Out of the past 7/1/06

25 years ago: July 1, 1981

Planned construction of a new bridge on Independence Street over Cape LaCroix Creek is welcomed by most people, because it means the elimination of a long-standing traffic bottleneck; but officials of the Cape LaCroix-Walker Creek Levee and Drainage District fear the new span will eliminate a beneficial bottleneck -- the retention of water north of the bridge which prevents flooding downstream from Independence Street.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Daily Standard, the afternoon newspaper here, has been sold to Thomson Newspapers Inc. of Des Plaines, Ill.; the Standard had been owned by the same family since 1913, when it was bought by Charles Blanton, grandfather of the current publisher, Charles Blanton III.

50 years ago: July 1, 1956

Clyde Vandivort, 12, of Cape Girardeau is presented the "God and Country" Award during the morning worship service at Christ Episcopal Church; the award is one of the highest honors in Boy Scouting; Vandivort is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Vandivort.

At the conclusion of three weeks of intensive solicitation, a total of $130,225 has been pledged to the Cape Osteopathic Hospital building campaign.

75 years ago: July 1, 1931

According to Mayor Edward L. Drum, a police officer will be placed on duty at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway to handle traffic during heavy traffic hours each day; this follows a conference between members of the city council and Main Street merchants yesterday; the merchants had petitioned to have an electric traffic signal installed at the intersection, but this idea has been abandoned, says the mayor.

Construction has started by R.A. Noland, contractor, on a one-story building just west of Perry Avenue on West Broadway, which will be occupied as a root beer stand.

100 years ago: July 1, 1906

The season of Sunday evening union services begins at the courthouse lawn in Cape Girardeau, with members of the town's Protestant churches uniting for worship; the Rev. E.T. Adams, pastor of the Methodist church, delivers the first sermon for the season, and his choir furnishes special music.

A tremendous crowd attended the lot sale at Marble City Heights yesterday; every lot put upon the market was sold; in all, the sales amounted to 24 lots, and after the regular sale, four lots were resold by the purchasers.

-- Sharon K. Sanders