Out of the past: Jan. 14

1998

A contest has started to design a Cape Girardeau city flag; the banner will symbolize the city's rich history "for ourselves and our children," says Mayor Al Spradling III; Vision 2000 and students from the Class of 2000 are coordinating the contest.

The Cape Girardeau Civic Center faces a funding dilemma: It has just enough money to keep the doors open, but not enough to provide the programs it wants to offer; the center was established to offer educational and social programs for youths, but for the past couple of years it has focused much of its efforts on keeping the doors open.

1973

Larry Plummer has been named minister of music and youth at Red Star Baptist Church; he comes to Cape Girardeau from a similar position at a Baptist church in Jacksonville, Arkansas; he is a native of Fort Smith, Arkansas; he and his wife have two daughters.

With two seats open on the Cape Girardeau City Council and two on the Board of Education, the April 3 elections here are expected to draw wide interest, although no candidates have yet filed; on the council, the terms of Mayor Howard C. Tooke and Councilman Jerry W. Reynolds are expiring; members of the school board vacating seats are Mary Kasten, board president, and Gene E. Huckstep.

1948

Petitions bearing 1,698 signatures, asking for an election on the proposal to establish the city manager form of government in Cape Girardeau, are presented to the city in the afternoon; the petitions contain twice the number of signatures required to place the matter before voters; with formal filing of the petitions the machinery is set in motion for the calling of a special election within 60 days, or no later than March 14.

The mercury slumped to a low of 12 degrees in Cape Girardeau overnight as the cold wave, which grips much of the remaining part of the country, grew more severe; it was the second lowest reading of the winter season.

1923

Pastors of several Cape Girardeau churches deliver sermons commemorating the third anniversary of prohibition in America; among those observing the anniversary are the Rev. A.B. Carson at the Baptist Church and the Rev. C.H. Swift at the Christian Church.

Promptness of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department in answering a fire call to Leming's Mill in South Cape Girardeau at 8:30 last night probably saved that establishment from heavy loss; a huge sawdust pile near the banks of the river and close to the mill caught fire, and flames were shooting nearly 10 feet high when firefighters reached the scene; a strong wind from the southeast blew sparks to the roof of the mill, and workers fought dozens of small fires started by them; 350 feet of hose was stretched by the firemen, before water could be brought to play on the blaze.

-- Sharon K. Sanders