Out of the past: Feb. 22

1995

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Tuesday to license rooming and boarding houses in the wake of three fires here in the past four or five months; Fire Chief Robert Ridgeway says the license requirement clears the way for the city to inspect rooming and boarding houses to ensure they aren't fire traps.

The Route K bride over Interstate 55 is congested, but it will be more congested beginning next week when construction to widen the bridge begins; the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department is warning drivers to count on delays, but they should last no longer than 15 minutes; lane closings on Route K will be restricted to nighttime hours.

1970

A small meditation chapel on the first floor of Southeast Hospital, designed for individual and family use, is formally dedicated in an afternoon ceremony in the hospital cafeteria; the chapel has been in plans for a number of years, but until the past year it hadn't been possible to locate it and bring it to reality; the design of the chapel was by Fred Dormeyer, Cape Girardeau architect.

State Rep. R.J. King of St. Louis County was the keynote speaker last night at the annual Lincoln Day dinner; over 350 area Republicans attended the event, held at the Arena Building.

1945

Col. L.B. Feagin of the U.S. Engineers at St. Louis told a Cape Girardeau delegation yesterday the government is making plans for a flood protection level of 49 feet for both Cape Girardeau and for Illinois on the east side of the river; that is, levees or fills here, particularly north of Broadway, would be designed to compare with a 49-foot stage, plus two feet of free board for dikes; that would make the proposed north side levee 13 feet high in most spots.

The local American Legion post will open a veterans' service center on the ground floor of the post's building at 811 Broadway around April 1; a doughnut shop now occupies those quarters.

1920

In an impressive ceremony at Cape Girardeau Central High School, French memorials are presented to the next of kin of locals who died in the World War from this county; those receiving medals are George Knight, Nancy King, Matilda Williams, Annie Koch, Jacob Graden, Joseph W. Pearson, Ellie Sparkman, W.C. Christopher, Ida M. Neal, J.S. Dearmont and P. Frissell; the event marks the close of American Legion Day.

To commemorate Washington's birthday, and in honor of the ex-service men, Centenary Methodist Church hosts a patriotic program in the morning consisting of special vocal and instrumental music, recitations by the little folks, reading of the church's Honor Roll, and short, patriotic talks by Judge Frank Kelly and others.

-- Sharon K. Sanders