.

The Jackson city election yesterday was the quietest held in this city for years and was devoid of interest, except in the fourth ward; there, Garnett A. Morton, a young businessman, who lived his life in Jackson, beat P.C. Kasten, who recently moved to the city, in a spectacular race for alderman, 64 to 32.

-- Sharon K. Sanders