Out of the past: May 13

1994

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The City of New Madrid is laying out the welcome mat for casino companies looking for a place to dock riverboats; at a special meeting of the New Madrid City Council on Wednesday, members voted unanimously to draft a letter to solicit interested casino and gambling firms to its city.

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department says no improvements are planned at the Interstate 55-Highway 61-34 interchange between Cape Girardeau and Jackson unless there is local support and local financial assistance for the project.

1969

Pupils in the Cape Girardeau Public Schools are participating in the last round of activities before summer vacation; all the schools will be having their play days, achievement assemblies and school parties during the next few weeks; Lorimier School celebrated the coming of summer vacation with a maypole dance Monday afternoon.

Housing of pupils in the Jackson School District will remain much the same as it is at present next year, unless enrollment climbs more than anticipated; this is the recommendation of the administration and is adopted by the school board at its meeting; although several alternatives had been proposed earlier to reduce class size within the building space available, it is decided to make a minimum of changes.

1944

The Mississippi River drops to 37.4 feet at Cape Girardeau at 8 a.m., a fall of four-tenths of a foot in 24 hours; much of the water is off South Main Street between Independence and William streets, and the top of the seawall on Water Street is visible; roads leading from Cape Girardeau into Illinois through the McClure, Illinois, basin still are closed and likely won't be usable for another week.

Cpl. Lester Hobbs, son of L.A. Hobbs of near Advance, Missouri, has been missing in action in the European theater since April 28, according to a telegram received from the War Department by his wife here; the date on which Hobbs was reported missing is the same one when Cpl. John T. Klobe and Pvt. Walter Burgfeld of Jackson were reported killed in the European area; the three received their training together and were sent overseas sometime in January.

1919

W.B. Beauchamp, director general for the Centenary movement to raise $35,000,000 for Methodist missions, speaks in the evening at Centenary Methodist Church, following a dinner served delegates and visitors by the ladies of the church.

The Southeast Missouri Baseball League will open Sunday afternoon; Charleston will meet Cape Girardeau at Fairground Park, and Sikeston will go to Illmo to play the railroaders on their own grounds.

-- Sharon K. Sanders