Out of the past: Nov. 19

1997

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond said yesterday he is ready to battle President Clinton, organized labor and the trial lawyers to win re-election; "Bring them on, I'm ready," Bond said during a visit to the Southeast Missourian; Bond was in Cape Girardeau for a fund-raiser; the Republican faces opposition from Democrat Jay Nixon, Missouri's attorney general.

Cape Girardeau voters will decide two proposed changes to the city charter in the April election, which would bring the city's election policies in line with new state laws; the first proposal would change the date for municipal elections from the first Tuesday in April in even-numbered years to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April; the second would expand the time candidates have to file nominating petitions in order to accommodate a change in when county clerks have to be notified of election times.

1972

The Rev. Lane G. Adams, an ordained Presbyterian minister, who for the past eight years has served as associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, begins a four-day crusade at Westminster Presbyterian Church in the morning; other services through Wednesday will be conducted in the evening; the Community Thanksgiving Service, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance, will be held in conjunction with the crusade at Westminster Wednesday night.

The 1972 Catholic Relief Services' Thanksgiving Clothing Collection for the needy overseas begins and will continue through the week in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese; clothing and other donations may be brought to any Catholic church in the diocese during the week; after processing, the items will be shipped overseas for distribution in 70 countries.

1947

Payment of state and county taxes starts at the branch collector's office at Common Pleas Courthouse as Collector Ted R. Regenhardt delivers receipts covering the levy to be collected in Cape Girardeau city, Cape Township and Randol Township; payment may be made to the deputy collector, A.H. Overbeck, at any time between now and Feb. 1 without penalty.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perryville voters yesterday approved a bond issue of $50,000 to acquire and partially improve Perryville's first public park; the vote was 587 for the issue and 192 against; Mayor John Lottes Jr., says the council, meeting Thursday, will probably take the first steps toward acquiring the 67-acre Duerr tract at the east edge of town, and partly adjoining Highway 25.

1922

August Weiss, a prominent farmer living on the Perryville Road, anticipates putting in a small cotton crop next season and believes it will be the best-paying crop to be raised; he said his father raised cotton yearly on the farm on which he now lives; at that time, before the Civil War, the family had a small hand gin and did their own ginning; between 1850 and 1860, cotton was raised extensively in Cape Girardeau County, one of the largest regular fields being on what is now the Joe Haas place west of Cape Girardeau on the Cape-Jackson Road.

The new "Bargain Basement" of the Buckner-Ragsdale Store opened Saturday; this is a new feature for the big Main Street store; it faces Water Street and has entrances off Water and Broadway and from the main floor of the regular store.

-- Sharon K. Sanders