Out of the past: Nov. 13

1995

Cape Girardeau's Convention and Visitors Bureau wants new offices, but Mayor Al Spradling III doesn't think the City Council should rush ahead with plans to build a $250,000 building for the CVB; the budget has earmarked money for the project, but Spradling says the council will have to approve any design work before the project can proceed.

Volunteer firefighters respond to a fire in the afternoon at the home of Scott City police officer Stacy Gilmore; no one is injured in the blaze, which destroys the back part of the house at 203 Dearborn St.

1970

A number of suggestions were made yesterday at a meeting of Cape Girardeau business and professional men, city and Chamber of Commerce officials, to improve the flow of traffic on Broadway; among the proposals were removing traffic lights on Broadway at Fountain and at Perry; activating signal lights at Caruthers only during hours when heavily used by school children; prohibiting double parking; rerouting trucks off Broadway, and urging the city to continue attempts to improve and extend New Madrid from Kingshighway to North Sprigg and, if possible, to North Main.

Standard Oil Co. has purchased two lots at Broadway and Harmony, just west of the present retail gasoline outlet operated by the company; the tracts were acquired from E.P. Bock.

1945

These are moving days at The Missourian in an expansion program which will eventually see the newspaper and printing company occupy the entire building for the first time since it was built 20 years ago; first to move is the photo engraving department, which is leaving its former quarters in an annex on the south side of the building and moving to the second floor; also moving to the second floor will be the news department and composing room; a freight elevator is being installed to help with the move of Linotype machines and other heavy equipment.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Ray E. Beckman receives a letter from William O. DeWitt, vice president and business manager of the St. Louis Browns, requesting spring training facilities here for the Browns' Springfield, Illinois, club of the Three-I League and other clubs; the Browns, who trained here the past three springs, will train this spring at Anaheim, California, and the Toledo, Ohio, Mud Hens will train in San Antonio, Texas.

1920

Residents of Alexander County, Illinois, are asking the federal government to protect their lands from submersion by the Mississippi River; a petition addressed to Illinois Cong. E.E. Denison has been signed by nearly all county residents, and by many here, saying immediate repairs must be made to the levee, built several years ago at the lower end of Devil Island, to prevent 10,000 acres of farms from being flooded in times of high water.

Fred A. "Daddy" Kain is making preparations to open his new restaurant on Independence Street, east of Main, on Thanksgiving Day; his Stucco Restaurant will feed the poor children of the city on that day, a tradition he began several years ago.

-- Sharon K. Sanders