Out of the past: Jan. 16

1996

Legislation to make English the official language of Missouri government is again making the rounds in the General Assembly; bills introduced in both houses of the legislature would mandate the use of English-only in all state documents.

The Rev. William Bird, a longtime minister in Cape Girardeau, hopes to become a catalyst for change and reconciliation in he city; he has filed for a three-year term on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education; he joins incumbents Bob Blank and Steve Wright in seeking three, three-year seats on the board.

1971

Clean-up operations are underway in preparation for Monday classes at two Cape Girardeau schools heavily damaged by vandals early this morning; city police are investigating vandalism at Jefferson School and Notre Dame High School, where windows were broke, furniture overturned and books and papers scattered over the floor; the greatest damage done was to the windows in the two schools; 48 windows were broken at Jefferson, and 11 were smashed at Notre Dame; it appears nothing was stolen from either school.

MIAMI, Fla. -- Members of State College's Golden Eagles are caught up in the fiesta spirit surrounding Super Bowl; the band stages its final rehearsal in the morning, putting everything together in the Orange Bowl for its halftime show at the National Football League championship Dallas Cowboys-Baltimore Colts football game tomorrow.

1946

Capt. Herbert S. Duckworth of Cape Girardeau, a veteran of 23 years of naval service, has been elevated to the command of the world's largest fighting carrier, the USS Midway, which was recently completed at Newport News, Virginia; he is a son of Professor and Mrs. A.S. Duckworth of Cape Girardeau and has been actively affiliated with naval aviation since earning his wings at Pensacola, Florida, in 1925.

A partial strike of packing houses in the St. Louis area should cause no great hardship here; with three local packing houses, Cape Girardeau should have an adequate supply of freshly butchered meats, although there could be a shortage of some smoked and cured meats.

1921

William Regenhardt, who has been associated with a large building corporation in Cleveland since leaving the Navy, is at home for a visit; he has been superintending a big concrete job at Cumberland, Maryland, for several months, but it was shut down owing to the money scarcity.

Evidently surprised in the act of looting the house, a youth crawled under a bed at the home of Albert E. Hunze, 107 N. Lorimier St., at 9:30 last night; he terrified Mrs. Hunze when she encountered the intruder, and then fled when the frightened woman ran screaming from the house; the young burglar followed her from the house and made his escape.

-- Sharon K. Sanders