Out of the past: Dec. 31

1993

Being debt-free sounds good to most people, but not for a school district, officials say; the Cape Girardeau School District has been debt free since 1989, and board members say that's a bad thing, a sign the school district is standing still.

By late yesterday afternoon, as the final games of the University High Tournament were ready to get underway, action in Southeast Missouri State University's recreation center was hitting its peak; the Cape Girardeau Police Department, with the help of university basketball head coach Ron Shumate, held its first "Hoopin' with 5-0 at SEMO '93" mini-basketball camp.

1968

A resurgence of home-building, a near boom in apartment-house construction and continued sturdy business-industrial-institutional development in Cape Girardeau joined to keep a rosy glow in the construction phase of the city's economy this year; total construction, based mostly on building permits, for 1968 was $6,387,735.

Construction in Jackson, as judged by city building permits issued, more than doubled in 1968 the volume of the previous year; total value of construction begun this year was $837,480, compared with $415,290 in 1967.

1943

Because of a new law going into effect in the new year, couples desiring to be married must have a blood test done, a task any licensed medical doctor may perform; the applicant must have the test made and present the certificate to the county recorder of deeds when the marriage license application is made.

Merchandise, almost the hardest thing to get in these days of war, was handled in sufficient volume in Cape Girardeau County in 1943 to jump the amount paid by consumers in state sales tax by $14,137 over the preceding year; the state's 2 percent sales tax derived $195,017 from Cape Girardeau County during the 12-month period ending Nov. 30, 1943.

1918

Cape Girardeau contractors and concrete workers will be pleased to learn a new sand yard is to be opened here soon; Peter Deimund and his son Linder have just leased the old Morrison sand yard on North Main Street; as soon as they can get a boat and pump, they will start work pumping sand from the river.

The annual meeting of the Cape Girardeau Commercial Club was held last night, after having been postponed several times because of the influenza epidemic; R.E.L. Lamkin was chosen president; Sam Sherman, vice president; W.W. Martin and H.H. Haas, directors for one year; and E.G. Gramling, D'N Stafford and George L Meyer, directors for two years.

-- Sharon K. Sanders