Out of the past: May 23

1997

The bridge over Cape LaCroix Creek on South Sprigg Street was opened to travelers yesterday afternoon; for the last 14 months, construction on South Sprigg, then on the bridge, kept commuters from taking a direct route on Sprigg from Southern Expressway to points south; the city spent $460,000 building the new bridge and $585,000 on elevating the section of Sprigg north of the bridge.

Cape Girardeau moviegoers will have to settle for first-run movies this summer; Kerasotes Theaters, owner of Broadway Theatre, is shutting down the single-screen movie house for the summer to cut costs; the Broadway has been showing second-run movies since 1992.

1972

LUTESVILLE, Mo. -- The search continues in the heavily wooded hills southeast of here for a man who robbed Bollinger County Bank of nearly $10,000 yesterday afternoon; arriving outside the Lutesville bank shortly after 2 p.m. in a car stolen in Cape Girardeau, the lone masked bandit held bank employees at gunpoint as a teller stuffed a canvas bag with $9,410; the robber then fled south on Highway 51.

Dr. Robert C. Briner, director of the Law Enforcement Assistance Council's regional crime laboratory at State College, will head a new section of forensic science to be joined with the Missouri Academy of Science; Briner said the new section of the Missouri Academy will serve as a means of communication among forensic scientists in Missouri.

1947

The playground board has appointed S.R. and Ruth Peterson co-directors of the summer playground program, which will begin June 2; both directors have considerable experience in playground activities and instruction of young people.

Colonial Tavern, undated postcard.Southeast Missourian archive

Frank Armstrong and Ross Lemons of Sikeston, Missouri, have purchased the food department at Colonial Tavern from Alvin Sanders, taking over the business Wednesday; Mrs. R.G. Busch of Cape Girardeau, a sister of Lemons, will manage the department, and Frank Peters, a chef who has been employed at the Rustic Rock establishment in Sikeston, is the Colonial's new chef.

1922

Members of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education decided last night the Cape Girardeau public school system won't be linked in any way with the Community Service plan being organized here; a report had been circulated that the school system and the Community Service would combine in securing and paying the salary of a physical education director, so the school directors took definite action to clear up such rumors.

Contract for the construction of an apartment house to cost $12,000, to be built on the southeast corner of Broadway and Henderson Avenue, was awarded to the W.W. Taylor & Sons Construction Co. last night; the apartments will be built by Bess Kilgore, owner of the lot.

-- Sharon K. Sanders