Out of the past 8/16/03

10 years ago: Aug. 16, 1993

Cape Girardeau County Commission votes to lift curfew, which prohibited nonresidents from entering flooded areas of Cape Girardeau without permit; curfew, which commission ordered effective July 10, will be lifted at 6 p.m. tomorrow; Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep admits curfew was controversial, but believes it was successful at protecting property owners from looting, vandalism and sightseers.

In wake of this year's devastating flood, Cape Girardeau city administration wants voters to authorize nearly $19 million in sewer improvements; at meeting of city council, assistant city manager Al Stoverink unveils proposal that would enable city to separate combined sanitary and storm sewers in older parts of town.

25 years ago: Aug. 16, 1978

Cairo, Ill. -- With less than week remaining before start of school, Cairo Association of Teachers voted last night to strike against Cairo Board of Education, which refuses to recognize group; pickets go up in morning in front of Cairo Public Schools; vote followed special school board meeting, attended by many teachers, at which board reaffirmed its stand against recognition of association as bargaining agent for Cairo teachers.

Members of city council find new law objectionable which permits electioneering within 25 feet of polling place; Mayor Paul W. Stehr protested new law at Tuesday's study session, saying he would like to write area legislators asking that previous 100-foot minimum be restored.

50 years ago: Aug. 16, 1953

The Rev. Thomas J. Wesner, C.M., assistant pastor of St. Vincent's Church in charge of Holy Family Church, will leave Cape Girardeau later this month for Perryville, where he will take up his duties as assistant pastor of Assumption and St. Boniface parishes; Wesner has been assigned to Cape Girardeau church since 1948.

The Rev. W.H. Davis, formerly of Mitchell, S.D., and new pastor of Church of the Nazarene in Cape Girardeau, gives his first sermons at morning and evening services; Davis has served as pastor at Atlanta, Ga., and Henrietta, Okla.; he also has served as Church of the Nazarene district superintendent of state of Georgia, and has been occupying same post in South Dakota.

75 years ago: Aug. 16, 1928

Charles Knight, 28, employee of construction company laying pavement for traffic bridge, is drowned in Mississippi River shortly before noon when he falls from Span 8 of bridge; river is dragged for distance around where he drops into water, but body has yet to be found; this is first fatality to occur during construction of bridge which started 18 months ago.

Federal government will spend $60,800,000 in flood-control work on Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau and mouth of Arkansas River, under terms of Jadwin plan approved this week by President Coolidge; plan entails a riverside floodway from Bird's Point to New Madrid; it was opposed by landowners of Mississippi County at hearing held at New Madrid two months ago and at other gatherings since.

-- Sharon K. Sanders