Out of the past: May 31

1997

Many streets in Cape Girardeau and Jackson ran with water last night, after more than 3 inches of rain drenched parts of Cape Girardeau County; the Jackson Police Department reported at 9:30 p.m. that some streets in the city were impassible because of water from the heavy downpours; in Cape Girardeau water was over portions of Perryville Road, Main, Good Hope and Melrose; a small mobile home park near Hopper Road and Kingshighway was evacuated.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- When former Gov. Warren E. Hearnes resigns Sunday as executive director of Southeast Missouri Legal Services Inc., he plans to spend a lot of his new-found free time on the fairways; Hearnes, 73, spent over 40 years in public service, including eight as Missouri governor; his position with Legal Services will be filled by Lew Polivick, 39, of Sikeston, Missouri.

1972

The John L. Wescoat Marina at Trail of Tears State Park won't be open until the spring of 1973 -- and it will be considerably smaller than originally planned, the Southeast Missourian learns; the contract to be awarded next month calls for 94 small boat berths instead of the 150 projected about a year ago by Joseph P. Jaeger, director of state parks; the contract also doesn't include the originally proposed concession building at which boating supplies, including gasoline, would be sold.

The Cape Girardeau Municipal band opens its 46th season of summer concerts in the park with a performance in the Capaha Park band shell; featured at the concert is the Bill Ewing Jazz Quartet; Edward Adams conducts the muny band.

1947

Cape Girardeau County, moving into the prevalent season for infantile paralysis, will do so without a cent in the local chapter's treasury, says Albert M. Spradling, county chairman of the National Infantile Paralysis Foundation; the local chapter gave aid to 31 patients who contracted polio from mid-July through November last year, spending $22,500 sent here by the foundation; that financial aid was sought only after funds raised locally early in the year had been exhausted.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Local residents attended a Memorial Day program yesterday, when a stone memorial in Circle Park, bearing the names of the dead of the two World Wars, was unveiled and dedicated; the memorial has the names of six men from World War I and 21 from the recent war.

1922

The American Legion will hold its annual picnic at Fairground Park, July 4; President A.P. Behrens of the Cape Girardeau Baseball Association has relinquished all claims to the park on that day, settling an argument between Legion members and the City Council as to disposition of the grounds.

The Cape Girardeau City Council passes an ordinance providing for a tax of $50 per trip on all excursion steamboats that operate out of Cape Girardeau.

-- Sharon K. Sanders