Out of the past: May 8

1996

The Federal Highway Administration has agreed to spend at least $1 million to launch construction of a Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau this year; U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, announced the funding yesterday from his office in Washington; he said the project could receive as much as $2 million in federal funding this year; the federal agency's decision clears the way for the project to proceed and assures future federal funding to complete the bridge.

A plan to use federal transportation funds to buy St. Vincent's College has been nixed by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission; commissioners decided yesterday which Missouri projects would receive federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act money, which is allocated for transportation enhancement; in February Cape Girardeau applied for $440,000, the entire amount for highways department District 10 projects; that amount, plus a 20% city match, would have paid the balance for the seminary buildings plus 16 acres.

1971

Purchase of a building at 2103 William St., by Vernon E. "Peewee" Rhodes and hist brother, Edwin P. Rhodes, owners and operators of Plaza Tire Service, from the Bunny Bread Co., was followed last week by the start of construction on a new, 12,100-square-foot building for the firm on the south end of the property; it will be used for warehousing services for the company's expanding area tire business.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Plans to widen Highway 61 to four lanes through Sikeston have been announced by the Missouri Highway Commission; the project will begin at the north city limits and extend 3 1/2 miles south on Main Street to the Highway 60 intersection; the roadway will become 52 feet wide compared to the present 20 feet.

1946

F.E. Wright, 57, of Carrollton, Illinois, is being treated at Southeast Hospital for burns he received yesterday, when the seed truck he was driving overturned and caught fire on Highway 61, near Harris Field; the accident occurred when the right hand dual wheels came off the southbound Chevrolet truck near a curve; D.T. Sample of Cape Girardeau, the Rev. M.O. Eisenhauer of Oak Ridge and others, in cars on the highway at the time, pulled Wright out through the broken windshield.

Cape Girardeau city's lawsuit to purchase the traffic bridge through condemnation is formally transferred to Federal Court by Circuit Judge James D. McDowell.

1921

Eugene St. Avit, Independence Street grocer, who suffered a stroke of paralysis while attempting to crank his automobile on South Spanish Street five days ago, dies at Saint Francis Hospital; he never regained consciousness; with him at the time of death is his brother, Dr. John St. Avit, the only near relative who is left to survive him.

The extension of Main Street from Independence to William Street, with the building of the new depot plazas, has restored the main entrance of St. Vincent's Catholic Church to its original importance; for a time, Spanish Street overshadowed Main Street in importance; but now a broad concrete walkway is being built from the new Main Street sidewalk to the church; the terrace and lawn of the church property are being changed to conform with the new conditions and when finished will be very attractive.

-- Sharon K. Sanders