Out of the past: March 18

1994

House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt is backing efforts to secure federal funding for the new Mississippi River bridges at Cape Girardeau and Hannibal, Missouri; in a Feb. 7 letter to Transportation Secretary Frederico Pena, Gephardt pushed for federal disaster funding for the projects.

A group of area skaters got an unexpected thrill yesterday, when World Professional ice skating champion Frank Seiding and his partner, Anita Hartshorn, got in some practice at The Ice, before appearing in the World Cup Figure Skating Show at a makeshift rink at the Show Me Center in the evening.

1969

With just one week remaining before their exhibits go in place, science pupils in the area's junior and senior high schools are putting the finishing touches on 217 exhibits that will be displayed at the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair; there are 31 more exhibitors this year than last.

With less than 10 percent of the voters casting ballots, an incumbent and three newcomers to the political field are chosen at a city primary to form the slates of city council candidates for the April 1 general election; nominated as final candidates for the one-year seat are incumbent Howard C. Tooke and Bill G Klaproth; chosen as nominees for the three-year term are Sidney S. Sommers and Kenneth H. Lipps.

1944

With Harris Field due to suspend next Friday and with all flight operations there at an end, there is no further official word as to the disposition of the field; it is assumed the facility will be retained by the Army Air Forces, perhaps until the end of hostilities.

Cape Girardeau's Mississippi River gauge has been reconstructed; U.S. Engineers yesterday completed rebuilding the gauge at the foot of Themis Street, lowering it near the level of the supporting concrete base and making it unnecessary to climb a ladder daily to change the readings; a new white board with the stages marked up to and slightly above last May's record stage has been erected alongside the larger frame.

1919

Jennings Tallent writes his father, George Tallent, from Great Lakes, Illinois, saying he will be released from the Navy about May 1, when he expects to return to Cape Girardeau; he hopes to organize an athletic club here upon his return.

The foreman of contractor Louis Borcherding's company arrives in Cape Girardeau, and work will begin immediately to build the Rock Levee bridge across the diversion channel south of Cape Girardeau; high water will delay actual construction, but workers will be kept busy assembling the drivers and other machinery necessary for the work.

-- Sharon K. Sanders