YEAR IN REVIEW: FALL MARKS START OF TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO MIDEAST

(The following "Year in Review" articles were compiled by Sharon Sanders, Southeast Missourian librarian. The remainder of the months will be published in the coming days.)

SEPTEMBER

2. Alaska man, claiming police and George Bush were out to kill him, led law enforcement officers on three-county high speed chase Friday that started in Cape Girardeau and ended at Fredericktown Wal-Mart store.

Twenty-fifth annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon kicks off in evening; event is broadcast locally on KFVS Channel 12 from West Park Mall.

Ullin, Ill. Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson dedicated new 10,000-square-foot District 22 State Police Headquarters in Ullin Friday.

4. Twenty-fifth annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon raised approximately $219,000 in district and $44,172,186 nationwide.

Cape Nutrition Center has applied for participation in state program to help obtain financial assistance to build permanent home; center is currently housed in leased building at 232 Broadway.

Benton West Lake Quarry and Material Co. has withheld its consent of two lease agreements with tenants at Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority, forcing port's board of commissioners to seek declaratory judgment in Scott County Circuit Court.

Students swelter in hot classrooms on opening day of new academic year for public schools in Cape; classes will dismiss early Wednesday because of high temperatures.

5. About 40 residents of southeast Cape marched to City Council meeting Tuesday to show support for proposal to clean up blighted area aligning with Fountain Street; group also favors plan to provide low-income public housing in area.

City Council yesterday voted unanimously to endorse Cape Nutrition Center's application of Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program, which would allow businesses to take income-tax credits for donations toward center; organizers for center would like to set up housekeeping in new facility.

Ground was broken Tuesday for nature center and regional headquarters for Missouri Department of Conservation in Cape County North Park.

6. National Weather Service says relief is on way for nearly 2-week-old heat wave that has forced educators to shorten school day for many area students; cool front is expected to push into area Friday, bringing more seasonal temperatures and chance of rain.

Annual United Way campaign was kicked off Wednesday; goal this year is $500,000.

Airport Advisory Board has approved conditional recommendation that city build new terminal building at Municipal Airport.

7. U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson announced Thursday that Southeast Missouri State University will receive $120,000 federal grant to help fund special services for "at-risk" students.

Tougher water-quality standards designed to better protect public health and state's water supply will take effect in January.

Final preparations are being made for Southeast Missouri District Fair; for first time, midway will be open for rides Saturday afternoon; some of concessions will also be open for business.

9. Intense lightning, dead tree and burned jumper wire on high-voltage distribution utility line are blamed for power outages that occurred in Cape area late Friday afternoon and mid-day Saturday.

Ben Knight, director of this year's District Fair, says he hopes cool, wet weather that has threatened attendance at past fairs will dodge Arena Park this week; rain Friday and Saturday actually helped fairgrounds, bringing with it slightly cooler temperatures.

Bertrand Construction worker from Mississippi County is hiding from Iraqi military in Kuwait and has been for more than month; Randall Warren went to Kuwait seven years ago when R.B. Potashnick Construction Co. won highway construction contract there.

10. Carrie Suedekum, who has been helping with District Fair for nearly 50 years, is parade marshal for this year's event; this is 50th year fair is being held at Arena Park.

Cape Junior Optimist Club has been awarded George Washington Medal from Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for excellence in community service.

Local veterinarians say flea infestation this year, and animal and human misery associated with it, is worst here in at least five years.

11. Patrick Houston of Cape has been given seven-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter in drunken driving death of 85-year-old Martin Haupt; Haupt was killed June 16, when car Houston was driving struck him as he operated riding mower in front of his house.

Monday morning's rain apparently didn't make bit of difference at District Fair, which drew estimated 7,000 people; cooler, fall-like temperatures and more rain are expected as week progresses.

Gordon Epps, Nevada, Mo., city official, has accepted job of Cape's new personnel and risk-management director.

12. Missouri education officials have unveiled education reform plan for 1990s that emphasizes what students actually learn in classroom, called Missourians Prepared.

Extension of Jackson's Main Street to County Road 618 north of Cape and Nash Road from Mississippi River to Interstate 55 were two of priority highway needs discussed by group of area officials Tuesday.

Study done by university student shows that it is less expensive to live in Cape than in St. Louis; study emphasizes housing and cost of services utilized by households.

13. Several Democrats interested in becoming members of Missouri Senate are anxiously waiting to hear whether Sen. Stephen Sharp will be appointed to judicial post that will open later this month; among those interested is Wayne Cryts of Puxico.

Rebecca M. Cook, Cape attorney and president of Washington School PTA, has been appointed to Missouri State Board of Education by Gov. John Ashcroft.

University's Faculty Senate is considering proposal which would have students buy their textbooks rather them rent them.

14. Delta Classes in Delta R-5 School district were canceled Thursday after vandals broke into bus garage Wednesday night and spray painted five of district's seven school buses; earlier this week, vandals broke into school's vocational agricultural building.

Colonial Savings & Loan Association is one of 65 savings and loan associations which were put on sales block this week by Resolution Trust Corp., federal agency that disposes of financially troubled S&Ls.

Unless there is significant precipitation in watersheds of Missouri and upper Mississippi rivers this fall, good times on Mississippi for past 9 months will end; river in Cape is dropping fast and Thursday was 12.7 feet.

16. Jackson For ninth consecutive year, Cape County Commission has set general revenue property tax levy for county at zero.

Teen Activity Center is hoping proposal to become association of city's Parks and Recreation Department will allay permanent closure of financially strapped organization.

Fair officials were smiling Saturday as 18,567 people visited fairgrounds on final day of annual event; official attendance for week totaled 78,208, just under last year's total of 80,650.

17. Twenty-year-old Cape man, Russell S. McLain, died Sunday from injuries received in motorcycle accident at Main and Fifth streets.

More than 100 cars, from carriage-like antique autos to brightly painted hot-rod Chevys, turned Capaha Park into paradise for car collectors and enthusiasts Sunday during 13th annual River City Rodders Car Show.

Leaders of Teen Activity Center, who wish center to become associated with Parks and Recreation Department, are told that city has no facilities available to house center; it is suggested that center pool its efforts with Civic Center, which already has many of same youth programs established.

18. Walt Wildman, associate director of Interstate 66 Project Inc., believes that federal funding for feasibility study for coast-to-coast highway will likely be included in next year's budget.

Scott City Police Personnel Board is asking Scott City Council to raise salaries of its police officers, after officer resigns from force, third to do so in five months.

Year after Cape Central High School Athletic Task Force delivered list of written recommendations to Cape Board of Education, task force again meets to update its members on status of those recommendations; committee finds that all points in recommendations are being, or have been, addressed, with exception of marketing plan.

19. Report prepared for Missouri Senate committee shows that eight Southeast Missouri counties, including Cape, likely to experience most damage from major earthquake along New Madrid Fault are generally unprepared for such disaster.

Motorists traveling between Cape and Jackson will find it easier-going soon as asphalt paving work on Highway 61 project should be completed within next two weeks.

Paul Ricker, senior staff member with Missourians for Higher Education, visits Cape, soliciting support for proposed tax hike earmarked for higher education; proposal would increase state funding for higher education by $367 billion.

20. Cairo, Ill. One-hundred-thirty-five members of 1244th Transportation Company of Illinois National Guard in Cairo have been called up for active duty in support of U.S. military activity in Persian Gulf.

VIP Industries Inc., city's primary processor of recyclable materials, says it will cut back operations Sept. 29 because of deteriorated market conditions.

American Red Cross, forced to move out of A.C. Brase Arena Building, has found new home for its monthly blood drives at Holiday Inn Convention Center; plans to renovate City Hall gym into City Council chambers have shifted recreational activities there to Arena Building, forcing out Red Cross.

21. Jackson Effort to convince Missouri Highway and Transportation Department officials to build exit off Interstate 55 at Oak Ridge has gained support of County Commission.

Perryville City of Perryville will receive $1.3 million federal grant from Economic Development Administration, which will allow city to expand length of runway at Perryville Municipal Airport and to construct 8-inch water line to airport and two industries located near it.

Forecast of December earthquake along New Madrid Fault is partly prompting city of Cape to offer earthquake home-preparedness seminar next month.

23. Cairo, Ill. Members of 1244th Transportation Company of Illinois National Guard here leave for Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, their first stop on journey that may eventually land them in Persian Gulf.

With trash bags in hand, 67 volunteers hit streets Saturday to help clean up southeast Cape; volunteers responded to plea for community involvement in bettering blighted areas of neighborhood.

Newly formed corporation on Monday will seek City Council's endorsement of application to state program that would help group establish "safe house" here for women.

Pilot flying into Cape Municipal Airport for Aviation Days and Air Shows unexpectedly becomes part of show; left landing gear on plane flown by Don Torinni collapses when he attempts to land, but pilot is uninjured.

24. Aide to U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson suggests that negative political advertising by campaign of Emerson challenger Russ Carnahan could keep two candidates from meeting at debate podium.

Section of Bellridge Pike connecting Woodland Hills Subdivision with rest of street officially opened to traffic Friday.

East Prairie East Prairie Fire Department spokesman says series of early-morning fires Sunday here were most likely arson and are thought to be connected; department responded to four hours in less than one hour.

25. About 14 census workers begin recounting sections of about 25 Southeast Missouri cities, including Cape, where municipalities have challenged preliminary census figures; Cape officials have challenged about 90 of 685 census blocks.

Much-debated Lexington arterial project again was focus of contention Monday at public hearing on necessity of street's next phase of construction; while not objecting to street project, attorneys for two property owners along planned corridor claim their clients will be unfairly billed for street.

City investigation has determined that source of apparent gasoline leak in Fountain Street right-of-way is abandoned fuel tank at Rhodes Oil Co., 407 Morgan Oak; underground tank blamed for leak reportedly is owned by John Jones, who leases above-ground equipment at business of Mayor Gene Rhodes' company.

26. Earth rumbles and shakes in parts of six states, causing no major damage but rattling nerves among residents along New Madrid Fault zone; 4.6 magnitude quake is centered near New Hamburg.

Two loans totaling more than $1 million have been awarded to VIP Industries of Cape by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; one loan will help fund 20-unit apartment complex in Perryville for developmentally disabled people and other loan will be used to construct 10-unit group home in Jackson.

Site clearing and foundation work are under way on five-acre tract in Cape County Park where Missouri Conservation Department Regional Headquarters and Nature Center will be built.

Democratic state auditor candidate Connie Hendren berated Democratic Party for its lack of support of her candidacy during campaign stop here Tuesday; she expressed dismay that fewer than dozen Democratic Party members and local officeholders turned out for fund-raising breakfast in Cape Tuesday.

27. Wednesday's earthquake triggered buying spree locally, as residents stocked up on distilled water, batteries, canned food, first aid supplies and home and household insurance.

About 150 university students attended Faculty Senate meeting Wednesday to oppose proposal to study phasing out textbook rental system; instead of renting books, students would have to buy them.

Jackson About 250 residents whose property would be affected by proposed recreational lake in Bollinger and Cape counties meet at informal meeting sponsored by lake committee; residents question power of eminent domain that lake authority would have, impact of zoning, how land prices would be determined during condemnation process, and what rights landowners would have around lake if it is built.

28. Census Bureau officials are predicting rise in housing unit counts as they re-canvass 25 Southeast Missouri cities that have objected to preliminary census figures.

Mandatory federal budget cuts will go into effect Monday if Congress fails to negotiate acceptable budget compromise that would nullify across-the-board spending cuts of Gramm-Rudman law; cuts would mean many local federal employees would be forced to comply with federal job furlough orders, meaning they would face mandatory days off without pay.

American Red Cross officials from St. Louis came to Cape after Wednesday's earthquake to find out if people are prepared for disasters; they found that public and local government reaction to earthquake preparedness is improving.

30. Ambitious $25 million capital campaign to fund "a new vision of excellence" at university was announced by university officials Saturday.

Perryville Circuit Court judge has ruled that city of Perryville violated state's Hancock Amendment by levying special assessments for street improvements without voter approval.

Officials from three area counties Cape, Scott and Bollinger are joining forces to present their highway needs to Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission this week.