All Lynne Black wanted was her daughter’s insulin pump returned.

She got that and $5 more.

Her daughter, Sarah Dodd, lost her purse in the Quincy Wal-Mart parking lot Thursday night. It contained a $6,000 insulin pump, check card and other items.

Wal-Mart checked video surveillance and noticed the purse was picked up in the parking lot, but could not tell who grabbed it.

With Sarah in desperate need of the pump, her mother put out an appeal in The Herald-Whig’s Saturday paper.

Whether it was the short story or word of mouth, it worked, and the purse was returned to Wal-Mart’s service desk.

Not only that, but when Sarah looked inside the purse, she found an extra $5 tucked into the change pocket.

Now that’s a happy ending ….

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department made major news Friday by making an arrest in a 23-year-old homicide case.

Wallace Daniel Spence was charged with concealing a homicide in connection with the discovery of a dead man near Lima in 1985. The dead man has been identified as Thomas William Brannon.

Many more details will come out about the case. A search of Herald-Whig archives reveal that the investigators who originally worked the case dubbed the victim "Marvin The Mummy" because he’d been dead for at least a few months when found in April 1985.

Matt A. Stephens, a carpenter for Huck Fixtures, went to the old quarry area near Lima to fish and then hunt for mushrooms. He discovered the body and immediately alerted authorities.

An autopsy revealed the body had a blood-alcohol level of .225. The dead man wore blue jeans, a white T-shirt with a Panama City Beach, Fla., restaurant label, and he had a tattoo on his right forearm depicting a skeleton carrying a shotgun or rifle.

Spence was transported Friday from Mississippi, where he pleaded guilty to recent burglary and forgery charges. He is scheduled to appear in court in Quincy Monday.

He’s been charged here with concealing a homicide, but not murder, since it appears Brannon did not die in Illinois.

Stay tuned.

— You haven’t lived until you’ve gone on the West Quincy levee night patrol …

— Shannon Haerr says the levee does more than just protect farmland and keep open the Bayview Bridge.

"Our backs are really sore right now," said Haerr, who spends many hours every day and night working the levee. "When we sit down to take a break, you can lay on the warm sand and it feels really good on your back.

Hmmm. Let’s call it Mother Nature’s Massage ….

— A Missouri National Guard soldier was stationed on the main road leading into the north side of the levee early Friday morning. He checked each vehicle from a master list of night patrol volunteers.

"That’s what 1993 taught us," Haerr said.

— Haerr and Steve Kiefaber walked the levee early this morning. Kiefaber and Herald-Whig photographer Steve Bohnstedt struck up a conversation about hunting and fishing while walking more than two miles on patrol.

"There are some nights when talking helps and makes the time go by faster," Haerr said. "But there are other nights when you are really dragging, you don’t feel like talking much. You just go and get it done."

— When everybody checked back in about 5 a.m., Stan Heimer told some great stories about his college days in Kirksville, Mo. Everybody got a good laugh and it helped wind down the night shift patrol.

In West Quincy, helping out is just something you do. There’s an unspoken camaraderie here. The night crew guys left dog-tired but please the levee is holding and they’ve contributed.

— The river is slowly going down, but authorities are not letting up. We’ll have much more in Sunday’s Whig.

So at 2 a.m. Friday, I’m walking the levee in West Quincy.

This is the sort of stuff that makes a reporter’s blood boil. You just don’t get these experiences in other jobs.

I continue to be amazed by the people in West Quincy fighting this thing.

It’s fascinating to just sit at headquarters and watch. The thing that gets me is the smiles and laughter you hear on a constant basis.

You will also be reading in the next day or two about one of the most amazing women I have ever met. Ever.

More thoughts after spending Monday working on the West Quincy levee ….

— I can’t stand up right now.

— Gary Birch joined our crew mid-morning. He wore tennis shoes. He will never wear them again. Like everybody else, he busted his you-know-what and never complained.

— These folks in West Quincy eat like kings. We had hot pork sandwiches trucked out to us at 11:30 a.m. They’ve had ribs, pasta, you name it. The support staff is tremendous.

— I can’t get over how muddy it is at the base of the levee on the land side.

— Several times I crept to the top of the levee to peer over, and there the river was, zipping right by, the water up to the edge of the plastic tarp. It’s about six to eight feet below the top of the levee in most places. A row of trees blocks the main river view. At one point, a big section of dock came floating down the channel right by us.

— Bo Knapheide is a leader. Period.

— The farmers on the land side of the levee are experiencing flood damage. If the levy holds, will they get federal assistance?

— We formed chains and flung sandbags all day. Three scoops is suggested to fill the bags, a little over halfway. Many bags were full and water-logged. We called the heavier bags "Bo Bags," because Bo likes filling them to the top.

— A huge difference between 1993 and this year is the heat and humidity. The sun puts a beating on the levee workers. but in 1993 it was hotter and far more humid. We’ve been fortunate with the weather … so far.

— How long will crews be out on the levee? Until the water subsides. The latest National Weather Service prediction is that the Quincy water level will still be 25 feet at this time next week. That’s too much water putting too much pressure on the levee. We are far from out of the woods yet.

— Bo pointed out the 1993 levee break area. The flood 15 years ago gets talked about, but very little is said about Jimmy Scott, the man convicted twice of breaking the levee and intentionally causing a disaster. It’s almost like bad karma if you mention his name.

— Fighting the flood is all about attitude. It’s about mud and sweat and back-breaking effort. The leaders of this fight are bone-tired but never complain and stay positive.

— You know how much is at stake. If we lose the Bayview Bridge …

— I wore green duck boots and shorts. It took 20 minutes of shower scrubbing to get all the mud off my knees. My Quincy University baseball T-shirt is trashed. I’m throwing my socks away.

— No horse flies on the north side of the levee Monday, thank goodness.

— There’s going to be a lot of stuff to clean up when this is over.

Driving to West Quincy Thursday for the first time since the Memorial Bridge was closed was a strange experience.

Traffic moved well on the Bayview Bridge, but it was surreal to see vehicles coming the other way from Missouri.

Another strange site was the abandoned Ayerco station on the right after crossing the bridge. It’s almost always packed with cars and trucks.

The levees on the West Quincy side looked … brown. Groomed. Almost like they’d been raked and fluffed up in some places.

Gotta give love to the Knapheide folks, who rolled up their sleeves and put in massive hours, along with a great local volunteer bunch, to shore up the levees.

Driving back to Quincy was even stranger. I slowed down to about 25 mph and rubbernecked the river.

Keep your fingers crossed. Keep praying it holds.

I’ve seen a lot of strange and amazing things doing this job.

This morning might have taken the cake.

From the back of Bob May’s house in Spring Lake Estates, the gaping hole in the Indian Grave District levy can clearly be seen. So can the white-capped waters rolling through the hole, which has to be a least half a mile long.

Bob’s house is five miles from the levee. You can still hear the water roaring as it smashes through the breach.

Water levels are dropping in Quincy, but we are far from, uh, out of the water just yet.

More here and throughout the day at www.whig.com.

It’s always fun to write stories about the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Tournament.

This year’s event is being overshadowed by all the flood stuff, and it’s understandable. But once again there are great stories and interesting people roaming our area golf courses.

In the next few days you’ll read about a girl from the St. Louis area who was adopted from a Russian orphanage at age 3. She knows she’s fortunate. She smacks the ball 220 to 250 yards and walks in the sunshine and marvels at how her life has turned out.

You’ll also read about a 12-year-old boy from Arizona with diabetes. He and his family has established a foundation to benefit children’s charities, including juvenile diabetes research. You’ll also read about a little device that’s made his life easier while he fights the disease.

Our sports guys do a great job every year of covering the big junior golf tournament. Great stories, great people, great event.

Hope you get a chance to read about this year’s SAM Award foster parent winner, Minnie Johnson of Quincy.

She was called "Miss Minnie" by Judge John Wooleyhan during the brief ceremony inside the Adams County Courthouse. The judge showed genuine reverence and respect when praising her for being a foster parent and showing unconditional love to children in great need.

Miss Minnie has served as a mentor to other foster moms. When she first started doing foster care eight years ago, she lived in a tiny house and gave up her own bedroom, sleeping on her couch in the living room, so her foster kids could have their own space.

We need more people like Miss Minnie in Quincy, people who quietly do great service and help children.

Coming on Thursday’s Weekender page in The Herald-Whig is a Blues In the District preview. Believe it or not, it starts Friday with Majors Junction, a fantastic band from Chicago.

Blues In The District features free music and food vendors in Washington Park. This is the 10-year anniversary, and thousands flock to downtown Quincy on summer Friday nights to hear great music and hang out with friends and family. All shows are from 5 to 9 p.m.

Here’s the 2008 lineup with links to each band’s Web site …

June 13—Majors Junction
June 27—Burton Gaar
July 11—The Blue Healers
July 25—Tripwire
Aug. 8—Rockin Jake
Aug. 22—Reverend Raven
Sept. 12—Lil’ Dave Thompson