Out of the past: June 2

1998

In an effort to improve school district finances in the coming year, the Cape Girardeau Board of Education last night reduced and eliminated expenditures and froze salaries; in all, $611,000 in budget reductions will become effective July 1, the start of the fiscal year; the cuts are necessary because the district has been spending more money than it has taken in since the 1995-96 school year, and the result is a fund balance that is lower than state recommendations.

Initial approval was given last night by the Cape Girardeau City Council for increased fees for water and trash services; the council approved on first reading measures increasing water fees by 2% and trash collection fees by 2.1%.

1973

Preliminary steps are being taken by the State Highway Department and Missouri's county courts to implement a program similar to the farm-to-market road program of the 1950s; as part of the proposed program, each county court has been asked to designate about five county roads it wishes the highway department to take maintenance of and made into state supplementary routes; nine such roads in Cape Girardeau County and four in Scott County have been suggested.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond lauds the work of the Cape County Medical Society for helping improve emergency medical services in that area; addressing the Missouri chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Bond says the Cape County program is a result of the society's special emergency care program, a 13-week course offered to ambulance and hospital personnel and law enforcement officers at Southeast Hospital; the program is under the direction of Dr. Robert Hunt.

1948

Bob Beard, athletic coach at Cape Girardeau Central High School, has been appointed director of the summer playground program here; he will have five or six assistants, selected by Beard; at least four playgrounds for White children will be maintained, these being at Capaha Park, Red Star suburb, May Greene School and possibly in the Koch suburb; for Black children, there will be one playground in the Smelterville area and likely another nearer the central part of town.

Milk produced and processed under provisions of a model sanitary milk ordinance passed last fall by the City Council is on sale in Cape Girardeau stores and is being served in restaurants here; the ordinance, which had been effective for producers for the past month, was placed in operation for processors yesterday for the first time; they had been granted a brief extension of time to meet minor provisions of the ordinance.

1923

The Star Bar at the northeast corner of Sprigg and Good Hope streets was a good location. It's been said that every saloon proprietor at that location retired with a fortune. Plans to demolish the building were announced in 1923.Courtesy of Tom Hopen ~ Southeast Missourian archive

The old brick building at the northeast corner of Sprigg and Good Hope streets -- one of the landmarks of Cape Girardeau erected nearly 65 years ago -- is to give way to a two-story business structure; C.G. Moeder announces razing of the building will start Monday morning and that as soon as the debris is removed, work on the new structure will start; Hugo Pfisterer, contractor, will build a two-story structure, with the first story occupied by a business and the second housing office rooms. (Read more about this structure in a 2018 blog: at www.semissourian.com/blogs/fromthemorgue/entry/71618.)

Petitions are being circulated among property holders in South Cape Girardeau requesting the city order the installation of a sewer in District No. 6; it embraces all of the territory in the southeast section of the city, south of Morgan Oak Street and east of Ellis, including Jefferson School and territory adjoining.

-- Sharon K. Sanders