Out of the past: Aug. 13

1998

Cape Girardeau's Planning and Zoning Commission will recommend granting a zoning change for a new apartment building downtown; the commission voted unanimously last night to grant the request of Charles and Judith Hutson to rezone 238 S. Spanish St. from M-1 light industrial to R-4 multiple family residential; John Boardman, the architect for the project, said the Hutsons and their investors plan to tear down the buildings on the property -- a dilapidated quonset hut and block building used as a warehouse -- and construct a two-story building that will contain four 1,500-square-foot apartments.

Cape Girardeau lawyer David Rosener won't be hustling for votes this fall; he has withdrawn as a Libertarian candidate for state representative for District 158 because he says he first wants to put his life in order; Rosener says he also needs to devote his time to representing his legal clients.

1973

Carla Graham, 19, of Cape Girardeau is sworn in as the first woman member of the 135th Engineer Group, Missouri National Guard, here and the first female guardsman in the area; she is sworn in by Lt. Col. Ronald R. Fee, executive officer of the 135th Engineer Group; others at the ceremony are the group's commanding officer, Col. James R. Crites, and Graham's father, Sgt. 1st Class Paul C. Graham, personnel sergeant for the 135th Engineer Group.

Lack of bids on construction of the proposed Cape Girardeau County juvenile detention facility at Cape Girardeau may force postponement of scheduled bid openings from Thursday to Aug. 28; County Court Judge J. Ronald Fischer reports to the court that only one bid has been submitted thus far for the facility, which is expected to cost between $16,000 and $18,000.

1948

The SEMO District Fair Board, after conferring with Jess Millikan of the Capaha Bridle Club last night, announces an all-out effort by the horse show committee to make this year's show the most pretentious in the history of the fair; the horse show will run for three nights, Sept. 16, 17 and 18, and will offer premiums totaling more than $4,000, as compared with the total of $2,500 last year.

If you were shocked when Cape Girardeau's preliminary census figures were announced several weeks back, hold on to your hats; the Bureau of the Census now says the town has only 20,208 persons, 99 fewer than first announced; the new figure is the final, official count, completed by statisticians in Washington after checking the schedules completed by enumerators here in April and May; Jackson, on the other hand, showed a 29-person gain from preliminary numbers, to 3,480.

1923

Three Cape Girardeau youths narrowly escape death or serious injury when the northbound Frisco Gulf passenger train strikes their automobile at a crossing near the Marquette Cement plant this afternoon; it is the second automobile accident near the plant in the last three days; Saturday afternoon, James Haley, 30, of LaSalle, Illinois, was instantly killed, his body hurled 100 feet, after his automobile was struck by a southbound Frisco passenger train on a side road leading to the plant from South Kingshighway; another passenger in the car, Walter Olderman, 23, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, died three hours after the crash at Saint Francis Hospital; the driver of the car was seriously injured.

Robert R. Bedwell has resigned as highway engineer of Cape Girardeau County, effective Sept. 1; Bedwell became engineer upon the resignation of Dennis Scivally in February 1920; his personal affairs require all his attention, his contracting business having grown to such an extent that he cannot devote the necessary time to the affairs of the office.

-- Sharon K. Sanders