The Room is rapidly becoming a cult classic and considered one of the best “worst” movies ever made.

It’s being shown in Quincy at 11:30 p.m. Friday night at Ice Scream, 616 Maine. The Room is a San Francisco-set love triangle involving a banker named Johnny, his friend Mark, and Johnny’s fiancée Lisa, who is sleeping with both men. It was made by and stars, if you can call it stars, Tommy Wiseau.

For a review, click here.

Believe it or not, a Quincy resident has a role in the movie. Greg Ellery went to a casting call in Los Angeles when the movie was made some eight years ago and ended up getting a part.

Read more about Greg’s experiences here on an awesome RiffTrax interview.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has a fascinating website dedicated to driving under the influence cases and issues.

Click here for the site. It contains pending and resolved DUI cases, statistics and examples of how DUI impacts us all.

Sobering, indeed.

A FEW THINGS from Tuesday’s sentencing of Kahoka resident Heather Bradley for stealing televisions from Walmart …. Click here for the story.

— Several family members were there for support, including Bradley’s young son. Watching kids in court is difficult. They don’t deserve to have this done to them. I would think twice before letting a young child into a sentencing of his or her parent, but each case is different.

— Bradley has spent more than two months in the Adams County Jail since she was found guilty in a July jury trial. She complained about being attacked in the jail and her attorney, Don Heck, said it was “mind-boggling” for his client.

— Everybody knows what an awful and antiquated place the jail is, but it’s rare for judges to actually comment about it during sentencings. “The Adams County Jail is not an easy place,” she said. “The Department of Corrections may be easier.” In many ways, she is right.

— Lagoski also wisely pointed out one other factor often overlooked by judges when it comes to sentencings. Bradley was found guilty of stealing four televisions from Walmart worth nearly $4,000. “They (Walmart) have to make up for that,” Lagoski said. “The rest of us have to pay for that.”

A jury convicted a drunken driver of murder Monday in the deaths of promising rookie Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his friends.

To read more, click here.

Just another sad reminder about the perils of drinking and driving.

SATURDAY AT VARIOUS locations in our area, local law enforcement agencies are taking back controlled substances in a safe and anonymous collection.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating the collections. They take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at sites throughout the country. For more, click here.

The local places you can take back your old medications and pills include:

— Quincy City Hall parking lot, Eighth and Maine;

— Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center, 730 York;

— Central Adams Fire Station, 300 S. Main, Coatsburg;

— Payson State Street Bank, 401 E. State, Payson

— Hannibal (Mo.) Walgreens, 455 S. U.S. 61;

— Ralls County Courthouse, 311 S. Main, New London, Mo.;

— Canton (Mo.) Public Library, 304 Lewis;

— Kahoka (Mo.) City Park, 100 N. Morgan;

— Knox County 4-H Pavilion, 201 N. Fourth, Edina, Mo.

THE FIRST CHURCH bell in Quincy will ring out Sunday in celebration of the First Union Congregational Church’s 180^th anniversary.

Church member Reaugh Broemmel put together information about the event. After church service this Sunday (around 11:45 a.m.),  members of the church will gather at the Gov. John Wood Mansion at 12th and State and gently ring the bell that was originally a part of the Lord’s Barn, the first church in the city.  The Lord’s Barn was located near Fourth and Maine. The “ring out” is being done with the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, owners of the bell since 1898.

The bell has hung in the alcove located on the south side of the Wood mansion since 1908. A recently discovered inscription on the bell indicates it was manufactured by George H. Holbrook of Medway, Mass., in 1834.  It arrived in Quincy via the river and was placed near the Lord’s Barn.  Too heavy for the log church, the bell was suspended from two poles on the outside of the building.  A long rope was passed through a hole in the building so that the bell ringer could stand inside the building.

The ringing of the bell is a part of the activities leading up to the celebration of the 180^th anniversary of the church later in the year. In June, Sunday services took place on Quinsippi Island in the log cabin church, part of the Log Cabin Village on the island.  A ground breaking ceremony for a Habitat for Humanity house at 1120 North Seventh Street in Quincy sponsored by First Union, was also held that month.  Members continue to work on the house on Saturdays.  Other anniversary activities are planned for the coming months.

More historical information on the first bell in Quincy will be available at the “ring out” on Sunday.  Refreshments will be served in the Visitors’ Center of the Historical Society located near the Wood mansion, and the public is invited.

For more info, contact Reaugh at (21) 223-3932 or the church office at 222-3346.

SO YOU ARE excited about your little bundle of joy and finding great satisfaction in starting a family.

Don’t let the six-figure cost of raising the little one deter you.

Click here for a Wall Street Journal story about the price of raising a child today. It’s no wonder the birthrate in this country is the lowest in a century.

Just wait ’till they get to college … or is that included in the price?

Back in 2001, Mike "Paz" Pasley swung for the fences during a promotional event at a Quincy Gems game. Paz has lost more than 200 pounds since a gastric bypass procedure.

EVERYBODY HAS A Paz story.

Mike Pasley, former Herald-Whig sports part-timer and legendary PA announcer for Quincy Notre Dame and John Wood Community College, left his mark on Quincy. You can read more about him here.

Paz is pictured with one of his four young daughters in August.

Here’s our list of top Paz stories of all-time. They are all true.

IN THE EARLY 1990s, The Whig got a group of employees together to go to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game on a Sunday afternoon. Paz agreed to pick up Matt Schuckman house after he went to church at St. Peters. Paz pulled up in front of the house, got out of his car and dropped his pants in the middle of Holiday Drive. Thankfully, he had khaki shorts on underneath. And he tells his buddies that his mom wouldn’t let him wear shorts to church so he put on khaki pants over his shorts. Remember — Paz was 26 or 27 years old at the time.

DURING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Week in 2002, Paz was in charge of the Student Appreciation Day pizza party at QND, basically handing out pizza to all of the students for lunch. A ton of Dominos pizza was ordered. There were three lunch periods at the time, lasting from almost 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m, so 2 1/2 hours. After the last lunch period, he stumbled into Coach Bill Connell’s office, leans his head against the wall and says to Jay Zanger, “Ahhhhh, I don’t feel so good.” Zanger asked him what he ate. Paz’s reply was “Ahhhhhh, two large pizzas, a dozen sugar cookies and two 2-liter bottles of soda.” Connell remembers it more as 10 pizzas and 25 cookies. But who was counting?

IN 2002 or 2003, on the first morning of QND football two-a-days, head equipment manager Chris Keller brought Texas-sized donuts for the coaches. No one had more than one or two except for Paz, who had six. Afterwards, he went up to John Lavery and said “Ahhhhh, I don’t feel so good. Rub my belly and tell me what you think.” Unbelievably enough, later on that day, Paz went to the hospital for what was diagnosed as a double hernia and he had surgery a few days later.

IN 1994, THE QND football team made their yearly trip to a major college football game. Since Holden, Mo. was on the schedule, the team went to the UAB-Kansas game the next day. It was a rout. It wasn’t a very big crowd to begin with and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, very few people were in the end zone stands where the QND team was sitting. As soon as Kansas scored to make the score 60-0, Paz started jumping up and down saying “Ahhhh, I want to see 70, I’ve never seen 70!!!” Sure enough, they made it to 70. The final was 73-0. Just after the last touchdown, Paz was jumping up and down and yelling “Ahhhh, I want to see 80, I’ve never seen 80!!!”

NOT LONG AFTER Paz married Sara in the summer of 1996, Paz was in the Herald-Whig editorial department and seemed down in the dumps. When asked what was wrong, he said, “Ahhhhh, she made me turn off SportsCenter!” Paz also uttered the immortal line, “Once you dip your toe into Lake Pasley, you’ll never want to take it out.”

IN THE 1995 football preseason, Paz had an appointment with Connell to interview him for the QND football preview. The appointment was at 11 a.m. A few minutes before 11 that day, Paz pulls up in the QND back parking lot in his red Escort. But when he got out of his car, he was bleeding profusely from a spot between his upper lip and his nose. He explained he had cut himself shaving. Connell told him he would’ve understood if he had waited to come until after he had stopped bleeding but of course, Paz felt like he needed to be on time.

QND PLAYED AT Greenville in the first round of the 1997 football playoffs. Paz was on the sideline covering the game. The game was still fairly close in the third quarter when Dominic Tamberelli broke a long run. (Connell says it was actually on a ‘Bloomin’ Onion’ kickoff return). Everyone on the sideline was running downfield toward the spot where the run ended. All of a sudden, there was a big crash and there Paz was, laying on the ground. He had lost his footing while running downfield. Connell turns around and asks “Paz, are you okay?” Paz jumps up and all he said was “Just win! Just win!”

THE DAY AFTER QND’s regular season finale in 1998 at LaMoille, the team went to the Army-Notre Dame game in South Bend. Paz went along also. A couple of hours before kickoff, Mike Bruns, former QND player Matt Lavery, Paz and Frank Cash were walking around campus. The Irish Guard was performing outside of the library. One thing to know … the Irish Guard members are all tall and slender and somewhat muscular, which Paz wasn’t at the time. They also march very well and are very disciplined. All of a sudden, Paz remarks very loudly so everyone can hear him, “Ahhhhh, if I ever go back to school to get some sort of advanced degree or whatever, I want to be one of those guys!”

NOT LONG AFTER Paz and Sara got married, Culver-Stockton SID John Schild made the trip to the Pasley house “to break bread with them,” as Schild says. Sara fixed fried chicken and all of the trimmings. Paz is talking and eating at the same time and the more he talks, the faster he eats. All of a sudden, Sara barks out “Michael, smaller portions!!!.” She caught Paz so much by surprise that all he could reply with was “Ahhhhhhh … ”

ONE SUNDAY MORNING in the late 1990s, Paz was preparing for a day of announcing football games at the YMCA. Just before kickoff of the first game, there was a small trash fire at the YMCA. Someone yelled at Paz, who was in the press box, to call the fire department. Paz replied with “Ahhhhh, I can’t find the phone book!”

DURING A JOHN Wood Community College basketball game at the old CYO Gym at Seventh and Broadway, Paz was doing the PA and leading the crowd in The Stomp when he was ejected by the officials from the game.

ONE NIGHT IN 1996 or 1997, Paz showed up at The Whig very late after covering a JWCC hoops game in Moberly, Mo. He was holding a piece of wood and explained that it was part of the old gym floor. Seems he was doing The Stomp when he literally broke it off of the floor. A few days later, a distraught Paz was asked about the treasured item. “Ahhh, Sara threw it away,” he sadly said.

IT WILL BE interesting to see what happens Saturday when people can drop off old and unused controlled substances to various collection points.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is coordinating with local law enforcement the removal of potentially dangerous controlled substances. Collection activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In Quincy, locations include City Hall at Eighth and Maine and the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center, Seventh and York.

For more information and a complete list of areas near you taking the drugs, click here. The Northeast Missouri Narcotics Task Force is participating by having sites at the Ralls County Courthouse in New London, the Canton Public Library at 304 Lewis Street and Walgreens Drug Store in Canton, 455 S. U.S. 61.

The program is anonymous. Prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications will be accepted.

It’s not safe to flush unwanted medications down the toilet due to the risk of ground water contamination. Keeping old medicines in bathroom sink cabinets is also dangerous — national authorities say the most popular source for young people to obtain prescription and over the counter drugs are in the home cabinets.

For more information and a complete list of areas near you taking the drugs, click here. The Northeast Missouri Narcotics Task Force is participating by having sites at the Ralls County Courthouse in New London, the Canton Public Library at 304 Lewis Street and Walgreens Drug Store in Canton, 455 S. U.S. 61.

If you have old medicines and want a safe and anonymous way to dispose of them, here’s your chance to do it safely, quickly and conveniently.

John Wood Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Carter, left, is all smiles as JWCC President Tom Klincar signs a one-year contract with full-time faculty after the monthly board meeting at the Agricultural Center in Perry Wednesday night. (Photo Courtesy JWCC)

Two public school entities are in different stages of contract negotiations with teachers. Comparing them might not be fair, but there are lessons to be learned from both situations.

John Wood Community College announced this week full-time faculty has agreed to a one-year contract without raises. If the state comes through with about $1.5 million in appropriations — college officials aren’t exactly holding their collective breaths — faculty might get small raises this year.

The most telling quote from the process comes from JWCC instructor Carolyn Warren, who represented the teachers in negotiations.

“Money is good, but how you are treated is much more important,” Warren said. “We were treated with the utmost respect.”

JWCC trustees put their faith in vice president of finance Alan Steigelman, who has negotiated all the faculty contracts since the teachers unionized about 10 years ago. Steigelman is a tough but fair negotiator and Warren has respect for him, keys to getting the deal done.

JWCC faculty has also done itself a huge favor by understanding the school is having serious financial issues due to the state’s inability to deliver promised funds. I’m sure Warren will remind Steigelman of that when they start working on a new deal next summer.

Now let’s go to the Quincy Public Schools situation, which is still in limbo. Teachers are considering the latest contract proposal from the administration and we should know something by Sunday if teachers will accept it.

QPS is much bigger than John Wood and there are many different issues at the table. It’s also interesting that School Board Vice President Tom Dickerson is one of the lead negotiators for QPS, much different than having your administrative money guy at the table leading the way.

I respect Dickerson and it’s no fun giving up countless hours for frustrating and tedious negotiations. Here’s a guy who works hard for a prominent company in town and I’m sure there are mornings when he wakes up and wonders what the license plate of the truck was that ran him over.

From talking to him several times after late night bargaining sessions, you can hear the frustration in his voice and tell he wants to get a deal done. But you can also tell he’s doing what he thinks best to represent the school.

The teacher’s union rep is Madison School teacher Michele Eberlein. Again, much respect to her for putting in the endless hours while doing such an important job.

Teachers don’t have to tell me how crucial their roles are in our lives. My daughter went through Quincy Public Schools and did very well — you get out of it what you put into it, and she was afforded opportunities from very caring people.

Eberlein wants to remind us that teachers are taxpayers and members of the community. Well, guess what? So are we. We all have stakes in this thing.

I’m wondering if at times it would help to have a member of the community involved in this process. Finding that person wouldn’t be easy — both sides would have to agree with it, and you are talking about giving up big chunks of your life in a thankless task.

Maybe having an independent voice from the community, along with a paid federal negotiator, would help.

Perhaps Quincy Public Schools will take a page from John Wood’s book and figure out something for the short-term, and start working now on a long-term contract.

It would be welcomed news.