Out of the past: Jan. 23

1998

A new cable franchise agreement reached last November between Cape Girardeau and TCI Cablevision of Missouri will mean more cable television stations being available by April in the Cape Girardeau-Jackson area; plans announced by TCI this week include the addition of 36 channels to its programming when it launches its new digital entertainment system April 1; that will bring the total number of available channels to 77, plus 10 music stations through Digital Music Express.

The Area Wide United Way celebrated its past year's successes at its annual meeting held yesterday; board members, volunteers, campaign coordinators and agency directors meet to approve a slate of new directors, review the past year's accomplishments and look to 1998; the 1997 campaign raised a record $585,000.

1973

Councilman Jerry L. Reynolds, whose one-year term on the Cape Girardeau City Council is nearing completion, files for re-election; Reynolds, president and general manager of Southeast Missouri Lumber Co., says his first term "was hardly time enough to get my feet on the ground."

City Manager W.G. Lawley expects to present the Cape Girardeau City Council with a land acquisition proposal for construction of a fourth fire station at the next council meeting Feb. 7; Lawley says the city is in "the final steps" of acquiring a parcel of land in the west end of the city in the vicinity of Kingshighway between Hopper and Kage roads.

1948

The mercury sank to an official 4 degrees above zero overnight at Cape Girardeau, for the lowest reading here this winter; a near zero reading is predicted for tonight; the drop in temperature was preceded by two inches of dry snow that fell most of yesterday, leaving the streets ice-caked and slippery.

Battling heavy ice floes in the Mississippi River north of Cairo, Illinois, the Kokoda is moving at a snail's pace as it seeks to hold its 175-mile advantage over diesel-powered Helena in their race up the river to St. Louis; the steam-driven Kokoda, with a tow of four barges, passes Cairo at 3 p.m., but three hours later had only made 3.8 miles, a speed of little more than a mile an hour.

1923

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Cotton has leaped into agricultural prominence in this section within the short space of one year's time; 25 times as much cotton will be planted here this year as was given attention last season; in the autumn of 1922, 600 bales were harvested from less than 600 acres of cotton; in 1921, Scott County produced 80 bales from about as many acres.

The Frisco Railroad has broken off relations with the Cape Girardeau Northern Railway; following orders from the freight department of the Frisco, all freight cars consigned to shippers on the C.G.N. are being held indefinitely in the Frisco yards; shippers are notified that, if they need the freight, they will have to unload it in the Frisco yards.

-- Sharon K. Sanders