Out of the past: Nov. 2

1998

About half of Missouri's 3.4 million registered voters won't bother to vote in tomorrow's general election, predicts Secretary of State Bekki Cook; she estimates that 1.7 million Missourians will go to the polls in this non-presidential election.

The ribbon was cut over the weekend, opening the new Mr. K's Food Center, a family-owned supermarket, at 254 S. Silver Springs Road; at 60,000 square feet, the facility is the largest supermarket in Cape Girardeau.

1973

An eight-point program for future development of the 100-year-old Southeast Missouri State University campus recommends purchase of adjacent privately-owned property to assure orderly growth, particularly the Boutin and Old Sprigg Street parcels; the program also encourages the university to continue acquisition of real estate along Henderson Avenue and Pacific Street to provide parking and additional physical facilities.

Cape Girardeau County's total 1973 assessed valuation is $129,537,005, which will result in a total of $5,953,748.21 in taxes, final proofing of the tax books by the office of County Clerk Rusby C. Crites reveals; the assessment is an increase of $7,873,896 over that of 1972.

1948

Despite overcast skies and intermittent rainfall, Cape Girardeau voters brave the showers to cast their ballots through noon on about even terms with the voting at the same time in the 1944 presidential election; like the rest of the country, Girardeans are choosing between Democratic President Harry S. Truman and Republican Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York for the highest office in the land; according to the Associated Press, the odds favor Dewey.

Ruth Crowley, now holding a similar position in Crawford County, Missouri, has been selected as county home agent in Cape Girardeau County; she will succeed Aleta McDowell, who has taken a state agent position in Wyoming; Crowley's selection has been approved by the Cape County Farm Bureau board, sponsor of farm extension service in the county.

1923

The Missouri Public Utilities Co., which has been an important factor in Cape Girardeau and other Southeast Missouri towns for many years, vanished yesterday, when the Union Electric Light and Power Co., another St. Louis corporation, substituted its name; it was merely a changing of names that took place, as the Union company had taken over the property several months ago.

Exception to the recent action of the Little River Drainage District, which voted to make large improvements on its present system of drainage, are to be taken by a number of the landowners within the district; the landowners, representing approximately 30,000 acres of land, have appealed to attorney Orren Wilson to lend his aid in fighting the proposed work; the plan calls for the re-digging of 126 miles of old drainage ditches and the excavation of 83 miles of new ones; Wilson contends the original plan has been completed, that the taxes are now very high and that the proposed work will be placing a new debt on his clients.

-- Sharon K. Sanders