Out of the past: Jan. 15

1990

Johnny James is the featured speaker at a breakfast honoring the birthday of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., held at the Southeast Missouri State University Center.

The city council clears the way for a recycling venture after first reassuring a concerned neighbor, John Boos, that adequate controls are in place to address any pollution problem; Roger Friedrich will operate his recycling business in a former railroad yard southeast of the Independence and Frederick streets intersection.

1965

The city council starts to assemble its 1965-1966 budget; general agreement has been reached on the expenditures for the public works, fire, and health departments, and for the cemeteries; work is still progressing on the police department budget.

It turns out that bear spotted recently in the wilds of Cape Girardeau County was seen by two other men as well, who have just come forward with the tale; Willie Laurentius and Butch Miller of Perryville, Missouri, report seeing the bear at Edward Alkemeyer's farm near Friedheim 18 months ago.

1940

Officers are searching for an unidentified man who fled after frightening two female schoolteachers at their Fornfelt home yesterday morning; Alma Bremermann and Cynthia Rickoff were awakened at 1:30 a.m. Sunday by an intruder, who apparently had entered through a rear door; when he found he had been discovered, the man grabbed Bremermann, but fled when the young teacher jerked herself free and screamed.

The city council receives the resignation of John T. Young as caretaker of Fairground Park; he plans to take a job with Midwest Dairy Products Corp.

1915

Some girl in Cape Girardeau wrote her acceptance of a marriage proposal for some man on a postal card and mailed it at the local post office; however, she included no address, making it impossible to deliver the card; only the first name of the man is given, and the woman only signed her initials to the missive, adding to the mystery.

A building and loan association will be organized in Illmo soon and will be composed of citizens of Fornfelt and Illmo; J.J. Craig and J.C. Holly are working up the proposed organization.

-- Sharon K. Sanders