Out of the past: March 25

1999

Student fees were increased by the Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents yesterday, a move regents say was unavoidable; the university raised tuition and general fees and also boosted room and board charges for the 1999-2000 academic year; as part of the fee hikes, the regents approved an $8.7 million operating budget for residence life, the university department that runs campus housing.

Southeast Missouri State University has hired Chartwells College and University Dining Services to run the campus food service; the Board of Regents on Wednesday awarded the seven-year contract following a meeting at the University Center; Chartwells will be paid about $2.3 million a year under the contract.

1974

The peach crop in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois was dealt a severe, if not deadening, blow over the weekend by unseasonably cold weather, and some growers doubt there will be a cash crop this year; with temperatures reaching a low of 11 degrees Saturday night, accompanied by a 1-inch snowfall, growers in the Campbell area report most of their crop was destroyed.

Wimpy's, long a landmark at Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive, has a fleeting revival for its breakfast customers this morning; today is the opening day for the new Farmers & Merchants Bank facility, which occupies the spot where Wimpy's once stood; on the last day of the old eatery, faithful breakfast customers signed a pledge to return the day the bank opened; word got back to bank officials, who sent out invitations to the signers, who return for breakfast; Billie J. Lewis, who operated Wimpy's, is present with a cook crew to fry eggs and bacon.

1949

Cape Girardeau County will be the guidepost for Missouri education Tuesday, when voters go to the polls to decide in the first such election in the state whether they should consolidate 73 small school districts into three enlarged districts under the sweeping provisions of a reorganization plan; the eyes of the state will be turned on the county to see the outcome.

Publication of The Southeast Missourian newspaper is delayed this afternoon because of a walkout of six members of the composing room force, those employees who set the news type and advertisements; it is reported that the foreman discharged one of the printers for "insubordination and neglect of duty" and, when the foreman refused to reinstate the worker, the other printers walked out; the printers are members of the local typographical union affiliated with the International Typographical Union.

1924

Cape Girardeau County Republicans will probably send a delegation to the state convention at Springfield instructed to endorse President Coolidge, but that will be as far as they go in endorsing any candidate office holder, say local Republican politicians.

Children attending Trinity Lutheran School, Themis and Frederick streets, are given a thrill at noon when fire breaks out on the roof of the school, probably from a defective flue; many of the youngsters, playing in the schoolyard at the lunch hour, run into the building to rescue their books, but the flames are extinguished by the fire department with little damage being done.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called "From the Morgue" that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.