1997

Opponents of a proposed halfway house say they'll be giving the Cape Girardeau City Council an earful at a public hearing on the proposal tonight; the city's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approving the Gibson Center's request for a rezoning and special use permit to operate the halfway house, which would house 16 to 20 inmates who are within 90 days of their release dates; parents of students at nearby Parkview State School for the Severely Handicapped and residents in the area say they're worried about security risks from the inmates; no guards will patrol the facility, and opponents are concerned about what types of offenders will be living at the center.

More than 70 parents and community leaders attend a hearing at the Gordonville Attendance Center, most in support of keeping the Gordonville school open; the hearing is held so school board members can determine whether parents living in Gordonville's attendance area want their first-, second- and third-graders to attend classes at the center or at South Elementary School, which is scheduled to open next fall for kindergarten through fifth grades.

1972

Tragedies similar to the two occurring this week in New Orleans and Atlanta could happen in Cape Girardeau should a major fire break out in an upper story of any of the five high rise buildings here; according to Acting Fire Chief Richard T. Mahy, the department's aerial truck contains an 85-foot ladder, which could reach seven stories up; the four Towers Complex building at Southeast Missouri State University are 12 stories high and Hirsch Tower on Broadway is 13; May says about the only other alternative, should such a catastrophe occur here, would be to use helicopters to rescue stranded persons above the burning level.

1947

Awakened by the coughing of their two tiny children -- Donna Ann, 1, and Daryel Ray, 2 -- Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Gross, 1528 N. Water St., are able to barely flee with the youngsters before flames envelope the bedroom in which they were sleeping as fire destroys their two-room dwelling at 3 a.m.; none of the family's clothing or furnishings are saved.

1922

Clarence L. Grant, banker of Jackson, is named receiver for the Cape Girardeau Northern Railway by Judge John A. Snider in Common Pleas Court; he succeeds J.W. Fristoe of St. Louis, who tenders his resignation to the court today; the appointment will become effective as soon as a report is filed with the court showing all money taken in and dispersed by Fristoe and approved by the judge.

Merger of the Aladdin Home Loan and Investment Co. of Cape Girardeau with Security Home and Savings Organization of Kansas City, Missouri, is announced by Max J. Wielpuetz, president of Aladdin; the merger has been approved by the state banking department; headquarters of the new company will be in Kansas City, but a district office will be maintained here.

-- Sharon K. Sanders