Out of the past: Sept. 7

1998

Labor Day. Contributors throughout Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky help raise $324,915 for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon; that surpasses last year's total of $322,618; the telethon runs locally on KFVS-TV, which broadcasts from sites in both Cape Girardeau and Marion, Illinois.

ST. LOUIS -- Mark McGwire's 61st home run sends baseball fans in St. Louis into a cheering, horn-honking frenzy; as McGwire rounds the bases after tying Roger Maris' record in the first inning, Busch Stadium gives him an ovation that lasts well into the at-bat of teammate Ray Lankford; in celebration McGwire lifts his son, 10-year-old Matthew, into his arms and carries him several steps after crossing home plate; the Cardinals defeat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2.

1973

The 25-day strike by Carpenters Local 1770 is nearing an end; on Thursday, the union and the Southeast Missouri Contractors Association tentatively agreed to submit the issue to binding arbitration; William S. Rader, union attorney, says agreement was reached to have arbitrators determine a wage increase between limits of 65 cents and $1 an hour over a three-year contract period.

Labor-saving ideas for the dairy farmer -- especially in forage handling -- were closely inspected by about 200 area farmers during the second Dairy Forage Day yesterday on the Clem Schabbing dairy farm west of Cape Girardeau; the event was sponsored by approximately 30 agriculture-related businesses and the University of Missouri Extension Division centers in eight area counties.

1948

Cape Girardeau school children return to their classrooms for the preliminaries of enrollment and are dismissed before noon for their last brief respite before full-time classwork gets underway tomorrow morning; enrollment in the public schools is 63 under the opening day a year ago, but superintendent Louis J. Schultz and principals agree that the rainy weather kept some children away.

The district Marine Corps recruiting office announces that former Women Marine Reservists, who served in the Corps during World War II, may now enlist in the regular Marine Corps; the Women's Armed Forces Integration Act has authorized women as a permanent part of the National Defense Establishment.

1923

The first bale of the 1923 cotton crop in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties comes to Cape Girardeau; driving his truck loaded with the staple through the heart of the business district, J.H. Grindstaff of near Oran, Missouri, earns the distinction of bringing the first bale of raw cotton to Cape Girardeau since Civil War days; it is also the first cotton to be ginned in the new gin of the Cape Mill Manufacturing Co.; Grindstaff receives a $25 check from the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce for his feat.

Stock breeders of Cape Girardeau County, who will enter stock in the Cape Fair here Sept. 18 to 22, are interested in the announcement made by officials that a 1 1/2-inch water main has been installed at Fairground Park to supply stock with water during the fair; formerly, a 1/2-inch water main was used for this purpose, and five hydrants were on the line.

-- Sharon K. Sanders