Out of the past 10/30/04

25 years ago: Oct. 30, 1979

Building a police and fire complex can be an expensive undertaking, the Jackson Board of Aldermen probably has concluded; the board had sent the architect back to the drawing board to scale down his original proposal, but even the more modest version is apparently too expensive.

The Cape Girardeau County Court is expected to consider the questions of issuing county building permits and enacting county zoning shortly after the Nov. 6 special election.

50 years ago: Oct. 30, 1954

The partial reshuffling of duties among city commissioners continues; Commissioner Philip H. Steck, who recently was relieved of his duties as elective head of the police department, is assigned the departments of health and cemeteries, which heretofore have been the responsibility of the commissioner who superintended the fire department; the change removes those assignments from the jurisdiction of Commissioner U.G. Pettigrew, who in turn is given duties as head of public safety.

Weather observers at the State College say the temperature there in the morning dropped to 30 degrees, the first time this season the mercury has fallen below the freezing mark.

75 years ago: Oct. 30, 1929

Earl W. Hodges, first vice president of Lions International and public relations man for the Cities Service Co. of New York City, who is visiting in Cape Girardeau, says, "The stock market slump and the wild scramble on Wall Street is nothing to get unduly excited about."

By special edict, the Jackson Board of Health closes the high school to reduce chances of a smallpox epidemic in the community.

100 years ago: Oct. 30, 1904

The track of the Cape Girardeau and Chester Railroad should be completed between Cape Girardeau and Jackson Wednesday; trains will operate on the road as soon as tracks are completed to Oak Ridge, about Dec. 1.

For several hours Friday night, Gordonville was in the hands of a band of drunken tramps, who burglarized several stores and made attempts at others; in its carousing Saturday morning, a fight was started in which one man was severely beaten, cut and shot; the county sheriff is pursuing the men with a posse of Jackson citizens.

-- Sharon K. Sanders