Out of the past: March 21

1994

After being turned down in Cape Girardeau on March 8, Lady Luck packed up and moved south; the Las Vegas-based company makes a $63.2 million, three-phase pitch to the Scott City Council to locate a gambling boat at the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority.

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education passes a resolution asking voters on June 7 to approve a full waiver of the Proposition C rollback, resulting in a 37-cent property tax increase that would net Cape Girardeau public schools more than $2.75 million in new local and state money; in November the board will ask voters to approve a bond issue for construction of a new elementary school building.

1969

Cape Transit Co. last night extended its deadline for taking the buses off Cape Girardeau streets to June 1; previously, the company said it would discontinue bus service here April 1, unless the city agrees to subsidize it.

A cooperative effort between Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the City of Cape Girardeau should provide some lively entertainment at Capaha Park Lagoon for youthful fishermen this summer; the two groups plan to stock 400 15-inch channel catfish in the popular angling spot Saturday.

1944

With the weather too bad for much farm work, Elam Vangilder and son, Kenneth, were in town yesterday to see the St. Louis Browns start spring training here; the elder Vangilder formerly was a star pitcher with the Browns, and the younger practiced some with the team here last year.

In the lightest municipal vote in years, only 2,228 votes are cast in the primary election nominating candidates for the April 4 general election; nominated are: For mayor, acting Mayor Raymond E. Beckman and Edward L. Drum, four-time mayor of the city; for commissioner, incumbents Frank Batchelor and Philip Steck, and Charles A. Schweer, Lewis H. Butler, Ben F. Ulrich and Silas P. Lail.

1919

The public library is being moved from its old place on the corner of Themis and Spanish streets to the Commercial Club rooms on Themis Street, which is on the ground floor of the Elks Building; new light fixtures and new shelves are being installed; new rugs have been bought, and more reading tables will be obtained for the children; the librarian received about 40 new books recently.

Now that the snow flurries are over and things are warming up, the baseball "bugs" are livening up and talking about getting the game started again as it was before the war; fans in Cape Girardeau are again talking about a league, and reports have it that Jackson and Illmo enthusiasts are also planning to organize teams.

-- Sharon K. Sanders