Out of the past: Nov. 17

1998

The architectural company designing Jackson's proposed multipurpose building has been asked to scale back its initial drawings; the city committee overseeing the study asked Hastings and Chivetta Architects Inc. to revise the $17 million to $20 million plan recently submitted to the committee to a design that would cost $10 million to $11 million; that figure is based on calculations of the amount the city's sales tax can support; the smaller building still would, among other things, offer a venue for 3,000 to 4,000 people to watch basketball, volleyball and wrestling; it would include a leisure swimming pool, a walking track, meeting rooms and space for exercise and weightlifting.

Convicted murderer Jerome Mallett is one day closer to a date with death; on Monday, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis affirmed Mallett's conviction and death sentence for the 1985 murder of Missouri state trooper James Froemsdorf in Perry County; Mallett could ask that all of the 8th Circuit appellate judges review the case.

1973

Making a brief stopover in Cape Girardeau last night, en route to the Republican Governor's Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, Missouri Gov. Christopher S. Bond criticized Senate opponents of state government reorganization at Southeast Missouri State University before a crowd of over 500 students in Academic Auditorium; "Our state government structure now is a real hindrance to efficiency," Bond said, "and law in Missouri is more loophole than law."

The almost certain forthcoming decision by the County Court to authorize construction of the proposed county law enforcement complex at Cape Girardeau, instead of in the county seat of Jackson, has the blessing of Missouri Attorney General John C. Danforth; in a 1971 opinion, Danforth said, because Cape Girardeau County has two courthouses -- one at Jackson and Common Pleas at Cape Girardeau -- the jail can be erected anywhere in the county; it's been said the County Court is contemplating constructing the facility on the County Farm property.

1948

A unanimous vote to attempt to retain a public school in Old Appleton was given at a recent meeting called by the public school board of directors; however, if consolidation of small district schools becomes mandatory, another vote indicated that all were in favor of consolidation with the Jackson School District rather than with Oak Ridge.

In line with the recent move making the WAVES a permanent part of the Navy, the local Naval Reserve Training Center is taking steps to organize a Wave association to parallel the local reserve unit; a mass meeting will be held Saturday evening at the Training Center at the municipal airport to organize the Wave Reserve unit.

1923

A branch office of the Secretary of State's department from which license plates for automobiles will be issued will be established in Cape Girardeau next year; the increasing number of vehicles in this section makes it necessary to have a branch office similar to ones in large cities in the state.

Blucher Sperling, deputy state oil inspector, and former county clerk of Cape Girardeau County, plans to move from Jackson to Cape Girardeau; the Sperlings are already looking for a home here.

-- Sharon K. Sanders