1996

When Bill Clinton and Bob Dole square off in presidential debate, Cape Girardeau's opinion of their performances will count; Cape Girardeau is among 18 national research sites participating in Debate Watch '96, a project of the Commission on Presidential Debates; Jay Goff and Tom Harte, both of Cape Girardeau, are state coordinators for Debate Watch '96 and will help collect personal opinions of the debates.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission votes to establish a Tax Increment Financing Commission and appoints six of the nine mandated members; the six members of the TIF Commission are the county commissioners -- Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones and Associate Commissioners Larry Bock and Joe Gambill -- plus Al Spradling III and Paul Sander, the mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, respectively; and John Richbourg, Cape Girardeau's finance director; the three remaining seats will be filled by representatives from the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts and one member representing all of the other taxing entities affected by the district.

1971

Dr. H.O. Grauel, who retired during the summer after 43 years as a member of the State College English faculty, was recognized by the Golden Eagles Marching Band at half time of the Indians-Missouri Southern Football game last night; "A Portrait" took the band through marching and musical numbers describing Grauel's youth, his coming to the college, his graduate studies and his advancement and recognition as a Missouri educator and state and community leader.

The Rev. Cecil Schlich is serving First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau as associate pastor and minister of the education program; he also serves the Southeast Missouri Presbytery campus ministry.

1946

Injured while assisting in a log-skidding operation yesterday afternoon on the Charles Kirchoff farm near Egypt Mills, Jefferson A. Minton, 61, a timber worker of Cape Girardeau, died in a truck en route to a hospital here; Minton was driving a team of horses which was hitched to a 10-foot, 400-pound log, down a hill, and the log rolled against him, pinning him to a tree; he died from internal injuries.

Calling attention to strict regulations laid down by new laws designed to funnel most building materials into homes for veterans, Will F. Plummer of Springfield, Missouri, locality expediter for the National Housing Agency, declares that a full investigation will be made by government inspectors; here for a conference with Mayor R.E. Beckman and community leaders on the building program, Plummer says restrictions have been placed on 58 types of materials and will be placed Sept. 30 on 10 others; from 75 to 100% of those materials must be reserved for veterans' housing.

1921

J.H. Felt & Co., architects who drew the plans for the new public library building being erected in Courthouse Park, have employed Sam Boutin as their supervisor on the job; Boutin has done much construction work here and is recognized as a proficient mechanic.

Along with Fair Week, this is also "poppy week" in Cape Girardeau; 1,000 poppies were sent direct from France to the Ladies' Auxiliary of the American Legion to sell for the benefit of the crippled and maimed children of that country; the price has been set at 10 cents each.

-- Sharon K. Sanders