Out of the past: May 1

1990

The issue of flood protection for the Red Star residential area near the Mississippi River came up during yesterday's Mississippi River Commission hearing; addressing the commission, Cape Girardeau Mayor Gene Rhodes asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the flooding problem along the north side of Sloan's Creek.

A federal appeals court in St. Louis remands the lingering Westborough mall zoning dispute back to a lower court to decide the issue of damages; the three-judge appeals panel sent the case back to U.S. District Judge George F. Gunn with instructions to hold proceedings "to decide whether and to what extent Westborough suffered damages" as a result of the actions of W.G. Lawley, former Cape Girardeau city manager.

1965

The airport board has received approval of plans for the installation of TVOR navigational facilities at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport; TVOR, which stands for terminal visual omni-range, would reduce the present landing minimums of 1-mile visibility with an 800-foot ceiling to a 600-foot minimum.

Leonard J. Rehg, Cape Girardeau district manager of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., has been honored after 40 years of service in a career that began April 27, 1925; Rehg was presented with the company's service emblem by Norman S. Stuckey, division commercial manager.

1940

Spring tornadoes slashed three Southeast Missouri counties overnight, killing at least three people, injuring dozens of others and causing property damage that may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars; hard hit in Scott County were the twin towns of Illmo and Fornfelt, as well as Chaffee.

Jackson has a 1940 population of 3,111, says district census enumerator W.G. Wicker; the town showed an increase of 646 over the 1930 count; Wicker announces the population of several other Southeast Missouri towns as well: Marble Hill, 421; Illmo, 1,235; Deering, 185; and Risco, 429; Marble Hill's count is exactly the same as recorded in 1930.

1915

The Cape Choral Club will sing "The Messiah" tonight at the Normal School, the three St. Louis soloists having arrived in the morning; they are Gertrude Finley, soprano; Mrs. Franklyn Knight, contralto; and Louis Templeman, baritone; conducting the production will be Mabel Flint.

The congregation of Centenary Methodist Church had expected to have the formal opening of its new church the first week of May, but services have had to be postponed; Easter services were held at the new edifice.

-- Sharon K. Sanders