Out of the past: June 26

1992

A longstanding debate over whether to elect Cape Girardeau City Council members from wards rather than at-large has resurfaced; Larry Godfrey, an unsuccessful council candidate earlier this year, has initiated a petition drive asking the council to change to ward elections.

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Strong winds and heavy rains Wednesday night left residents of this community cleaning up extensive tree and limb damage yesterday. There was minor damage to gutters and roofs on several homes in the village. Part of the roof was blown off the Word of Life Fellowship Church, but none of the four people inside at the time was injured.

1967

The Mississippi River surpassed another crest prediction Saturday and continues to edge its way into lowlands near Cape Girardeau. The swollen stream that stands at 32.88 now is forecast to crest Friday at 33.3 feet. The rising waters have inundated hundreds of acres of cropland.

The merger of Illmo and Scott City may have to be postponed until after Illmo completes its proposed federal housing project; Illmo has filed application with the federal government for a grant to help finance the low-rent housing project. Until a ruling has been made on the grant, no concrete steps will be taken on the merger, say Mayor Nevan A. Fisher and Alderman Delbert L. Edger of Scott City.

1942

A serious Mississippi River flood threat looms after heavy rains, amounting to nearly 5 inches at some places along the river; the rain adds a larger volume of water to the stream that already has passed the flood mark at most points south of St. Louis to Cairo, Illinois. In a revised forecast, the weather bureau predicts the river will crest at Cape Girardeau at 34.5 or 35 feet by Wednesday.

J. Hal Lynch, the St. Louis architect who built the Arena Building here and many other WPA structures in Southeast Missouri, as well as many privately owned properties, is in Cape Girardeau to check up on his work. He is preparing to become a supervisor of defense construction and will work out of St. Louis.

1917

According to news received from Oran, Missouri, residents, two more babies have died there, bringing the number of dead youngsters to 14. Dr. W.H. Westcott, a well-known Oran doctor, has stated he knows what the disease is that afflicts the children and is peeved with published reports stating doctors there are unable to determine the exact nature of the disease.

Hugo Wilder, a schoolteacher and son of the Rev. A. Wilder, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, and Paul Norvall, another young teacher, the son of Illmo superintendent of schools C.A. Norvall, leave in the morning for St. Louis to join the Navy.

-- Sharon K. Sanders