Out of the past: Jan. 8

1997

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A local pastor says an attempt to burn his church early Tuesday has only motivated him to try harder to improve his neighborhood; the Rev. Rickey M. Anderson was called out to the Prince of Peace Baptist Church about 9 a.m. after his secretary smelled smoke when she arrived for work; sometime during the night someone had scaled a 6-foot chain-link fence behind the predominantly Black church, kicked in two windows and threw what appeared to be motor oil into the building and set the oil on fire; the blaze did little more than consume two curtains; the church's cinder block and brick construction saved it from more serious damage.

More criminal cases were filed in Cape Girardeau County in 1996 than ever before; last year 2,050 felony and misdemeanor criminal cases were filed, exactly 100 more cases and a 5% increase over 1995.

1972

Residents of Cape Girardeau County Public Water Supply District 1 will go to the polls Jan. 21 to vote on annexation of an area east of Fruitland toward the new Charmin Paper Products Co. plant; this proposed annexation failed in an election last year; that election was paid for by the water district, but this time a group of interested citizens in the zone proposed for annexation have guaranteed the election costs.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Trooper Robert P. Eddleman of the Missouri Highway Patrol is in fair condition in a Sikeston hospital after walking into a light power line while investigating an accident early this morning; the trooper is suffering from multiple electrical burns, but wasn't in shock when brought to Delta Community Hospital shortly after 4 a.m.

1947

The Cape Girardeau Association of Insurance Agents plan to ask the City Council to include in the spring election a bond issue proposal for funds to expand the present firefighting facilities to provide adequate fire protection for all sections of Cape Girardeau.

Voters of the new Illmo-Fornfelt Consolidated School District No. 23 chose their first school board at a special election yesterday, and -- as most of the leaders desired -- membership was divided equally between the two towns; chosen from a field of 13 candidates were Dr. B.F. Holly, Fred Kinsall and I.F. Sanders of Illmo and T.E. Castleman, T.F. Poss and Clyde Trucks of Fornfelt.

1922

Maple Avenue Methodist Church has been made a full station, according to the pastor, the Rev. F.M. Love; formerly, the time of the minister was divided between the Maple and the Third Methodist Church in the North End; Third Church will have the Rev. Fred Statler as pastor.

The Cape Girardeau Sunday School Basketball League is stimulating interest in Sunday school-going; in order to be eligible to play in the league, a boy must have been in a Sunday school at least two Sundays before the game in which he plays; much interest is also being manifested in the games by parents of the athletes; large crowds attend the games.

-- Sharon K. Sanders