Out of the past: July 1

1998

Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas is pulling up anchor in Missouri; Sam's Town, a casino in North Kansas City it opened in September 1995, will close within two months; Boyd investigated two areas for casinos in Missouri -- at Kansas City and Cape Girardeau -- after voters legalized gambling in the state in 1992; an opening here, where the company still owns property along the Mississippi River, never materialized.

A wind-whipped, lightning-laced storm drenched the area early yesterday; it caused widespread power outages that left more than 4,000 AmerenUE and Jackson municipal power customers without power for several hours; in Jackson, a power outage knocked out the city's computer system that monitors water distribution, and as a result, a leaking fire hydrant went unnoticed until daybreak; by that time, nearly all the water had drained from a 300,000-gallon water tank near Interstate 55.

1973

John M. Hilpert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Hilpert of Cape Girardeau, is ordained at St. Andrew Lutheran Church as pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod; officiating is the Rev. Arden Meade, pastor of Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, Missouri; the Rev. Louis Launhardt, pastor of St. Andrew, is liturgist.

A $151,000 fund drive will begin next Sunday at Evangelical United Church of Christ, 33 S. Ellis St., to finance construction of the addition of an educational and recreational facility at the church; the 48-by-90-foot, two-story structure will house offices, classrooms and a large multipurpose room; contractor is Crites and Sailer Construction Co.

1948

In their first full week of operation, from last Thursday up to today, Cape Girardeau's parking meters took in $474.35; meters along Main Street netted $195.50; those on Broadway collected $179, and those on Good Hope Street, $99.85.

City inspection of all meat processing plants in Cape Girardeau and its environs begins, with authority for the check provided in a recently adopted city ordinance; two inspectors have been retained by the city; one is assigned to the Central Packing Co., and the other to the Pipkin-Boyd-Neal plant, with side duties at the Nenninger plant and at Wulfers Bros.

1923

The first summer union services of Cape Girardeau Protestant churches are held in the evening at Courthouse Park and at Centenary Methodist Church; the Rev. J.R. Spann, Centenary pastor, speaks at the park, and the Rev. C.H. Swift, Christian Church pastor, speak at Centenary; in years past, the summer union services were held only in Courthouse Park.

At the close of Bible school in the morning, automobiles trasnsport the entire congregation of First Christian Church to the old fairgrounds for worship services, followed by a basket dinner; Dr. J.A. Serena delivers a special message for the occasion.

-- Sharon K. Sanders