I hope you enjoyed The Herald-Whig’s “Heroes” section published last Saturday. There were great stories told in the words of great people and it was a lot of work but a lot of fun to put together.

Steve Bohnstedt of The Whig’s photo staff put together a Heroes slideshow on our online site. Click here for the slideshow.

Several people have asked about the guitar music used for the slideshow. It’s an original song called “Greenmount” put together after a recent graveside service at the Quincy cemetery. I played it on my Fender Highway Strat through my Roland Micro Cube amp. The cube is small but has amazing tone and I love the reverb effect.

It was recorded on my Boss digital recorder at my residence.

Thanks to Steve and The Whig for letting me put together music for a project.

Workers install the stage for the U2 360? Tour concert at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, June 26, 2009. U2 will play next Tuesday in Barcelona. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

U2 begins a new tour Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain. Judging from the band’s Web site, the massive stage is quite a spectacle.

I’ve seen U2 three times and it’s always a great show, but I passed when offered tickets to the Soldier Field concert in Chicago this September. Had the band played St. Louis, maybe. But too much money for tickets and too much hassle getting to Chi-town meant no U2 this time around.

Maybe they will play smaller venues in a followup tour and come to St. Louis. NOT.

I am a product of early 1980s MTV. I used to go across the street to my best friend’s house and watch videos for hours and hours, praying to get a glimpse of the new Who, U2 or Tom Petty videos.

Michael Jackson dominated the early years of MTV. I wasn’t into his music back then, but there is no denying he was ahead of his time and put out great stuff.

I remember watching the debut of the Thriller video and being amazed. Now it seems tame, but back then a video more than four minutes long was a huge deal, and he turned music videos into much more than just a vehicle for songs.

And the fact Eddie Van Halen played guitar on Beat It was, well … kinda cool.

Unless you’ve been in their shoes, you have no idea what victims in sexual abuse and assault cases have to endure.

During Geoff Dalton’s sentencing Wednesday in Quincy for sexually assaulting a former eighth-grade student, the victim stood in the crowded courtroom and made a brief statement.

She spoke in a quiet voice, but there was no doubt in her tone.

“Through this traumatic process, I’ve had lots of time for thought and recovery because I know I am strong enough to walk away,” she said. “Therefore I forgive you, but I hope you don’t forgive yourself. Because someone as low as you should not walk away feeling good.”

Many sexual assault victims don’t report the crime in the first place because of fear, shame and other issues.

This has been a trying time for the victim in this case, and her family.
Finally, her voice was heard.

Sometimes there’s just not a lot to say.
Tuesday afternoon inside the Adams County Courthouse, Kayla Harris pleaded guilty to theft and to violating terms of her Drug Court probation, and she received a five-year prison sentence.

Kayla Harris

Adams County Sheriff’s Sgt. Rich Wagner said during a preliminary hearing Tuesday that Harris and her mother, Pam, admitted to stealing a hat from the grave of Adams County Sheriff’s investigator Matt McElffresh.
Wagner said Pam Harris admitted to taking the hat, then giving it to her daughter’s boyfriend, Anthony “Rocky” Kroeger, because Kroeger was arrested by the investigator a few years ago.
Pam Harris and Kroeger pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges in connection with the hat theft.
This is sad for many reasons, but one of the biggest is that Kayla Harris was in Drug Court for less than a year after pleading guilty to a meth-related charge, and she appeared to be doing quite well.
Getting into Drug Court is the biggest second chance a person can get. For Kayla Harris, that chance is gone.

Judge William Mays oversees Drug Court in Quincy, and gets to know the participants because they make weekly court appearances.
After Mays sentenced Kayla Harris Tuesday, he looked at her as she got up to leave and head back upstairs to the Adams County Jail.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m at a loss for words,” the judge said.
He wasn’t the only one.

On the north end of town there’s a community garden, where residents plant fruits and vegetables.

Members of the Adams County Drug Court program recently got together and decided to grow vegetables at the garden. They have planted lettuce, onions, peppers, tomatoes and other produce.

Drug Court is basically a more intense form of probation. Every participant has a felony drug conviction. They meet weekly for support group meetings and have weekly court appearances, as well.

The garden is not part of community service. The participants came up with the idea on their own and have been taking care of it on their own.

Last week they gathered their first batch of produce and delivered it to Quanada and the New Start Rescue Mission.

Drug Court is often the last and best chance a drug user has to once and for all clean up and get out of the criminal justice system. Though they work hard and it’s not easy, participants know they are getting a big break.

So it’s nice to see them give back.

One of life’s simple pleasures is walking next door to the Washington Perk for a cup of coffee.

Staff Writer Kelly Wilson and I have a “coffee arrow” which determines who is buying, and I skate out the back door of The Whig into the back entrance of the Perk.

I see people gathered in the Granite Bank Building and it cheers my heart. Maybe it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but getting together with a regular crew for a cup of Joe is an important social event.

It also helps to have a downtown presence and gathering place.

I like the girls who work at the Perk. Other than wishing they had stronger Colombian coffee once in a while …

The whole “he didn’t understand me” thing has been taken to a new level, as evidenced by this story about a gal who woke up with 56 stars tattooed on her face.

Oops ….

I have a new favorite Web site — Awkward Family Photos.com, click here for more.

This site rocks. I dug through a box of old stuff not long ago and found a few family photos, and man do we look like dorks. Late 70s dress shirt collars will do that for you ….

I’m driving to work this morning down Sixth Street between State and Jefferson and a city garbage truck is parked just ahead. I slow down and wait until I get the driver’s attention before passing.

Then the guy behind me guns it, passes me and the truck, and nearly hits a car coming the other way.

Geesh. Have a little common sense, would you? It takes me all of five minutes to get to work, and if I have to wait 15 or 20 seconds for the trash guys to safety get down a street, so be it.

Give the guys a break and be careful out there!