Out of the past: Dec. 11

1994

The third annual German Christmas service is held in the evening at Old Hanover Lutheran Church on Perryville Road; guest preacher is the Rev. Adam Mueller; his sermon theme is "The Meaning of Christ's Birth"; the liturgy and sermon are in English, with familiar Christmas carols sung in both German and English.

Gov. Mel Carnahan has appointed Doyle Lee Privett of Kennett, Missouri, to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents; Privett, 43, will fill the remaining two years of the unexpired term of Kennett resident Mark Pelts, who resigned from the board earlier this year.

1969

County Clerk Rusby C. Crites reports to the County Court that 1,298 valid signatures were found on the out-county portion of petitions calling for an election to establish a County Health Unit; verifying names on the Cape Girardeau portion of the petitions is in progress now; 1,766 valid signatures are required to bring the issue to a vote.

A 17-year-old rural Cape Girardeau youth is in jail, charged with helping to aid a jailbreak attempt early in November; he is accused of bringing hacksaw blades into the jail and leaving them with his brother, who was incarcerated then.

1944

A light snow falls in Cape Girardeau, the first of any consequence this season, but the district escapes the heavy white blanket which covers most of the state; continued snow flurries are forecast for tonight, with slightly colder temperatures.

After being postponed twice by inclement weather, a streamlined program of air maneuvers was given at the Consolidated School of Aviation field on Highway 74 yesterday afternoon; weather conditions again prohibited Army equipment from being utilized; local pilots and three Civil Air Patrol pilots from St. Louis put on the air exercises for 1,400 persons who braved the chilly weather.

1919

The whistles of the cement plant are a welcome sound in the morning to the 100 or so men who have been "laid off" because of the coal shortage; the plant has been shut down for the last few weeks; Arthur Harrison, general manager of the cement plant, says the company has several railroad car loads of Illinois coal in transit and some coal on hand.

Preparations are being made to tear down the old Overstolz building on Main Street, which was considerably damaged by fire this fall; it has been unoccupied since the fire; Charles Overstolz says he is uncertain whether the structure will be rebuilt.

-- Sharon K. Sanders