Out of the past: Oct. 29

1999

There’s no room at the mall; West Park Mall’s available space is 100% leased for the first time in its 18-year history, which means consumers will have access to a total of 106 retail outlets at the mall this holiday season.

President Bill Clinton’s veto of a crime bill threatens efforts to relocate the Southeast Missouri Crime Lab; the vetoed bill included $500,000 to refurbish and remodel a building at Ellis and Merriwether streets that has been used as a warehouse by Southeast Missouri State University’s facilities management department; the remodeled structure would serve as the new crime lab; currently, the lab occupies an old house on Henderson Avenue.

1974

For the first time in six years, Cape Girardeau County likely won’t be forced to borrow money to see it through the end of the year; County Auditor H. Weldon Macke recommended Monday that the County Court transfer $40,000 from the road and bridge budget into the general revenue fund and gave an optimistic report on the county’s financial condition as the year draws to a close.

Dr. Jean A. Chapman, Cape Girardeau County health officer, urging the adoption of a 10-cent tax levy to support a county health unit, compares the county today, which has no such agency, to a city without a fire department; he speaks at a forum conducted by the League of Women Voters and the Cape County Advisory Health Council at Cape Girardeau Central High School auditorium; joining him on the panel are Betty Ross, public health nurse; Marvin Campbell, county sanitarian; O.D. Niswonger, president of the advisory council; and Charlotte Craig, public health nurse in the Scott County Public Health Unit.

1949

Albert M. Spradling Jr., Cape Girardeau’s city attorney, has been elected president of the Kiwanis Club; he succeeds Narvol A. Randol and, with other officers and board members, will take office early in the new year; A.S. Reed was elected vice president, and Leo A. Rasche was named treasurer; elected to the board of directors were Clarence Suedekum, Lou Maxey, Harry Looney and Glenn Hibbard.

Work is proceeding favorably in construction of new Highway 61 south of Cape Girardeau, with piers for the approach to the new bridge over the Diversion Channel going up and the fill for the higher route being made; according to George E. Shelton Jr., construction engineer for R.B. Potashnick, the general contractor, the work isn’t expected to be finished until next summer.

1924

Preliminary steps in the re-pavement of Themis Street, between Main and Spanish streets are taken in the morning when a crew of workers starts tearing up the old surface of wooden blocks; this block was one of the first paved in Cape Girardeau, and the blocks were laid a number of years ago; for the lasts several years the street has been rough owing to the swelling and buckling of the pavers after heavy rains.

Dr. Arthur W. Nelson, Democratic candidate for governor of Missouri, arrives in Cape Girardeau late in the afternoon with his wife; meetings will be held simultaneously at the Park Theater on Broadway and in the assembly room of the Common Pleas Courthouse tonight; Nelson will address one gathering and then the other; James F. Fulbright, the Democratic candidate for congressman in the 14th District, will address the same gatherings opposite Nelson.

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.