Out of the past: Nov. 7

1998

A 10-member committee has been named to study the feasibility of a new radio system that could serve all emergency response agencies in Cape Girardeau County and whether to set up centralized dispatching for all of them; the committee members were named by the Cape Girardeau County Commission.

The largest decline ever in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and an increase in drunken-driving arrests are being attributed to a new blood-alcohol-content law that went into effect last year in Illinois; last year, which was the first for Illinois' 0.08% BAC law, far surpassed expectations in life-saving and traffic- safety impact; in 1997, 587 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Illinois, 11.6% fewer than in the previous year; last year, when the BAC level was lowered from 0.10 to 0.08%, 47,034 motorists in Illinois were ticketed for driving under the influence, a 5.2% increase over 1996.

1973

James Godwin Scott, dynamic St. Louis painter nationally known for his brilliant watercolors, will be the guest artist for the 27th annual Missourian Art Exhibition from Nov. 17 through Dec. 1; this will be the first year the exhibition will run two weeks; it will also be the first time paintings will be displayed on the second floor of The Missourian Building rather than in the first-floor business offices.

THEBES, Ill. -- Two freight trains, both northbound, met head-on Tuesday around 4 p.m. one mile south of Thebes; the trains, a Missouri Pacific and a Chicago and Eastern Illinois, were traveling about 15 mph when they collided on a blind curve, injuring two engineers; destination for the Mo-Pac was Chester, Illinois, while the C and E was heading for West Frankfort, Illinois.

1948

A special morning worship service at First Christian Church marks the 30th anniversary of Armistice Day, the close of World War I; the Rev. Vernon A. Hammond, pastor, a veteran of that war, speaks on an Armistice Day theme, "Life's Rosaries"; for his military service, Hammond was awarded a Croix de Guerre medal by the French government in 1918 and a Legion of Honor medal by the Polish government in 1920.

Men and women of all branches of the military are honored during a special patriotic service in the evening at Foursquare Church; "What Price Glory" is the topic of the sermon delivered by Evangelist Elsie Jefcoat; pastor of the church is the Rev. C.O. Jefcoat.

1923

Hundreds of persons from nearby towns and country visited the wreck of the northbound Frisco passenger train near Brooks Junction, in Scott County, Missouri, yesterday afternoon; the wrecked cars were within sight of Kingshighway, three miles south of Morley, and a dirt road running from the highway to a point 100 yards from the wreck was traveled until late that night by gawkers; the derailment injured 20 persons, four of them seriously, and Frisco officials have launched an investigation to determine the cause.

F.A. "Daddy" Kain, 72, veteran restaurant proprietor of Cape Girardeau, dies at the home of his daughter, Cora St. John, 2 N. Main St., following a severe paralytic stroke suffered Friday; coming here 27 years ago, he established a restaurant on Broadway that was widely patronized; he was known as a "friend to the poor," a man who was willing to assist the "down and outer"; his Thanksgiving dinners fed the city's poor children for years.

-- Sharon K. Sanders