Out of the past: Dec. 12

1997

Until recent years, military bands in Ukraine had never heard John Philip Sousa's classic march "Stars and Stripes Forever"; Col. Jaroslav Gorbal, chief conductor for military bands in Ukraine, has some catching up to do; the uniformed Gorbal was at Southeast Missouri State University yesterday to conduct a rehearsal of the university's Symphonic Wind Ensemble; Dr. Robert Gifford, a professor of music at Southeast and director of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, brought Gorbal to the U.S. after they met two years ago in Ukraine; it has taken two years to get permission for him to come.

An expansion to the Cape Girardeau County jail is one step closer to reality after a contract was signed Thursday between the County Commission and Jackson architect John Dudley; commissioners said they would like to see an additional 186 jail beds at a cost not to exceed $4.5 million; if all goes as planned, groundbreaking for the expansion could take place within a year, said Sheriff John Jordan.

1972

A sleet and ice storm engulfs Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, tangling traffic and forcing most schools to close; the freezing rain moved into the area yesterday afternoon, creating hazardous traveling conditions that continue today; the outlook is for more freezing rain or drizzle tonight, changing to light snow with lows in the upper 20s.

The burning of an automobile in the 500 block of South Benton Street on Saturday night may be connected with the 6-week-old strike at Missouri Electrical Works Inc., on South Kingshighway; an unnamed source tells The Missourian the car that was burned is owned by the father of a Missouri Electrical Works employee who is not on strike.

1947

Expressing a fear the "city and County Court might be on the outside looking in," City Commissioner Philip H. Steck favors joint action seeking government withdrawal of its Courthouse Park condemnation suit; Steck observes that it appears the people are in imminent danger of losing Courthouse Park and receiving nothing in return.

Webb Halbert, Joe Brubaker and Johnny Griffith, former State College football players, have been awarded major letters on the Iowa State College team for the 1947 season; all three were members of the Indians' 1946 M.I.A.A. championship team and transferred to Iowa State when Coach Abe Stuber resigned here to accept the coaching position at Ames.

1922

The steamer Bald Eagle has made its last trip down the Mississippi River during this winter season; a telegram from Capt. William "Buck" Leyhe says, "Bald Eagle will discontinue making trips because of bad weather"; ice has appeared in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers north of St. Louis.

The lawsuit brought by Blue Ribbon Ice and Fuel Co. to secure damages against the Cape Brewing and Ice Co. and the Energy Fuel and Supply Co. for alleged monopoly and pool to control the retail ice market in Cape Girardeau in 1921 starts in Common Pleas Court; the plaintiff company, through its manager, Paul R. Dietrich, is asking $45,000 damages, claiming the defendant companies formed a pool to force Blue Ribbon out of business, and that they formed a trust to raise the price of ice and divide the city in zones to "freeze out" competition.

-- Sharon K. Sanders