Out of the past 12/31/01

10 years ago: Dec. 31, 1991

Marble Hill - Group of Bollinger County residents is upset about what it calls inadequate bookkeeping procedures in county government; about 40 residents met Monday as result of county's refusal to pay Sheriff Dan Mesey his December salary; county commissioners told Mesey that due to accounting error, he won't be paid for December.

Jackson - Cape Girardeau County's 1992 general revenue budget is up just 2.9 percent over this year, something Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep says is due to need to watch expenditures carefully until economy begins to turn around.

25 years ago: Dec. 31, 1976

Winter lands its most vicious blow in nearly five years in Cape Girardeau with Arctic blast that sends mercury tumbling to 2 degrees below zero; it is the first time since Dec. 21, 1973, when temperature hit minus 1, that Cape Girardeau has experienced subzero weather.

New business construction increased more than five-fold and home and apartment building climbed by one-third in Cape Girardeau during 1976; building permits were issued this year for 436 projects ranging from department stores to carports and carrying total declared cost of $15,220,322.

50 years ago: Dec. 31, 1951

Sikeston - Charles D. Matthews III, Sikeston banker and member of prominent land-owning family of Southeast Missouri, died at St. Louis hospital Saturday following month's illness; Matthews was born in Sikeston March 11, 1907, son of Mrs. Catherine Lennox Matthews and C.D. Matthews Jr.; he is survived by his wife, former Dorothy Lillard of Arlington, Ky.; daughter, Dorothy Matthews, and son, C.D. Matthews IV; his stepmother, grandmother, sister and uncle.

For third consecutive year construction in Cape Girardeau in 1951 broke all existing records and for second year in row rose above $2,000,000 mark on declared value of permits; record-shattering amount was $2,425,423, compared with $2,097,645 spent year before.

75 years ago: Dec. 31, 1926

Louis Hecht announces he will build magnificent new store building on Main street; he has hired firm from Grand Rapids, Mich., to draw up plans for structure; current Hecht store will be moved to room now occupied by barber shop; barbers will vacate tomorrow, and room will be completely modernized.

New Year holiday will be partially observed in Cape Girardeau by business establishments and office; while some proprietors will keep their places open due to usual custom and because day falls on Saturday, other places will observe opening of New Year by remaining closed part or all of the day.

- Sharon K. Sanders