Out of the past: June 11

1996

High bids could delay the New Madrid-Henderson intersection project for a year, officials say; the Cape Girardeau City Council authorized Southeast Missouri State University to proceed with the realignment project last month; but that was contingent on bids for the joint university-city project coming in at or below the engineer's estimate; two bids were received and opened Monday; both came in well over the engineer's $590,000 estimate.

A barge accident briefly closed the Mississippi River bridge at Chester, Illinois, yesterday; similar accidents have occurred at the Cape Girardeau and Cairo, Illinois, bridges in the past three weeks; Petty Officer Waylan Jennings of the Coast Guard Group, Upper Mississippi, says the towboat Ray Eckstein reported it missed its turn at about 1:25 p.m. Monday, and the tow broke up, setting approximately 30 barges adrift; Jennings says two barges hit the Chester bridge, resulting in the bridge being closed briefly to all traffic.

1971

The city could increase property taxes as much as 18 cents without a vote of the people should the proposed city sales tax for Cape Girardeau fail to gain voter approval June 22, says Mayor Howard C. Tooke; "This 18-cent additional property tax would not accomplish what the one-cent sales tax would," says Tooke; "The property tax would only bring in about $100,000 annually which would take care of operational expenses on a limited basis"; the city estimates a 1-cent sale tax would produce $600,000 each year in new revenue.

Bollinger Mill in Burfordville, August 2006. (Don Frazier ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

Bollinger Mill at Burfordville has been added to the list of historic sites on the National Register of Historic Places; nomination to include the mill was made by the state liaison officer appointed by Gov. Warren E. Hearnes for the implementation of the program in Missouri.

1946

In its first formal meeting since acquiring the traffic bridge, the Cape Special Road District Board of Commissioners yesterday voted to retain all present employees of the span and to move headquarters of the district from 521a Broadway to the bridge offices at 340a S. Spanish St.; those employees include Ruth L. Voil, secretary; Robert Zimmer, F.J. Courleux, B.W. Fletcher and H.W. Ulrich, toll collectors; Robert Thomas, extra collector, and Otis Miles, maintenance supervisor.

There will be a "blanket" vacation for employees at the shoe factory this year, with all employees taking off at the same time; the last working day before vacation will be June 28, and the factory will be closed until July 8.

1921

Building activities in Cape Girardeau have assumed proportions greater than anything experienced here since pre-war times, with public buildings, commercial structures and private homes, totaling about 52 now in course of construction or to be started this summer; the cost runs into several thousand dollars; the largest buildings attracting the interest of contractors are the May Greene School, Cape Girardeau Country Club, the $55,000 West Broadway theater and some expensive homes; stucco is proving popular with builders of homes this season.

Clara Bahn, 309 S. Spanish St., and her nephew, Eugene Bahn, left yesterday for Washington, D.C., where they will visit Miss Bahn's sister, Anna Bahn, who is in the employ of the government there; they will be gone two months and will visit several places of interest in the East before returning.

-- Sharon K. Sanders