Out of the past: Feb. 8

1993

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education votes to take to the voters a $25 million bond issue that includes two new school buildings, an addition to Jefferson School, earthquake resistance, air conditioning and electrical updates for existing buildings; the election will be on April 6.

The Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation Task Force votes to ask the city council for money to study the cost of renovating St. Vincent's College; members of the committee agree that having an up-to-date study is the necessary first step in the search for funding to buy and operate the old seminary as a museum.

1968

Ordinances approving agreements between the Cape Girardeau City Council and Missouri Utilities Co. on water, natural gas and electrical power franchises were given first readings by the city council last night; the 20-year franchises will replace agreements that expire in November.

Members of the Marquette Cement Co., came before the Cape Girardeau City Council Wednesday night to plead that their locally-made products be specified or demanded on all projects here whenever possible in an effort to keep both plants operating the year round.

1943

For the first time in history Girardeans, with or without money or credit, can't go into a store and purchase a pair of shoes, unless he is an infant desiring soft-soled toddlers or a shut-in wanting non-leather-soled slippers; tomorrow, shoe selling will resume, and families may use their No. 17 stamp in their sugar ration book to purchase one pair of shoes; the shoe-rationing program allows every person to purchase only three pairs of shoes per year.

A steam-shovel owned by the Cape Special Road District is temporarily leased by the city for use in the war project of taking up old streetcar rails from the streets; the machine has been rigged up to do some of the pavement lifting to avoid sledge hammers breaking up the cement.

1918

At a meeting of downtown property owners, it is decided that the wood block paving must be taken up as soon as possible and a concrete paving put down, just as was done on Broadway; those streets with wood block paving are Broadway from Main to Water, Main from Broadway to Independence, Themis from Spanish to Water, Independence from Spanish to a point east of Main, where the concrete street is, and Spanish from Broadway to Independence.

Tickets are on sale at Gockel's Pharmacy for tomorrow night's musical performance by John W. "Blind" Boone at the Opera House on Broadway.

-- Sharon K. Sanders