Great times Sunday at the Brandon Turner benefit at The Grove. A huge crowd enjoyed the volleyball tournament, several bands and food. As usual, huge efforts by a dedicated few made all the difference, especially Tommy Van Ness.
Quincy has a history of supporting good causes, and I’m glad there was a big turnout for BT. The goal of raising between $4,500 and $5,000 was reached, enough to pay off funeral expenses and to make a donation to the Quincy Humane Society.
The Herald-Whig is publishing its second “20-under-40″ section Sept. 19. The first one last year was a huge success, and we’ve had a lot of fun putting together this section.
These are good stories about interesting people. One of the subjects made a very interesting comment to me recently about wanting to see young people get more involved and to be heard.
This is a great way to do it.
Starting Friday, it will be illegal to text and drive in Missouri if you are 21 or younger.
Anything designed to make driving safer is a good thing, and the law has good intentions — don’t text and drive. Simple, isn’t it?
Not really. While I’m sure younger drivers are more likely to text, people older than 21 (like, uh, ME) should not text either. Why isn’t the law aimed at everybody?
And just how is an officer going to tell if you are texting or not? Maybe you are dialing your phone — what is the difference? Many phones have e-mail and Internet capabilities. Sending an e-mail while driving is just as dangerous as sending a text. Why isn’t that illegal, too?
The message is to not text and drive. Maybe the thought is that if young people are told it’s illegal, they won’t get in the bad habit of doing it.
Sure ….
Friday night marks the opening of the area prep football season.
I kind of wish we’d use Labor Day weekend as the unofficial kickoff to fall seasons, and that includes going back to school.
However, getting done early is nice … and I am looking forward to football season, so let’s go!
On Page 6A of today’s Herald-Whig, there’s a story with the headline “People who multitask the most are worst at it.”
Read more here.
The good thing about this is that I’m really, really, REALLY good at doing nothing. So I have nothing to worry about. Phew!
Former New York Giants star receiver Plaxico Burress will serve two years in prison for shooting himself in the thigh in a nightclub. Click here for more.
Some question why he is getting so much time for what they perceive is a relatively minor offense.
Two things to consider here ….
1. New York might have the nation’s toughest laws when it comes to guns.
2. He carried a loaded gun into a nightclub. HELLO! A person should not be punished for what might have happened, but still ….
Some say this is the end of hit NFL career. The bet here is that he spends less than a year in prison, because Burress is many things but he’s not dumb and he’ll figure out how to get by in the clink.
Also, two more words for you — Michael Vick. Burress has loads of talent and can catch a ball, and if he has any skills left when he gets out, an NFL team will sign him.
In last Saturday’s paper, I wrote about Quincy Junior High School staff finding a bunch of old papers and items belonging to 1950 QHS grad Lucille Pearl Kohl.
Her son, Chris Koch of Colorado, e-mailed and said he appreciated reading about his mom, who passed away in February 2000.
Lucille went to Western Illinois University, worked at Gardner-Denver, and met her future husband, Richard Koch, in early 1950s. Richard is remembered for being active with the VFW and American Legion in Quincy, and for running as a Republican mayoral candidate.
They married in 1954 and moved to Springfield, then near Chicago to LaGrange Park, where their daughter, Tammy, still lives. Tammy and her father worked in the insurance title business.
Chris’ other sister, Tara, went to Minnesota. Richard and Lucille traveled the world in addition to raising three fine kids.
Chris moved to Colorado in 1983. His dad passed away from cancer in 1986, and Lucille fought throat and neck cancer for more than five years until she died.
Chris read with great interest about the love letter from “Jim” to his mother. He isn’t sure who Jim is, but his mother had an aunt who worked in a Chicago hotel. He recalls stories of her going up on the train when she was a teen and loving it.
When Lucille died, a memorial service took place for her in Quincy.
Chris wrote that when he was in Quincy for her service, he saw “all the old haunts we remember from our childhood trips down there on Amtrak to see our grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins.”
It’s great to bring back memories!
So I turn my computer on Monday morning and nothing works.
Can’t connect to the Internet, to our word processing program, can’t access e-mail, nothing.
I call our IT guys, long-suffering gentlemen who have to put up with burned out ex-sports writers.
“Sounds like you are having a connection issue,” our guy says.
“Well, I’ve got everything plugged in, and I checked all the wires,” I said. “I’m even checking the cable that plugs into the side of the computer right now, and it’s connected …. wait a second.”
For IT guys, the phrase “wait a second” might be the most amusing three words they hear — especially when the cable has come loose and it’s not plugged into the computer.
How many different ways can you say “sorry,” anyway?
It’s not the computer, pal. It’s the dummy who uses it ….
So you think you are having a tough Monday ….
There’s a guy on trial at the Adams County Courthouse today for a felony offense. During a mid-morning break as the two sides were picking a jury, he went outside and saw his car being towed away for illegally being parked in a handicapped zone.
Oops. Let’s hope some of the prospective jurors having a smoke break put their hands over their ears when the man gave the poor tow truck driver a piece of his mind.
