Out of the past: Feb. 24

1996

An off-duty police officer has been occupying his mornings by staking out various Southeast Missourian newspaper racks, part of an effort to deter newspaper theft totaling more than $45,000 a year; Mark Kneer, circulation director for the newspaper, says as many as 8,000 newspapers are stolen from Southeast Missourian racks each month.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission issues a no-burn order in the evening after fire departments respond to more than a dozen fires in less than eight hours; the order applies to the entire county; both Cape Girardeau and Jackson have issued similar orders.

1971

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Federal warrants are expected to be issued against three St. Louis County men arrested about an hour after the holdup of the Bank of Marquand shortly before closing time yesterday; the three were arrested in two getaway cars in the Lake Wappapello area, 30 miles southwest of Cape Girardeau; authorities found a canvas bag containing $12,901 along with a sawed-off shotgun and three pistols in the first car.

A retired Navy career man is the fourth candidate for a seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council; Billy Ray Stein, a native of Cape Girardeau, filed yesterday with the city clerk, bringing the number of candidates to the total allowed without a primary election.

1946

William Jewell College Day is observed at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, marking the congregation's participation in the college's statewide $250,000 endowment campaign; an effort is being made to raise this amount for the Baptist college, located at Liberty, Missouri.

Returned veterans have charge of the morning worship service at Red Star Baptist Church; Glen Cummings presides, and Floyd Niswonger directs the choir; special music includes vocal duets by Tom Cotner and Lee Norman, as well as a quartet number by Niswonger, Norman, Cotner and John Langston; speaking at the service is Capt. R.J. West, recently discharged after serving as chaplain with the First, Ninth and 15th Divisions in the European theater.

1921

E.A. Hart, manager of the Public Utilities Co. here, says Cape Girardeans will be deprived of their street car service if the city's proposed paving plans are realized this spring; the city plans to improve West Broadway, Main Street and Sprigg Street, opposite Saint Francis Hospital; this will mean Hart's company will have to suspend operations while the work is being done and will also have to move its tracks, both at a hefty expense to the firm.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stehr, 112 S. Sprigg St., who sold their home property recently, are moving into a suite of rooms above the Stehr Mercantile Co. on Good Hope Street; they will serve as temporary quarters until spring, when the couple will construct a new home on North Pacific Street, opposite the intersection of North Street.

-- Sharon K. Sanders