Out of the past: Feb. 17

1995

Cape Girardeau County commissioners yesterday made their position on supporting the I-66 project clear to the project's executive director, Walt Wildman; the county's wallet stays closed, at least for now; the advisability of donating public funds to private projects has recently come into question.

The new breakfast program at Scott City School is going well, says superintendent Douglas Berry; approximately 200 students are eating breakfast each day since the program started under Opaa Food Management Inc., Feb. 6.

1970

A delegation of retail merchants asked the Jackson City Council last night for a number of improvements in police protection; William K. Sander, acting as spokesman for the group, cited the number of burglaries in the business district in recent months as evidence that police protection is inadequate.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Sue Sides of Cape Girardeau has taken over duties here as correspondent for The Southeast Missourian; she replaces John Camp, who resigned from the Perry County position to return to graduate school.

1945

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mrs. Clarence P. Williams, 51, is seriously burned at 7:15 a.m., when an explosion, followed by fire, wrecks the Williams' four-room frame house in the northwest part of town; her husband, a Frisco Railroad fireman, is less seriously burned; the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.

Activities at the Jackson Mfg. Co. plant are gaining momentum as the number of workers at the new dress plant increases; 70 sewing machines have been set up, and they are high speed machines, capable of making 1,500 stitches per minute; two operators will be required for each machine.

1920

The 1920 budget for the Cape Girardeau Community Chest has been fixed at $12,000, to be apportioned to eight organizations: Provident Association, Library Association, Salvation Army, Health Society, Cemetery Association, Civic Improvement Association, Boy Scouts and the municipal band for concerts.

The local coal shortage is growing more serious every day, coal dealers say; Blue Ribbon Ice and Fuel states it received a car load yesterday, but every ton of it was spoken for before it arrived; manufacturing plants here have barely enough coal to stay in operation; fuel dealers say the railroad car shortage is causing the coal famine.

-- Sharon K. Sanders