The Illinois State Police District 20 recently announced 2009 traffic statistics, and last year was the safest in the 27-year history of the district.

District 20, based in Pittsfield, responded to seven fatal crashes involving eight fatalities. District 20 includes Adams, Pike, Brown Schuyler and Scott counties.

Statewide, there were 925 deaths in traffic-related crashes last year, 118 fewer than in 2008.

ISP wants to get the year started right by reminding people to be careful on Super Bowl Sunday — one of the biggest party days of the year.

Capt. Pat Staples, commander of District 20, says designated drivers, calling a cab or letting people spend the night are the best ways to avoid DUIs.

I’ll throw one in for good measure — you don’t have to drink a lot to enjoy the Super Bowl.

Be safe out there!

TEN YEARS AGO this Thursday, President Bill Clinton was in Quincy and gave a speech before about 20,000 people in frigid Washington Park.

Chuck Scholz was the mayor back then and has vivid memories. He was on Air Force One with the president after a mayor’s breakfast in Washington, D.C. He briefed Clinton on Quincy’s history and rode in the motorcade from the airport to Washinton Park.

Many of us remember that cold day. But few remember the next. Scholz does.

It snowed hard in Quincy the day after Clinton was in town. Scholz got up the next morning and took his son, Jake, then a student at Culver-Stockton College, for an event in northern Iowa. On the way back, they ran into a nasty blizzard and their car went off the road near Wapello, Iowa.

“I kept thinking we could make it to Burlington. It was only 30 miles away,” Scholz remembers.

Stranded off the road, they waited in the blizzard for a tow truck, then found a motel to stay overnight. Scholz trudged to a convenience store to find something to eat (stale hot dogs, etc.) when he noticed a local newspaper by the counter.

There was a huge picture of him and the leader of the free world from the ceremonies the day before.

“Keeps you humble,” Scholz said.

Be careful out there this morning, Q-town. The Quincy Police Department has fielded at least seven traffic crash calls since 7:30, when we started getting snow after temperatures dropped overnight.

The sun actually came out yesterday and just when you think you have the winter doldrums beat … Mother Nature proves victorious, again.

No doubt some of the residents of Wilmar Orchard and the normally quiet neighborhood south of Johnson Park off of Harrison were startled this morning to see the Adams County Sheriff’s Special Response Team breaking down a door at 1801 Wilmar Orchard.

Officers arrested three people after saying they found items used to manufacture meth.

The landlord was seen inside the Adams County Sheriff’s office Friday afternoon getting information to have the renters evicted.

True, this normally doesn’t happen in a quiet area like this.

But don’t be too surprised — this stuff can happen in the penthouse or the outhouse.

Bob Mays, Don Gnuse and the late Leaton Irwin were inducted today into the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.

During the lunch at the Ambiance, Gnuse talked about growing up in Lewistown, Mo. Irwin’s grandson, George Irwin, thanked the Chamber for the honor and kept it short. Mays gave a humble and funny talk centering around family and his love of Quincy.

Mays had bookmarks made for the occassion with the following saying: “I wondered why somebody didn’t do something. Then I realized that I am somebody.”

Captured it perfectly as always, Bob.

After reading this Associated Press story, here’s my only question — what were the lunch specials at this restaurant?

From one of Quincy’s own bloggers comes this link to a story and video of a guy who ran into bulletproof glass … and lost.

As always, You Can’t Make It Up ….

January means Girl Scout Cookies, and we are connoisseurs here at The Whig.

Girl Scout have this theory about sending free boxes of cookies to the media. They think they can bribe us to write good things about them. Fact is, Girls Scouts rock in general and they don’t need to resort to such (un)savory tactics.

But I like it.

Yesterday, fueled by half a box of Tagalongs, I covered a GREDF annual meeting without a bulletproof vest. This morning, the other half got devoured as I wrote about a meth bust in Quincy and tracked down info for a Sunday feature story.

Girl Scout Cookies … not just for breakfast anymore!

I hate American Idol. I watched it once and I thought it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen on television. And TV in general is really, really dumb. So that’s saying something.

In our pod at work, we have an Idol expert and when people cruise through the newsroom they stop and talk about it.

“I was trying to watch it last night when my friend from Vermont called and I had to miss it,” said a gal this morning, in near-tears.

Yesterday it was “Are you in Idol countdown mode?” and “I can’t wait for Idol” and “I wonder who will win this year.”

When the Idol talk begins, the headphones come out and Pandora.com gets me through inane chatter about a bad television show.

Like everything else in the shallow world of show business, Idol will run its course and people will find the next big thing.

Look. If you are an Idol fan, good for you. If it entertains you, good for you. If you love Simon, who apparently is the good guy and bad guy of this show, good for you.

Don’t include me in it. That’s all I’m asking.

Lots of smoke and activity this morning at Sixth and State when the Quincy Fire Department responded to Quincy Recycle and Paper.

Fortunately the firefighters got in quickly, much to the relief of a grateful owner, Bryan Stokes.

“I’d like to thank the fire department for their quick response and I appreciate them getting here and keeping a small thing just that — a small thing,” Stokes said this morning.