Out of the past: June 5

1990

The city of Cape Girardeau has been authorized to spend $530,957 in Federal Aviation Administration entitlement money on municipal airport improvements; the grant money will got to help fund construction of taxiway spurs, installation of required airport signs, renovation of the terminal building and restructuring of the terminal parking lot.

Cape Girardeau voters soundly defeat a 25-cent property tax levy for park improvements by a margin of nearly four to one.

1965

The collision of a bus and a car on Illinois Highway 146 two miles east of the Cape Girardeau traffic bridge early in the morning hospitalizes five people -- the driver of the car and four passengers of the bus; two others among the 23 passengers riding the Continental Trailways bus bound for Memphis, Tennessee, are treated and released at Saint Francis Hospital.

The Missourian learns that James A. Finch Jr., justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, will be awarded the University of Missouri Distinguished Alumni Award at the 123rd annual commencement exercises in Columbia on Tuesday; Finch, who recently left his law practice in Cape Girardeau to take the Supreme Court post, retired last December as chairman of the board of curators at the university.

1940

Plans are progressing for the rebirth of the Cape Fair at the new park on Highway 61 on Sept. 24 to 29; the fair program will include harness and running races daily from Tuesday to Saturday of fair week; a horse show will be held each evening; livestock, poultry horticulture and produce shows will be open throught the week; and each afternoon and night will feature free special attractions

A new building for the bottling plant of the Nehi Corp., erected on Morgan Oak Street just east of Frederick Street, will be placed in use June 17; all of the brick work has been completed and interior finishing is now in progress; some of the bottling machinery has already been moved in; the firm will bottle a nationally known line of soft beverages, including Royal Crown Cola and others.

1915

The flooding Mississippi River reaches its crest of 33.5 feet at Cape Girardeau at 9 a.m.; the steamer Cape Girardeau is able to make an unusually rapid trip down the river in the morning, arriving here just before the crest; the big boat lands at the foot of Themis Street, with its stage planks extending over the outer Frisco track; from Main Street it appears as if the steamer is up in the street.

Walther's Furniture and Undertaking Co., has received a new hearse; it is one of the newest and most modern types, beautifully draped, hand carved and rubber tires, and cost just a little less than $2,000.

-- Sharon K. Sanders