Just got a press release from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency about making the New Year a time to "resolve to be ready" for emergencies.

At the top of the press release it says: "Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor."

You Can't Make It Up ….

Quincy has apparently lost more than just a building with the massive fire at 514 Hampshire this morning.

Another piece of our history went up in flames, too.

Bret Austin owns the building, which housed a John Wood Community College office and apartments on the second and third floor. He bought it more than a year ago and was renovating the apartments.
He stood in the parking lot this morning with a grim look on his face after talking to his insurance agent, politely declining to comment until he found out more information.

But from the looks of the charred rubble inside, it appears the building is a total loss.

The third, second and first floor roofs are gone. Smoke continued to billow out of the front windows this morning.

The building was constructed in the 1850s by John Schmidt and used commercially for many years. Newspaper archives show it was used by Schmidt's sons, physicians Edgar and Albert, as a doctor's office by 1890. It was converted at some point to apartments on the second and third floors.

Vicky Ebbing of the Gardner Museum says the tin facade was probably constructed in about 1888 on the Queen Anne-style structure.

“It’s a shame. We’ve lost a great old building,” Ebbing said. “It’s one of the threads in our fabric that makes Quincy the beautiful town that it is.”

Ebbing also expressed sadness for Austin, who has renovated many older buildings in Quincy.

“He always does a great job,” she said.

So what does Austin do? Rebuild? Renovate? Knock it down and start over?

A sad day, indeed.

It only took 12 years, but I've finally found a bunch of guys who play pond hockey in Quincy.

Last year Ferd Niemann of Mercantile Bank called me and said the family horse farm on South 24th had a great pond for skating. Tuesday I called him and he said the ice was in good shape.

The pond is big and the ice was more than decent. The Niemann boys and about 10 of their buddies congregated and we had the best pickup pond hockey game ever.

Geesh. I went back in time 20-plus years skating with these guys half my age. I hope they didn't laugh too hard at the Old Guy.

It's hard to explain, but my Hoser Hart was taken back to long-ago days of skating all day — ALL DAY — on frozen ponds.

Toward the end I had the puck and was moving up the ice. My mind said "Go for the goal Hoser" and my legs said "Are you kidding?"

When you are flat on your back after tripping on your own skates, the good thing is that you can do snow angels.

This morning I can't move. Fortunately the balky back is OK. It's every other muscle in my body screaming at my out-of-shape keester giving me issues.

Thanks to the Niemann boys and their buddies, great kids who just want to play and have fun.

If I can get off the couch, we'll do it again!

I had to get one last thing for Christmas, and the only place to get it was at the Quincy Mall.

Now. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson's astronaut character in Terms of Endearment — "I'd rather stick needles in my eyes."

Tried to go last night and encountered the rarest of Quincy quirks — a traffic jam. Had to wait at least two lights at 36th and Broadway. Couldn't even sniff the mall before heading home.

So I went out this morning and for some reason the Christmas Shopping Gods were smiling on me.

Zipped down Broadway, took the 30th Street entrance, parked near the front row by JC Penney. Strolled in, watched moms with kids blowing off steam at the kid's play area, found what I needed, got it gift-wrapped by the volunteers the Alpha Chapter 109 Order Of Eastern Star.

Zipped out, hit the lights on Broadway, was back in the office in 10 minutes.

Christmas shopping. Catch the fever!

Do officers have the right to get a search warrant if you are stopped and suspected of driving under the influence and your license is revoked or suspended from a previous DUI?

Adams County State's Attorney Jon Barnard thinks so. You can read his press release from earlier today below.

Here's a Website you should check out and remember if you are ever stopped.

PRESS RELEASE
Dec. 19, 2008

In this holiday season, there are sobering reminders of the dangers posed by a certain class of drivers on our roads. Law enforcement has witnessed and encountered an alarming trend involving some of the most dangerous drivers on our roadways, the serial DUI drivers. These are individuals whose driving privileges are either suspended or revoked because of a previous DUI conviction, who are not only driving in violation of the law, but also, are drunk. The most alarming feature of this kind of encounter, second only to the dangers they pose to the driving public, is that these individuals often refuse to provide a breath or blood sample when asked to do so, as required by law. This refusal can compromise the ability to prosecute a case, and deprives law enforcement of relevant and legitimate evidence.

To add some perspective to the dangers posed by unlicensed drivers who continue to disregard the law, the Illinois State Police, Adams County Sheriff’s Department, Quincy Police Department and the Adams County State’s Attorneys Office recently completed a “sting operation” conducted at the Adams County Courthouse. The experience, the lesson learned, and the numbers, were truly frightening. In that operation, a team of Illinois State troopers and an Assistant State’s Attorney coordinated their efforts to identify and track individuals who appeared in court, having been previously arrested and charged for driving on a suspended or revoked license. Court appearances for all individuals charged with driving while license revoked or driving while license suspended were set for the same time in the same courtroom. Those individuals were followed into and out of the Adams County Courthouse on the morning of their court appearance. Remember that these are individuals whose driving privileges were either suspended or revoked, and had been recently charged with driving a vehicle while those privileges were suspended or revoked. On that morning, the Illinois State Police apprehended no less than a half dozen individuals whose driver’s licenses were suspended or revoked, had recently been charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license and drove to court for their court appearance!!

Unfortunately, our experience with serial drunk drivers has been similar, and increasing. These are very dangerous people with documented histories of habits that threaten the lives of anyone in their path on the roads of our state. Law enforcement cannot and will not sit still any longer when these individuals, once again encountered under circumstances indicating they A) are behind the wheel; B) appear to be impaired from alcohol or drugs; C) with their driver’s license already suspended or revoked for a previous DUI; D) refuse to consent to providing a breath or blood sample as required by law.

This kind of danger calls for an innovative, aggressive and focused approach aimed at this specific category of offender.

This is to announce that, beginning with the holiday season, when an individual is encountered by law enforcement behind the wheel in Adams County, and that individual appears to be impaired by alcohol or drugs, with a license either suspended or revoked for a previous DUI, and who refuses to consent to provide a breath or blood sample, the following will occur. The law enforcement agency involved will immediately contact the Adams County State’s Attorneys Office, which will then, in conjunction with the law enforcement officer, immediately apply to the court for a search warrant requiring the individual to provide a breath or blood sample. The time of day or night will not impede or delay our application. A search warrant, should the court issue it, is a court order requiring suspect to provide that blood or breath sample. Should the suspect refuse to provide that sample at that point, the Adams County State’s Attorneys Office, in the appropriate case, will file charges of obstructing justice, a Class 3 felony under Illinois law.

This procedure has been carefully researched regarding its legal implications, and, based upon that research, is fully supported by the law, including our constitution and state statute.

A word about implied consent. And, a word to the wise. There is no constitutional right to drive an automobile. Operating an automobile is a privilege, conferred by the state of Illinois when it issues a license to operate a motor vehicle. Under the terms of that license, each driver consents to providing a sample of his or her breath or blood when there is probable cause to believe that the driver is impaired by alcohol or drugs. As such, there is no constitutional right to refuse a lawful request for a breath or blood sample; instead, there are only legal consequences resulting from that refusal. Our policy from this day forward, regarding that specific subset of offenders encountered on our roadways, is simple. This is a promise to those drivers legitimately and properly, safely, on the roadways with their families that we will do our best to protect you. This is a warning to those people out there, those most dangerous drivers, that your refusal to provide a breath or blood sample will no longer end the discussion. Law enforcement can, and will, do everything within its power, and within the bounds of the law, to protect those of us who are in your path.

Jon Barnard
State’s Attorney
Adams County, Ill.

Randall Wert was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for meth participation. Authorities say Wert was cooking meth in a garage near Quincy University last April. He ran and was caught a short time later at QU.

During his sentencing, Wert made a short statement and told Judge Scott Walden he began addressing mental health issues after his Adams County Jail section mate, Thomas Freeman, hanged himself to death in the jail Oct. 10.

Certainly the experience was traumatic for Wert, but it didn't hold much weight with Walden, who said Wert had plenty of chances to get help for issues before he was jailed in September for trying to flee from police.

The Adams County Jail staff working that night were cleared after an
internal investigation into the hanging, Chief Deputy Fred Kientzle
said. A preliminary Illinois Department of Corrections report showed
all procedures and policies were being followed when the hanging took
place.

Walden noted Wert already was on parole when he was caught in April. He managed to bond out of jail in June, only to get in trouble in September when he ran again from police during a traffic stop.

"You had a chance when you were out on bond," Walden told Wert. "Just think if you had devoted time to your problems back then …."

The 20-year sentence is one of the biggest ever in Adams County for a meth charge. If a case isn't taken over by federal officials, the sentences are often much lighter.

But for Wert, convicted eight times for felony offenses in Adams County, the hammer came down Thursday.

Funeral services took place today in Pittsfield for Pike County farmer Roderick Webel, who died Monday trying to save his son from an icy pond on his property near Fish Hook.

There were conflicting stories about what exactly happened Monday, but nobody can dispute Webel, a devoted father, husband and community member, perished while trying to save the life of his son.

Pike County will sorely miss him. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family and many friends.

The college football bowl season is upon us, and it's great.

Sure, most of the games feature teams with 7-6 records playing in the middle of nowhere for a plastic trophy, but who cares? It means college football is on almost every night between Dec. 20 and Jan. 8.

Say what you want about the BCS, but they got the championship game right.

My brother in Phoenix has a Hart Family Bowl Challenge every year, with the winner getting to pet his wimpy dog Ella at the annual family rebellion in September. So here's a list of the bowl games along with my picks and comments. (And don't forget to participate in The Herald-Whig's college bowl contest.)

Happy bowling!

EagleBank Bowl
Navy (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (7-5)
PICK: Wake Forest
WHY: Because. The EagleBank Bowl? Hey, as long as they cough up the cash … Still doesn't beat the all-time best bowl name, the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl.

New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5)
PICK: Fresno State
WHY: Fresno State coach Pat Hill will play anybody anywhere at any time. Even Colorado State. In Albuquerque.

St. Petersburg Bowl
South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6)
PICK: South Florida
WHY: Unless Memphis conjures up the ghost of Elvis, they have no chance. A warm weather team playing on home in a bowl (think USC at the Rose Bowl) almost never loses.

Las Vegas Bowl
BYU (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
PICK: BYU
WHY: Still trying to figure out how Jim McMahon ended up at BYU and what Mormon "mission" he went on after his playing days.

New Orleans Bowl
Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (6-6)
PICK: Southern Miss
WHY: Because the Men of Troy are still weeping about the Goddess Helen. (Actually I know nothing about Greek mythology and just made that up.)

Poinsetta Bowl
Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2)
PICK: Boise State
WHY: This could actually be one of the best bowl games of the season. BSU feels snubbed by the BCS and takes it out on TCU in a RBW (really big way).

Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6)
PICK: Hawaii
WHY: I hate Notre Dame. I hate Charlie Weis. Every time they lose, I hope they show a picture of the crestfallen leprechaun, and it makes me feel good.

Motor City Bowl
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
PICK: Central Michigan
WHY: Duh … my alma mater, the best 12 years of my life … c'mon. QB Dan Lefevre goes nuts in Ford Field once again as the Chippewas roll.

Meineke Bowl
North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4)
PICK: West Virginia
WHY: Pat White. Winner gets free mufflers for life.

Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5)
PICK: Florida State
WHY: Again, warm weather team playing in home state against snow-bound rival. Wisconsin never really recovered from blowing a fourth-quarter lead against a terrible Michigan team.

Emerald Bowl
California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5)
PICK: California
WHY: Again, playing at home. Plus even though Miami is bad, it's still fun to root against them.

Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6)
PICK: Louisiana Tech
WHY: Hate to pick against a MAC team, but Northern Illinois is still trying to wring out the fog and dampness from their jerseys when they were beaten at home by YOUR Central Michigan University Chippewas.

PapaJohns.com Bowl
Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6)
PICK: Rutgers
WHY: One of the hottest teams at the end of the year. Insert pizza and computer joke here.

Alamo Bowl
Northwestern (9-3) vs. Missouri (9-4)
PICK: Missouri
WHY: Because it's Northwestern, for crying out loud. After getting his lunch handed to him by Big 12 teams which play real pass defense, Chase Daniel is drooling about facing the Wildcats. And I picked against Missouri the last time they played in a bowl, and I learned my lesson well.

Humanitarian Bowl
Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5)
PICK: Maryland
WHY: Even the die-hard college football fan in me has to ask: Why? And the blue field novelty wears off after the first quarter, unless there's a blizzard sweeping the field. Ball State got a lot of grief for not wanting to play Boise State in this game. Would you want to play Boise State on Dec. 30 on a Blue Field covered in snow? I didn't think so.

Holiday Bowl
Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)
PICK: Oregon
WHY: I don't like the Oklahoma State coach or their lousy radio announcers, who thought Oklahoma was lucky to beat the Cowboys. I don't like Oregon and their green yellow jerseys, but they play in the rain all the time, so I guess it's OK.

Texas Bowl
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3)
PICK: Rice
WHY: Because Western Michigan is the mortal enemy, of course.

Armed Forces Bowl
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4)
PICK: Air Force
WHY: Imagine that, Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. How did that happen? What? These things are rigged and arranged in advance? This is the first of what could be some really bad bowl games on New Year's Eve.

Sun Bowl
Oregon State (8-4) vs. PIttsburgh (9-3)
PICK: Pittsburgh
WHY: I love the Sun Bowl, and how the sun is always shining at the bowl no matter what. I also love the fact it's on the middle of the afternoon on CBS, which means some dumb soap opera or Oprah or Judge Judy gets pre-empted. Maybe there is justice in this world after all.

Music City Bowl
Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. Boston College (9-4)
PICK: Boston College
WHY: This is one time I'm going away from the home team advantage rule. I bet a really bad country music act will be playing at halftime.

Insight Bowl
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
PICK: Kansas
WHY: No reason. Ugh. Maybe the bowl season is a little ridiculous. But if I don't pick Kansas, Bo Knapheide might make me work on the West Quincy levee all next summer.

Chick-fil-A Bowl
LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3)
PICK: Georgia Tech
WHY: Because they'll use one of the cows parachuting into the stadium (a la the Chick-fil-A commercial) during the game on the offensive line and dominate.

Outback Bowl
Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5)
PICK: Iowa
WHY: Iowa guys actually like playing in Florida, but the sad thing is that this is a New Year's Day game and the two teams still have a combined nine losses.

Capital One Bowl
Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3)
PICK: Georgia
WHY: The SEC is miles ahead of the Big 10, and Michigan State might be the most boring team to ever win nine games.

Gator Bowl
Nebraska (8-4) vs. Clemson (7-5)
PICK: Nebraska
WHY: No reason. Nebraska is playing in a New Year's Day Bowl! Hurray! Too bad it's not a good one.

Rose Bowl
Southern Cal (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1)
PICK: Southern Cal
WHY: They are playing at home.

Orange Bowl
Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4)
PICK: Virginia Tech
WHY: Because Brian Kelly used to coach Central Michigan and bolted before the season ended two years ago.

Cotton Bowl
Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi (8-4)
PICK: Texas Tech
WHY: They have the best coach in college football. They deserved a better game than this.

Liberty Bowl
Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4)
PICK: East Carolina
WHY: East Carolina is red hot right now. Why is this game being played Jan. 2?

Sugar Bowl
Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1)
PICK: Utah
WHY: Because I hate Alabama. Because I'm stupid and picking with my heart. Because I'm remembering Boise State beating Oklahoma two years ago … but also realizing something like that doesn't happen very often.

International Bowl
Connecticut (7-5)
vs. Buffalo (8-5)
PI
CK: Buffalo
WHY: Buffalo is the great story of this college football season. By the way, since this game is being played in Toronto, do we double it and add 30 to make every touchdown metric? Beauty, eh …

Fiesta Bowl
Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2)
PICK: Texas
WHY: The Big 10 is so bad, a good SEC school can pick how many points they want to score. Do you think Texas has something to be proved by being left out of the BCS Championship?

GMAC Bowl
Tulsa (10-3) vs. Ball State (12-1)
PICK: Tulsa
WHY: Ball State choked big-time against Buffalo in the MAC Championship and has to wait more than a month to rebound. Why is this game being played Jan. 6?

BCS National Championship
Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1)
PICK: Florida. At home. Tim Tebow is The Man, and unlike Michigan, who blitzed him and smacked him around in last year's bowl game, Oklahoma won't stop him.