Out of the past: Dec. 21

1995

All that is left to do on the North Sprigg Street extension is to put down the actual road; however, it will be a while before conditions make that possible; the road is slated to be asphalt, and asphalt cannot be installed until the weather is more than 40 degrees; the extension continues Sprigg Street from where it previously dead-ended at Bertling Street and runs north for one-quarter of a mile, where it will meet the Lexington Street extension.

Cape Girardeau Jaycees Santas and elves hit the road in the evening to deliver toys to underprivileged children throughout Cape Girardeau, culminating the annual Toy Box drive sponsored by the Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian; the toy drive benefits 1,000 to 1,200 children ages 12 and younger.

1970

Cape Girardeans are again reminded the 1970 stickers for residential garbage collections are on sale at the city collector's office in Common Pleas Courthouse; they may be purchased by the quarter, six months or for the year, but the stickers must be on the cans by Jan. 1 for continuous pickups.

A 1971 budget totaling $1,229,310 that provides raises averaging 2.7% for city employees is approved by the Jackson City Council; passage of the budget makes a bit of history; beginning Jan. 1, Jackson goes to a calendar year basis of accounting and, for the first time in recent memory, the city has a working budget prepared in advance of the period in which the money is to be spent.

1945

Three crewmen are injured, none critically, when a locomotive boiler explodes and wrecks a Cotton Belt freight train in the morning eight miles south of Jonesboro, Arkansas; among those injured is Harvey Ham of Illmo, head brakeman, who suffers from exposure and shock; latest reports from Illmo say Ham was pinned beneath the overturned engine for 10 hour.

Respite from the lengthy cold wave, now in its 13th day of below freezing temperatures, came in a modified form last night as the thermometer recorded 15 degrees as a minimum as compared to 5 degrees the two nights before.

1920

Retrenchment is the slogan of city officials these days, and several city servants are likely to be dropped from the payroll at the end of the year; already the City Council has combined the offices of city attorney and city counselor in order to save money; Police Chief W.J. Segraves will likely have to shoulder his own duties and those of a patrolman next year; one patrolman will be let go, leaving three patrolman and a night watchman to keep Cape Girardeau safe.

Jens Peter Petersen, a Scandinavian living in Cape Girardeau, has applied for citizenship in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court; his application is supported by affidavits from H.E. Alexander and C.J. Reisenbichler; the matter will come up for a hearing at the January term of the court in Jackson.

-- Sharon K. Sanders