Out of the past: May 26

1995

The Mississippi River dropped to 45.5 feet yesterday after reaching a crest Wednesday of 46.7 feet, 14.7 feet above flood stage; the National Weather Service says, if the weather pattern holds the next two weeks, the river will drop to 30 feet by Riverfest weekend, June 9 and 10; however, if the forecast for flash flooding during Memorial Day weekend proves accurate, the flooding situation could change overnight.

Two Cape Girardeau County towns along Interstate 55 want interchanges, but only one will get an interchange during the next 20 years; vying for the improvement are Oak Ridge and Jackson; county commissioners feel they are being asked to make the call, deciding where the highway commission does its work.

1970

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce last night elected a slate of officers for the coming year and heard a report on the state Legislature from Rep. Marvin E. Proffer; the chamber re-elected Larry A. Nowak as president, Dorothy Illers as secretary and Jerry Sneed as treasurer; Warren Wilson was newly elected as vice president.

Preliminary work has started on the extension of Independence Street from where the street now ends near the National Guard Armory on East Rodney to Mount Auburn Road as part of plans for development of a new subdivision in the Rodney Vista area; the street is being built by the subdivision developers, Loy E. Crites, LeRoy R. Roper and Charles N. Harris.

1945

Cape Girardeau's summer playground program will get underway Monday at Fairground Park; the playground for the black children will be at the John S. Cobb School grounds; both playgrounds will operate Monday through Friday; Coach Louis Muegge of Cape Girardeau Central High School is supervising the program, which will run for 11 weeks.

Ill for three months, Rudolph W. Stehr, 78, widely known Cape Girardeau man, dies of complications and infirmities of advanced age at his home, 223 S. Pacific St.; he is survived by his wife, the former Barbara Franz; three sons, Edgar R., Elmer C. and William F. Stehr, all of Cape Girardeau; five grandchildren; three sisters and a brother.

1920

The failure of Ernestine Schumann-Heink to appear in Cape Girardeau yesterday for a concert remains a complete mystery; The Missourian has wired the New York office, which contracted for her appearance, asking for an explanation; no reply to it or a letter has been received.

There will be no jury assembled for this term of Common Pleas Court, members of the bar unanimously agreeing to let all jury cases go over to the next term of court; in this way, the farmer jurors and witnesses won't be taken away from their work, which has been delayed several weeks by inclement weather.

-- Sharon K. Sanders