Out of the past: Jan. 16

2000

The new school and multi-purpose building adjoining St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson is dedicated in the afternoon; the approximately 32,000-square-foot facility connects onto the St. Paul Church building and faces the old school building across Russell Street; general contractor for the structure was Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson.

Finding interest in a proposed Lutheran high school was simple compared to finding the right location for a permanent home; the Board of Regents for Saxony Lutheran High School looked at 11 different sites before buying a 40-acre tract near Fruitland; the purchase agreement was reached late Friday; the Saxony Lutheran High School Association bought the land for $320,000 from AA Mobile Home Sales in Festus.

1975

Presiding County Court Judge Ervin Hobbs said yesterday he won’t allow the county to enter into any contract for construction of a new jail as long as lawsuits over the matter are pending; Hobbs’ comments came during questioning by Circuit Judge Stanley A. Grimm, who met with the court in special session to discuss the jail cost and site controversy; Cape Girardeau architect Thomas E. Phillips, who has been hired by the county to design the facility, noted the cost of the new facility at the size deemed necessary by law enforcement and judicial officials can’t be built for less than $727,000.

A former Cape Girardeau Board of Education member, Charles E. Weber, yesterday became the first candidate for a seat on the school board; two three-year posts will be filled at the April 8 school election; the incumbents — Thomas L. Meyer and Jerry W. Ford — have yet to file as candidates.

1950

Despite weekend rains, there is mounting belief that with the advent of colder weather the threat of major floods in the Mississippi River south from Cairo, Illinois, has been adverted; still, the Memphis U.S. District Engineer orders a Phase Two flood-fighting mobilization on the Mississippi in the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway area; this is the first such step for that section since the big flood of 1937; patrols continue along low sections of the floodway river-side levee, which protects the vast 131,000-acre basin.

Five candidates for county offices, all on the Republican ticket, file their candidacies, first placing their names with the central committee and then filing with the county clerk; all five are candidates for re-election: Edwin J. Sander, clerk of the County Court; Raymond H. Vogel, prosecuting attorney; W.P. Caruthers, county treasurer; Ted R. Regenhardt, county collector; and W.P. Crites, county judge of the first district.

1925

Otto J. Koch, proprietor of Delta Moto Co. at Delta, is in critical condition at a local hospital after suffering severe burns late yesterday afternoon when a gasoline tank he was repairing on a dredge boat, three miles south of Delta, exploded; Koch was soldering the tank when the gas in it is believed to have been ignited from the torch he was using; his clothing caught fire, but the fire was extinguished by employees of the boat, who were nearby.

Thieves during the night enter the office of Illmo Press Brick Co. at Illmo, the second time in 10 days, and carry away an adding machine and a typewriter valued at more than $250; using a skeleton key to open the front doors, the burglars remove the machines without molesting anything else in the office.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.