Out of the past: May 10

1998

Carrie Beth Smith, daughter of Steven and Suzanne Smith of Cape Girardeau, was appointed to the Christian Student Ministries Leadership Team at William Jewell College for the 1998-99 academic year; she is a junior studying chemistry at the college; members of the leadership team help minister to students living in the dorm during the school year.

The Gibson Recovery Center has found a new site for a halfway house it wants to operate for state inmates needing drug and alcohol treatment; Cape Girardeau's Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday night on a special use permit being sought to locate the halfway house program in a building at the corner of Sprigg and Independence streets; the owners of the building, George Bockhorst Sr., George Bockhorst Jr. and Loy W. Welker, are seeking the special use permit; George Bockhorst Sr. is a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

1973

Instead of tearing down buildings no longer usable by the congregation of General Baptist Church, two other groups will utilize the historic downtown landmark and nearby recreation building, which was formerly owned by Harris Motor Car Co.; a contract has been made by Free Will Baptist Home Mission Board for purchase of the church at 200 Broadway; and the Cape Girardeau Civic Center last night approved steps toward renovation of the brick-and-cement-block building behind the church at 201 N. Spanish St., to be used as a community recreation and education facility.

The Mississippi River flood sets another record as it becomes 2 months old at Cape Girardeau; today is the 61st day the Mississippi has stood above flood stage here, the longest period on record; the high water, a record itself, went over the city's 32-foot flood stage March 10 and is expected to remain above that mark for a couple more weeks.

1948

In advance of the announcement that the federal government would take over operation of the nation's railroads, local preparations were in readiness should the strike actually occur; the local post office had made arrangements to handle mail by truck; and the Frisco Railroad had already halted shipments of perishables.

A special May Day program for the public schools is held in the afternoon at Houck Stadium; this year, instead of competing against each other, the school groups combine in a festival that features demonstrations in calisthenics, singing games, folk dances and the Maypole dance; the program is under the direction of Ellen Towse, Cape Girardeau Central High School physical education instructor, and Coach Louis Muegge.

1923

Estimates of the cost of paving between the street car tracks on Broadway, from Main to Pacific streets, are being prepared by city engineer Ed Sailer and will be submitted to the City Council at the next meeting; in addition, the wooden paving blocks on Broadway hill, between Main and Lorimier streets, will be removed and replaced with concrete, four inches thick; in the blocks from Middle Street and nearly to Pacific Street, a similar concrete pavement will be laid, taking the place of the wooden blocks, which have always proved objectionable and unsatisfactory.

Police methods of years ago were employed Thursday, when a prisoner in the city jail was set to work on the streets with a ball and chain -- rusty with age -- attached to his ankle to keep him from escaping; the prisoner, accused of a "statutory charge" of transporting a woman here from Arkansas against her will, is working off a fine equal to 35 days in jail.

-- Sharon K. Sanders